Learner drivers spend up to 22 hours practising their driving skills with family or friends - but do you know there are certain rules that apply for supervising a learner?
From age to holding a driving licence for a certain number of years, make sure you meet all the requirements before getting in the passenger seat of a learner's car.
Rules for supervising a learner driver
The supervising driver must:
- have had a full driving licence for three years (from countries in the European Union or European Economic Area)
- be qualified to drive the type of vehicle they are supervising in (example - manual car licence)
- hold the correct car insurance or make sure the learner driver has provisional insurance
- ensure the car is in safe and legal conditions
- display L plates while the learner is driving
- not use a mobile phone while supervising
Learner drivers can be fined up to £1,000 and get up to six penalty points on their provisional licence if they drive without the right supervision.
How old must you be to supervise a learner driver?
You must be over 21 years old to supervise a learner driver.
Who can supervise a learner driver?
Anyone can supervise a learner driver as long as they:
- are over 21
- have had their full driving licence for three years (from countries in the EU/EEA)
- are qualified to drive the type of vehicle they are supervising
Can a learner driver carry passengers?
Yes, driving on a provisional licence with passengers is legal.
Are there any learner driver passenger restrictions?
Learner drivers can carry as many passengers as the vehicle can legally hold.
Can learner drivers drive at night?
Learner drivers can practise at any time, as long as they drive under the right supervision.
Supervising a learner driver insurance
If the learner driver is practising in a car they own, they will need their own insurance.
If the learner driver is practising in someone else's car, the car owner must add the learner as an additional driver to their insurance policy, but this won't protect the owner's no claims bonus
If the learner driver is practising in someone else's car, then the learner can get provisional insurance to cover them from two hours to 90 days, which will protect the owner's no claims bonus
Be advised that you can get a fixed penalty of £300, be banned from driving and get up to eight penalty points for driving without insurance.
You can read more in our guide to learning to drive.
Teaching your teen to drive
Before you start teaching your teen to drive in your car, there’s a few things to double check:
- Make sure that the car is roadworthy – and has all its paperwork in order, including its MOT, tax and insurance.
- Consider insurance – your child will need to be insured to drive your car. You could consider getting specialist learner driver insurance.
Tips for driving lessons
- Take them on a route they’re familiar with – this will make them feel more comfortable.
- Give instructions with plenty of time – allow them to process your instructions so they don’t panic at the last minute.
- Reinforce your instructions – for instance, if you’re on a roundabout and want them to take the second exit, reinforce it as you go by saying ‘this is the first exit, and we are taking the second.’
- Stay calm and be patient – getting angry or shouting will likely cause them to panic, and they may end up stalling.
- Maintain a good relationship with your child’s instructor – it can be useful to have feedback on which areas you might want to focus on or what they’re not ready to try yet.
