New Driver

[marcosgt]

Not a "What car" just yet, but some advice for my daughter.

She's just (about 2 hours ago) passed her driving test and I'm wondering if Pass Plus actually makes a difference to insurance premiums for first time drivers? Ignore whether it's worthwhile or not, will it yield a lower premium?

Who are the best insurers for newly qualified drivers? I'm sure a lot of you have had children go through this, but she's my first.

That's it for now.

I'm sure we'll be back for a "What car" in due course

M

[martin84]

I think with most insurers now the discount given for Pass Plus is less than what the course costs, following a Government report apparently proving those who have taken it are no less likely to be in an accident. Could still be useful though for motorway training etc.

[weezb]

It'll yield a lower premium from those insurers that accept it but I still found a cheaper quote elsewhere from an insurer that didn't.

[LouD86]

Ahhh, new driver fun!!

I did pass plus when I past my test. I was 17, going into a 1.3 micra slx. This was in 2003 mind. I remember to the gearest £00 that insurance was,

£1300 normal
£800 with pass plus

Was a huge saving. I didnt find the motorway segment any good, I was pretty confident, but driving down the tight country lanes, looking for other ways to read the roads was most interesting. Worth doing.

I believe it cost me £120 at the time (6 hours of driving), there is no other premium to pay, its just a signed off bit from your instructor claiming you have done it. They may ask you to do a few more hours if they dont feel you are fully confident.

[Defcon5]

Best to go through all the comparison sites and narrow down the cheapest, then ring them and ask about pass plus - I dont recall ever seeing it as an option on an online form.

[SD1992]

In 2010, I got 20% off my premium thanks to pass plus. Well worth it IMO!

[martin84]

As with all things car insurance related alot of it still comes down to postcode. In a bad postcode it'll probably still make no difference. On moneysupermarket you do have the option of listing your Pass Plus before you get quotes. Take a look!

[Pothole]

Define 'best'.

[RenesisEvo]

When I looked into it (a few years ago now!) I couldn't find an insurer that would drop the premium enought to warrant it.

However, with the benefit of hindsight, I really wish I had done it - the extra tuition is worth it - even if it doesn't reduce their insurance premium, it might well reduce the chance of them having to claim on the insurance. Which would easily outweight any saving from not taking the course.

[Jayho]

I remember when I was in school they gov. Actually put a handfull of students through their pass plus for free. Unfortunately I hadn't passed my test yet so couldn't put my name forward. Maybe have a look to see if local council gives incentives for young kids and pass plus.

[Jakg]

I paid ~£120 for mine, and got 10% (£200) off my premium.

No insurer gives me a discount for it as apparently i've "already used it with another insurer".

[kickingkh]

I did Pass Plus after I passed my test 2 years ago. It was worth it for the tuition, but the discount on insurance was cancelled out by the cost of the course.
So you pretty much get a free 6 hours of tuition.

Insurance company wise, the admiral group are good for young drivers - (Admiral, Bell, Elephant)

Or if it suits, places like iKube where they fit a tracker to the car and charge you extra if you drive during high risk hours. (Between 11pm and 5am IIRC).

[Stev8s]

As previously said Admiral group always seem to come up cheapest but only if you add yourself as named driver on the policy as long as you don't have any adverse driving history.
I did this recently with my daughter and got the premium down from £2000 to £900 on a 05 reg Fiesta just by adding me and the wife

[Mr E Driver]

Putting an adult or two (as long as they have a good driving history) on her insurance can bring the price down as well.

[trashbat]

Check whether your local authority offers discount or free Pass Plus courses. For example, Hampshire gives £75 off, with the exception of Portsmouth or Southampton where you get nothing.

I did a two hour 'version' of it (i.e. hand over £90 cash) with my driving instructor and it gave me nothing off insurance (Admiral) but was well worth it, simply because it meant I didn't have to go down a motorway sliproad for the first time going 'AAARRRGGGHHHHH WHAT NOWWWW'.

[Chicane-UK]

Mr E Driver said:

Putting an adult or two (as long as they have a good driving history) on her insurance can bring the price down as well.

That still works for me and I'm 30 years old with 10 years NCD!!

[marcosgt]

trashbat said:

Check whether your local authority offers discount or free Pass Plus courses. For example, Hampshire gives £75 off, with the exception of Portsmouth or Southampton where you get nothing.

I did a two hour 'version' of it (i.e. hand over £90 cash) with my driving instructor and it gave me nothing off insurance (Admiral) but was well worth it, simply because it meant I didn't have to go down a motorway sliproad for the first time going 'AAARRRGGGHHHHH WHAT NOWWWW'.

Interesting - we live in Hampshire - Got anymore info on where to find this out?

I must admit, I've never really understood the need for 'motorway training'.

I can still recall the excitement at going on the M'way when I first passed my test, but by the end of the journey I was bored senseless.

The rules are exactly the same as on a dual carriageway - Keep left except to pass...

M

[trashbat]

marcosgt said:

Interesting - we live in Hampshire - Got anymore info on where to find this out?

I must admit, I've never really understood the need for 'motorway training'.

I can still recall the excitement at going on the M'way when I first passed my test, but by the end of the journey I was bored senseless.

The rules are exactly the same as on a dual carriageway - Keep left except to pass...

M

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/roadsafety/safer-driving/... - I missed out the IoW exemption.

As for the rest, depends if you're willing to teach her yourself - unaided it would be pretty daunting. Remember that DSA tuition inherently doesn't even cover overtaking, so stuff like when's a safe distance to merge back and so on - all very valuable.

[6potdave]

I would say forget the pass plus personally and teach her these things yourself. Drill into her the correct use of motorways so she can tell all her friends too

[OMNIO]

I would echo 6potdave.

Teach her yourself. I looked into doing pass plus ~3 years ago when i passed and no insurers would give me a discount for doing it.

You just have to remember not to look too nervous