We wrote an article about the costs involved when learning to drive a car in Ireland. We found that on average – the charges for lessons , tests and permits will come to a minimum of €660. Read More about Cost of Learning to Drive
One extra expense you need to budget for when learning to drive is the cost of car insurance for provisional licence holders.
In the last comparison survey of car insurance carried out by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission – they looked at the extra cost of adding a named driver with a learners permit to an insurance policy. This is a common scenario where a parent will add a son or daughter to their own insurance policy while the child is learning to drive. (Figures from 2016)
High Charges
The biggest increase in insurance premium quotes with a learner driver on the policy was €2485 a year . (This was with Aviva Insurance).
The smallest increase was still a hefty €1332 from FBD – which works out at €111 a month.
If we add this on to the cost of learning to drive – and assume it will be needed for at least 6 months – it brings the cost of learning to drive in Ireland up to €1326
Overall the lowest priced insurance quote in the comparison with a provisional license holder on the policy was from FBD at €1929 for a year.
The most expensive quote was from Aviva at €3178.
Other quotes were: AIG : €2786 , Axa : €1980 , RSA: €3129
The worse thing was – that three of the insurance companies in the comparison wouldn’t even provide a quote for having a named driver on the policy with a provisional licence. (Allianz , Liberty and Zurich).
The quotes were obtained for comprehensive cover for a 47 year old in Co. Meath driving a 2011 Toyota Avensis (5 Door) with a named driver who is aged 19 and holds a provisional driving licence. –
The survey only used direct insurers. You may well get even cheaper prices from online Brokers – they will get quotes from several insurance providers.
Ref : http://www.consumerhelp.ie