Young Driver Car Insurance in Ireland: 16 FAQs Answered
Car insurance in Ireland isn’t cheap, especially for younger drivers. In 2023, the average cost of car insurance for drivers aged between 17–19 was a whopping €1,884, falling only slightly to €1,143 for drivers aged 20–29.
Bear in mind that these figures are just averages: As one Newstalk article points out, sometimes the cost of car insurance for learner drivers can sometimes exceed €3,000. In many cases, that’s more than the value of the car.
To help you better understand the landscape of car insurance in Ireland, below DrivingClass.ie answers 15 of the most commonly asked insurance-related questions by Irish learner drivers.
1. What insurance do I need as a learner driver?
Let’s take this from two perspectives: First, we’ll look at car insurance for young drivers who don’t yet own their own cars — otherwise known as ‘named driver insurance or ‘second driver insurance.’ Then, we’ll look at car insurance for learner drivers who already own their own cars.
Named driver insurance
Named driver insurance is when a learner driver is added to the existing insurance policy of a more experienced driver. In Ireland, this most commonly happens when a parent adds a child to their insurance policy, which is required for them to use the car.
Learner driver car insurance
For learner drivers with their own car, there are three types of cover available:
Third party: Third party insurance is the minimum allowed insurance in Ireland and the EU. If you cause a road accident, it compensates other parties for damages arising from the accident but provides you with no compensation.
Third party, fire and theft: The next rung up the ladder is third party, fire and theft. The same terms apply here as for third party, with the added bonus of having added cover if your vehicle is stolen or damaged by fire.
Comprehensive insurance: The ‘full Irish’ of car insurance. Comprehensive insurance covers everybody involved in an accident. It also covers your car against theft and vandalism. Naturally, this makes the most expensive form of car insurance.
2. How can I get cheaper learner driver insurance?
Cheaper young driver insurance is not easy to come by these days. This topic has been given ample coverage in Ireland’s media, with articles usually talking about how car insurance for learner drivers in Ireland is several times more expensive than in other countries. While this isn’t true, there’s no getting away from the fact that it’s a big outlay for inexperienced drivers in Ireland.
All this being said, there are a few tried-and-tested methods to getting cheaper learner driver insurance in Ireland. These include:
Drive a smaller car: Insurance companies use algorithms when calculating the price of learner driver insurance. The size of your car’s engine (measured in litres) has a significant weight in the algorithm. Hence, the lower your car’s engine size, the cheaper your learner driver insurance. Aim for an engine size of around 1.1 litres.
Gain experience: The second biggest factor that insurance companies price in to your insurance is your experience. If you’ve been the named driver for three years on one of your parent’s cars, your insurance premium will automatically be lower than if you hadn’t been. That said, this experience also has a cost.
Drive better, drive safer: By driving better and safer over a period of time, you’ll benefit from a bigger no-claims bonus, bringing down the cost of your insurance premium in the process. This is a win-win. It also helps when you can show that you haven’t obtained with any penalty points (for example, for speeding).
Use a black box: A black box, sometimes referred to as a ‘tracker,’ is a GPS-enabled device that insurance companies can install in cars to monitor driving. It tracks issues such as sharp braking, speed, and distance travelled. If the black box provides positive feedback about your driving, your premium is sure to fall on your next policy.
3. Do I need car insurance for driving lessons?
Driving lessons with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) are all covered as standard by the ADI’s own insurance policy. However, if you’re taking informal lessons — for example, with a parent or friend — you’ll need car insurance. This rule applies whether you’re driving in a city centre or an abandoned carpark — if you get behind the wheel, you have to be insured.
4. Can I practise driving on my own with insurance?
Learner drivers are not permitted to drive alone in Ireland. Not even comprehensive insurance enables learner drivers to take the wheel without an experienced driver.
An experienced driver, also known as a driving sponsor, is somebody who has held a full, valid driving license in the same category for at least two years. This rule is a key part of the RSA’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system, which aims to create a safer road environment for everybody.
The GDL is strictly enforced by Gardaí. Unaccompanied learner drivers or the owners of cars being driven by unaccompanied learner drivers face the following penalties:
- The car will be impounded, regardless of who it belongs to.
- If the car belongs to an experienced driver, they’ll face a minimum fine of €1,000 in addition to a €120 fine being levied on the learner driver.
- Both parties will receive four penalty points.
These rules are strict for a reason. RSA data shows that 74% of fatal crashes involving learner drivers across a four-year period involved unaccompanied learner drivers. This awful statistic underlines the importance of learner drivers always being accompanied by a driving sponsor.
5. Can a learner driver practise with someone who has had their license for less than two years?
Learner drivers cannot practise with people with less than two years’ experience, who by definition are known as ‘novice drivers’ (hence their N-plates). It doesn’t matter how competent a driver you believe them to be, the RSA doesn’t regard them as experienced drivers.
The RSA defines experienced drivers as anybody that has held a full, valid driving license in the same category for at least two years.
6. Does car insurance get cheaper as you get older?
The price of car insurance in Ireland gets cheaper as you get older (see graph below), with some caveats. Most older drivers have more driving experience, which all things being equal, will push down the price of a car insurance policy. The fact that 17–24-year-olds pay so much more for car insurance than other age brackets underlines this.
There may also be benefits to becoming a learner driver later in life, although the data here is hazy. Many tend to believe that if you take out a car insurance policy at 25, you’ll pay less for the same policy than a 17-year old. We would suggest that the benefits to beginning your learning experience earlier probably outweigh the benefits of an insurance policy with a slightly lower cost.
6. Can I rent a car as a learner driver in Ireland?
Learner drivers are forbidden from driving rental cars in Ireland, even if they have insurance, and the car has been rented by a fully licensed driver.
Also bear in mind, in some EU countries, the minimum age for renting a car is 21, regardless of whether you have a license. Most European countries also tend to have a rental surcharge for drivers under the age of 23.
7. Will I get a refund on my insurance when I pass my driving test?
Depending on the insurance company you take a policy out with, it may be possible to get a refund on your insurance after you pass your driving test.
This refund is provided on a pro-rata basis (i.e., charged in proportion of time on the policy with a provisional license), and can amount to hundreds of euro.
Be sure to clarify if this refund exists with your insurer prior to signing any policy documents, allowing you to be clear on what refund, if any, you will receive on passing your driving test.
8. What documents do I need to receive a quote for learner driver insurance?
When providing quotes for learner driver insurance, insurance companies will ask for various pieces of information about you and your car. Typically, these include:
Personal Information
- Name, age, and address.
- Occupation
- Any medical conditions you have
- Eye test results
- Details of previous convictions or claims (if any)
- Detail of penalty points (if any)
- Your primary use for the car
License Details
- License type
- License issue and expiration dates
- License number
- Named driver experience (if any)
H3: Vehicle Details
- Car make and model
- Car registration details
- Current mileage on the vehicle
- Modifications made to the vehicle (if any)
- License issue and expiration dates
- License number
When filling out these details, ensure that they’re completely accurate. Insurance companies have the right to cancel insurance policies if they deem that you haven’t been honest, and they’re not legally bound to refund your money.
9. Do men pay more for learner driver insurance?
Men and women pay the same costs for learner driver insurance coverage. A 2012 EU Ruling stated that insurance companies in the EU could no longer discriminate on the grounds of gender. However, that doesn’t mean that insurance companies can’t discriminate on a number of other factors. Which leads us conveniently to…
10. Does my occupation affect the price I pay for car insurance?
Yes, your occupation affects the price you pay for car insurance. Although this may sound strange at first, this is underpinned by solid reasoning.
Imagine that you work in sales or business development. The likelihood is that you’ll spend a good chunk of your week on the road, driving between potential clients as you convince them to take on your product or service.
Now, compare this to a standard office worker. In this position, it’s far more likely that you’ll spend much less time on the road. On some days, you may even use public transport or catch a lift with one of your work colleagues.
Which situation creates more risk for the insurance company providing car insurance? Clearly, it’s the first — the case of the on-the-road salesperson. All things being equal, the more time you’re likely to spend on the road in an occupation, the higher the cost of your insurance coverage.
11. How does my location affect the price I pay for car insurance?
Where you’re located is a significant determinant of how much you pay for car insurance. Several factors play into this pricing, including:
- Levels of traffic in your area.
- Rates of insurance claims near you.
- Crime rates in your area.
If you believe that this sounds like Dublin should be the most expensive county for insurance, you’d be mistaken. In fact, Dublin was only the 6th most expensive county in Ireland for car insurance in mid-2023 with an average premium coming in at slightly over €700.
In fact, the most expensive county in Ireland to buy insurance in is Longford, with the average insurance premium costing over €900 in the county of the Slashers. Whatever about the county’s nickname, it’s certainly not slashing insurance premiums.
12. Are there any cars that I cannot get insured with as a learner driver?
Absolutely. Car insurance providers can legally refuse the right to provide insurance quotes in any situation where they feel there is too much financial risk. You may have to forego that Lamborghini until you’ve got a few more years of driving experience under your belt.
This failure to provide an insurance quote doesn’t just apply to high-powered sportscars, however. As a general rule, insurance companies prefer not to insure cars over the age of 10 years old, as they are often more expensive to insure. On this basis, if you’re considering purchasing a car of over 10 years old, it may be worth talking to a few insurance companies beforehand.
13. How do penalty points affect my car insurance premium?
Penalty points affect your car insurance premium, but to what extent depends on your insurance provider. Penalty points invariably form a part of the algorithms that insurance companies use for a drivers’ insurance premiums.
The best way to make this question irrelevant? Avoid racking up penalty points.
14. I’m a learner driver in a different country — Can I get car insurance in Ireland?
Unfortunately, if you’re a learner driver in a different country, you can neither drive in Ireland nor exchange your foreign learner permit for an Irish learner permit. You can only exchange a full license, after which point you can apply for car insurance.
15. Can I get cheaper driving insurance after taking an advanced driving course?
In theory, learner drivers should be able to benefit from cheaper driving insurance after taking advanced driving lessons. However, the data on this is sketchy. We recommend speaking with your insurance provider in advance to see how much, if any, they’ll agree to reduce your insurance premium by for completing an advanced driving course.
16. Can I get temporary learner driver insurance in Ireland?
Temporary learner driver insurance is available in the UK for as little as a few hours. Unfortunately, in Ireland, the minimum term for learner driver insurance is generally six months, and sometimes even a year.
