# Provisional licence insurance quote



## Starting Out (28 Aug 2007)

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying my first car at the moment. It's a 3 door 1999 corolla 1.3 litre engine. I've only just started to learn to drive in the past few months so have very little experience (am a late learner at 25).

I went for an insurance quote and recieved €1,880 from Quinn Direct.

Has anyone any recommendations on how to lower this? A couple of things I was considering were ...

1. Getting a parent on the insurance and myself as named driver.
2. Attempting the driving test as soon as possible to reduce the premium.

Is an insurance quote your stand still quote for the year? i.e. if i were to pass my test in 4 months time am I stuck with the excessive premium for the entire year?

Also, am I delaying the inevitable by placing one of my parents as the owner? I realise I would not be building up my own no claims bonus?

Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks,
Starting Out


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## Guest120 (28 Aug 2007)

Starting Out said:


> 2. Attempting the driving test as soon as possible to reduce the premium.


Only passing the driving test will reduce your premium, attempts won't do anything to it.


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## bigchicken (28 Aug 2007)

Some companies will let you use some of the no claims bonus as a named driver. I had 4 years named driver experience with Hibernian, when i got my own policy they gave me a 1 year NCB.


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## susie1 (28 Aug 2007)

_Is an insurance quote your stand still quote for the year? i.e. if i were to pass my test in 4 months time am I stuck with the excessive premium for the entire year?_ 

on my first ins (prov license) i was charged approx 2200e, 4mths later i passed my test and i was refunded 500e. this was a question i put to the ins company prior to accepting the quote, so i don't know if it makes a difference.

i would suggest that you get a smaller size engine to insure at least untill you pass your test, this would reduce your premium too.


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## foxylady (28 Aug 2007)

Starting Out said:


> Hello,
> 
> I'm thinking of buying my first car at the moment. It's a 3 door 1999 corolla 1.3 litre engine. I've only just started to learn to drive in the past few months so have very little experience (am a late learner at 25).
> 
> ...


 
I was an even later learner last year at 33 and went with quinn direct . My insurance cost 908 cos car was one litre. If you havent already bought the car I would suggest you go for a smaller car as it will make a diff to the insurance not to mention your tax. Also went with Quinn direct who were and still are the cheapest.


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## REMFAN (29 Aug 2007)

Quinn are cheap but I've heard they can be a pain in the ass if you make a claim. A smaller engine will bring down the quote somewhat... Safe driving.


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## Starting Out (29 Aug 2007)

Thanks for your suggestions. The car I'm purchasing is a good car that I know the history of. This is why I'm purchasing the 1.3 litre engine size. I've a specific car in mind.

Thanks for the tips on passing the test Bluetonic, i realise multiple fails aren't the way to get a premium down  

Anyone any thoughts on adding additional people to a policy. A friend of mine added his girlfriend to his policy just as a named driver and it actually reduced the total premium on the car??? Very strange I know. Has anyone seen any other anomalies like this?


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## Starting Out (29 Aug 2007)

Does anyone know what FBD are like for first timers on a provisional licence? They seem to be getting some air time on the discussion boards here but not specifically for provisional licence holders. Tks


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## ngwrbc (29 Aug 2007)

Hi Starting Out, try Hibernian also, they run the Provisional Ignition Scheme, some conditions apply but I recently found for a family member that it was approx e300 cheaper than Quinn for a 1.4cc car.  Also (fingers crossed) when you do pass your test you can do the Full Ignition Course for a further reduction.  Worth a phone call, that wont cost you!
[broken link removed]


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## polaris (29 Aug 2007)

Going as a named driver on your parents policy means you won't be building up your own no claims bonus. If you're buying your own car , it's best to bite the bullet and have the policy in your name. In addition, in the event of a claim, the insurance company may investigate if you are actually the sole driver of your car. 

Presumably you have already shopped around the different companies for the best quote. It could also be worth using a broker as sometimes they can get you a more competitive quote due to the volume of business they do with the companies. Do a search on this site for recommendations of good brokers.

Finally, the best way to get your premium down is to pass the driving test. When you do this, you can also take the Hibernian Ignition Course which, if you complete successfully, will get you a discount (if you insure with Hibernian). 

Hibernian also have a similar course for provisional licence holders which might be worth investigating.

*[broken link removed]*


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## polaris (29 Aug 2007)

post crossed with ngwrbc!


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## Trish2006 (29 Aug 2007)

I strongly advocate the ignition course when you pass as it got me a further 40% discount on my insurance.  I'm on the last year of my discount, am now 31 and paying €270 fully comp for both my husband and I on a 1.4L astra.

Both of us found substantial discounts when we added each other to our own insurances.  I think the theory is that you may not be driving your car as much if you're sharing with someone else.  But it may also depend on whether the other driver has a car in their own name too.  However no 2 policies are ever the same.  The first time my husband (boyfriend at the time) added me to his he got a discount of over €100.  So a friend did the same.  He'd the same clean license for approx the same time as my husband, same age, similar car.  His girlfriend same age and driving experience as me and the same insurance company and they were pleased to tell him that it would only cost him €30 to add her.  Obviously the cases weren't identical but we could never work out what made the difference.


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## Starting Out (29 Aug 2007)

I've been on the phone with Hibernian and it sounds like a pretty good deal if u manage to pass their ignition test course. Initially dearer than Quinn Direct but potentially lower.

Does anyone know how long the driving test queue is currently in Dublin? To complete this Hibernian test you need to have applied for your driving test (not sat - just applied).


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## Thedoc (29 Aug 2007)

You'll find waiting times and pass rates for the various driving test centres at this link. You can also apply online for your test as well from this site.

[broken link removed]


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## foxylady (29 Aug 2007)

Starting Out said:


> I've been on the phone with Hibernian and it sounds like a pretty good deal if u manage to pass their ignition test course. Initially dearer than Quinn Direct but potentially lower.
> 
> Does anyone know how long the driving test queue is currently in Dublin? To complete this Hibernian test you need to have applied for your driving test (not sat - just applied).


 
Finglas 45 weeks Raheny 46 weeks


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## Goggin (29 Aug 2007)

A friend of mine got a very good quote through One Direct. I had a look on the internet and it seems they are underwritten by Hibernian. They also offer savings if you do the one day course that Hibernian do. It might be worth giving them a go.
Obviously the quotes vary from company to company but we had a situation recently where two of my colleagues with almost identical backgrounds, car engine sizes etc had a difference of c€400 between identical policies - both provisional. The insurance company refused to comment on somebody elses policy but eventuly they relented and gave a partial discount.


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## Ms. G (29 Aug 2007)

check out  - enter your full details & they will list the most competitive rates available. Also if you ring them to purchase for some reason you are entitled to a further discount. I recently used them and the quote was nearly €200 cheaper than my Broker's option and €100 cheaper than Quinn direct.


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## Starting Out (29 Aug 2007)

So far FDB has turned out to be the cheapest but not much between them, eagle star & Quinn. Hibernian work out a little cheaper (100 Euro) than FDB if you pass their driving test.

Back to an earlier question I had ... how am I exposing myself to risk by having the car in my mother's name and having her as the driver and myself as named driver? The difference in price is staggering. I realise I won't be bulding a no claims bonus but this way works out much cheaper for my first year driving. Next year with a hopefully passed driving test I could avail of a cheaper rate. Doing this is much more beneficial (financially) than a 1 years no claims bonus.


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## ailbhe (30 Aug 2007)

Starting Out said:


> Back to an earlier question I had ... how am I exposing myself to risk by having the car in my mother's name and having her as the driver and myself as named driver? The difference in price is staggering. I realise I won't be bulding a no claims bonus but this way works out much cheaper for my first year driving. Next year with a hopefully passed driving test I could avail of a cheaper rate. Doing this is much more beneficial (financially) than a 1 years no claims bonus.


 

A condition of the policy is that the policyholder must be the main driver and owner of the vehicle. If there was a claim and they found that you were the main user of the vehicle you will not be covered.
Also, the car will have to be registered in your mothers name as you cannot insure something you don't own. If a claim ever arose your mother would be the beneficiary (i.e. the cheque would be made payable to her). So you'd need to have a very good relationship with your mother


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## Starting Out (30 Aug 2007)

ailbhe said:


> If there was a claim and they found that you were the main user of the vehicle you will not be covered.


 

How would they even go about determining such a thing? Fingers crossed the event would never occur anyway. I would prefer to have everything correctly in my own name and bite the bullet on the premium but the difference in premium is just so large.


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## csirl (3 Sep 2007)

Remember that you need a full license holder in the car at all times if you are on a 1st provisional. Apart from the road traffic act implications, there are insurance implications if you are in an accident unaccompanied. While a lazy Garda may turn a blind eye to driving unaccompanied, an insurance company facing a financial hit probably will not.


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## GA001 (3 Sep 2007)

Starting Out said:


> How would they even go about determining such a thing? Fingers crossed the event would never occur anyway. I would prefer to have everything correctly in my own name and bite the bullet on the premium but the difference in premium is just so large.


Very easy to establish such information, where were you going at the time of the accident, why were you driving the car unaccompanied, interview the main driver (owner) etc.

Non disclosure of material facts is very serious and goes against the whole principle of insurance, so you would need to declare to your potential insurer who is the main user of the vehicle - Remember avoiding insurance is all very well until you have a claim...


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