Pass Plus

[g4ry13]

I hope this is the right place to post this. I just passed my test today (my first time too) and at the end my instructor offered me a Pass Plus course. I've heard of it before but was just wondering if people thought it was worth doing.

I guess it's cheap enough (£80) and will help with insurance and give me a bit more experience (especially with motorways).

Guess i've already answered my question but would appreciate any opinions and if anyone here has taken it.

Cheers

[g4ry13]

My instructor charges £150 for it, but the council would give £70 back to me because they want to encourage new drivers to gain more experience due to the obvious reason of being more likely to have an accident. I think i'll get on to it - if only for some motorway practise.

I think my insurance only works out as £25 at the moment (as i'm insured on a car with some other relatively new drivers). I'm slightly more mature than the fresh-faced 17 year olds on the road but i'll try behave myself Can't really powerslide in a clio anyway

Edited by g4ry13 on Thursday 20th September 02:28

[flattotheboards]

id do it because its £80 and it gives you a bit of experience and knowledge of what to do, and it lowers your insurance which is a bonus.

[Santa Claws]

g4ry13 said:

I hope this is the right place to post this. I just passed my test today (my first time too) and at the end my instructor offered me a Pass Plus course. I've heard of it before but was just wondering if people thought it was worth doing.

I guess it's cheap enough (£80) and will help with insurance and give me a bit more experience (especially with motorways).

Guess i've already answered my question but would appreciate any opinions and if anyone here has taken it.

Cheers

It is definately worth wile. You've got nothing to lose (apart from £80), and a LOT to gain.

Plus, it'll benefit you in terms of cheaper insurance. It's a no-brainer really - do pass plus.

[PeteG]

Aye, I'd recommend it - the motorway experience alone is worth it. Then consider it a first step on the ladder - get a bit of experience of traffic etc, then get onto Rospa or the IAM. You won't regret it.

[WeirdNeville]

Yeah, do it, practice, then start looking at otherways to keep improving.

Your test isn't the end of learning how to drive - it's really when you start. It's a shame so many do the bulk of their learning without any tution or guidance, and so compound bad habits or don't even know they're making potentially fatal errors.

If you learn good habits from the outset, you'll be able to go far!

[Ricky_M]

Congratulations on passing your test, first time as well!

Phone your insurer and find out what the reduction will be, it will more than likely be more than £80 so it is worth it.

I did my Pass Plus nearly two years ago now, it helped me slightly.

You learn Motorway driving, urban driving, rural driving (lanes), night time driving and different weather conditions. All of which I did the weekend I passed my test, but it was still nice to have a proffesional teaching you.

[SVS]

Hi,

Congratulations on passing!

PeteG said:

Aye, I'd recommend it - the motorway experience alone is worth it. Then consider it a first step on the ladder - get a bit of experience of traffic etc, then get onto Rospa or the IAM. You won't regret it.

What he said

Enjoy your driving

[dj1uk3]

Congrats on passing your test!!!!!!

i passed mine a couple of weeks ago and im thinking about the pass plus test aswell.

how much does it affect the insurance?

[g4ry13]

dj1uk3 said:

Congrats on passing your test!!!!!!

i passed mine a couple of weeks ago and im thinking about the pass plus test aswell.

how much does it affect the insurance?

Thanks, you too.

I have a London Pass Plus booklet and it states that if you're between the ages of 17-25 the council will return £70 to you for completing the course. (Not sure if you're in London.) As far as insurance goes, the booklet doesn't state a certain % you'll get off, but it will help when it comes to insurance. I imagine it'll vary between companies so there's no definitive answer.

[tigger1]

Can you only do PP within X years of passing your test? Is it worth doing if you've been driving longer?

I'm after an "easy" way to kick myself back into good habits

[g4ry13]

tigger1 said:

Can you only do PP within X years of passing your test? Is it worth doing if you've been driving longer?

I'm after an "easy" way to kick myself back into good habits

I found this on the site:

"If you passed your test more than a year ago you should check that you’ll be eligible for the discounts on offer from your insurance company before you take the course."

So you may not get the benefits insurance wise of doing it, but it may be worth it if you're trying to improve your driving habits.

[waremark]

From the official Pass Plus website:

"PASS PLUS consists of six practical modules which cover driving in town, in all weathers, on rural roads, at night, on dual carriageways and on motorways. You can take it at any time within the first 12 month of passing your test. "

Why not do IAM Skill for Life? - It aims at a much higher level than Pass Plus, and is cheaper.

[planetdave]

A higher standard would be too high, it's pitched for the recently passed.

I used to run PASS PLUS courses and my opinion of them is mixed. Apart from the motorway module everything else should already have been covered so I thought it was taking the michael slightly.

On the positive side.....you get to do more driving in a structured environment without the spectre of a test looming over you. It's all good experience. And the learning curve is still quite steep at that stage so any tips or wrinkles you can take on board accelerate your driving development.

I wouldn't bother if you think it's going to improve your insurance quotes. I didn't have any client report back to say that they couldn't sniff out a lower quote that didn't require it.

The most positive aspect though.....it shows a commitment to improve and is the first step towards becoming a driving god a better driver

[Ricky_M]

g4ry13 said:

dj1uk3 said:

Congrats on passing your test!!!!!!

i passed mine a couple of weeks ago and im thinking about the pass plus test aswell.

how much does it affect the insurance?

Thanks, you too.

I have a London Pass Plus booklet and it states that if you're between the ages of 17-25 the council will return £70 to you for completing the course. (Not sure if you're in London.) As far as insurance goes, the booklet doesn't state a certain % you'll get off, but it will help when it comes to insurance. I imagine it'll vary between companies so there's no definitive answer.

Just an example, it knocked nearly £200 off the price of my insurance, going from £1695 to £1500.

[rhys27]

did my pass plus shortly after passing my test...
went to get insurance quote on my peugeot 306 1.4 and there was no discount for pass plus. I tried several insurance companies Endsleigh, Norwich Union..etc.. however they all didnt want to know about pass plus.

it was worth it for the motorway experience and im glad i did it but im hacked off it didnt give me any insurance discount!
i would recomend it tho, since passing in feb ive done about 8,000 miles mainly motorway driving so deffintally worth it for the initial motorway training!
good luck mate!