Learner driver accidents
Being on a provisional licence does not make an accident your fault, and it does not reduce what you can claim. Here is where learners actually stand, and what to do if somebody drives into you.
A learner who is properly insured and properly supervised has exactly the same rights as any other driver. If somebody else caused the accident, you claim from them in the normal way.
The L plates are not an admission of anything. What matters is who was at fault, and being inexperienced is not the same as being to blame.
The assumption you will run into
Learners are blamed by default. It happens at the roadside, it happens in the other driver’s version of events, and it sometimes happens in the first response from their insurer.
It is worth being clear about this: there is no rule that a learner is at fault. If a driver comes out of a side road into you, or goes into the back of you at a junction, it is their fault whether you have been driving for twenty years or six weeks.
What learners do tend to lack is the confidence to push back, which is why so many of these accidents are settled on the other driver’s account of them.
What you should do at the scene
The same as any driver, and none of it is complicated.
Do not apologise
Saying sorry is instinct, particularly when you are learning. It gets quoted back as an admission. Check everyone is alright without accepting blame.
Photograph everything
Both vehicles, the damage, the road layout, road markings, signs and the position the cars ended up in.
Get their details
Name, address, registration, insurer. If they will not give them, note the registration and report it to the police.
Find witnesses
Anyone who saw it, including passengers in other cars. A witness is worth a great deal where a learner is involved.
Note the supervision
Who was with you, their licence status, and whether L plates were displayed. It closes off an argument before it starts.
Check for cameras
Dash cams, a bus behind you, a shop front. Footage settles arguments faster than anything else.
Been hit while learning?
Call us for free advice on where you stand. If the accident was not your fault, recovery and a replacement vehicle cost you nothing.
Where the supervising driver comes into it
A learner in a car has to be supervised by somebody who is at least 21 and has held a full licence for that category of vehicle for at least three years.
The supervisor is not a passenger. They are legally responsible for the vehicle alongside the learner, which is why they can be prosecuted for things like using a phone while supervising.
In an accident this matters in two ways. If the accident was somebody else’s fault, it changes nothing at all and you claim in the normal way. If there is an argument about fault, the supervising arrangements will be looked at, and a properly supervised, properly insured learner with L plates displayed is in a strong position.
Where supervision was not lawful, for example the supervisor was under 21 or had not held a full licence long enough, the insurance position can be affected. If that applies to you, say so early rather than hoping it does not come up.
What a non-fault accident actually costs a learner
More than people expect, and most of it is recoverable from the other driver’s insurer.
A cancelled driving test
Tests are booked months ahead. Losing one to somebody else’s bad driving costs the fee and pushes everything back. Keep the booking confirmation.
Lessons you cannot take
If you were learning in your own car and it is off the road, the lessons stop. Prepaid lessons you cannot use are a loss.
The car itself
Learners often drive older, cheaper cars, which insurers write off quickly and value low. Our guide on pre-accident value matters here.
Premiums that are already high
Learner and new driver premiums are punishing. Claiming on your own policy when the accident was not your fault makes that worse for years.
Confidence
Not a claimable loss, but a real one. Getting back behind the wheel quickly, in a car you are comfortable in, matters more than most people admit.
Can a learner have a replacement vehicle?
Often, yes, though it depends on the circumstances.
The principle is the same as for anyone else. If you have lost the use of a vehicle you needed and the accident was not your fault, a replacement can form part of the claim. Where a learner owns and insures the car they were learning in, and it is now off the road, there is a genuine loss of use.
What complicates it is insurance. A provisional licence holder cannot simply be handed a hire car, so the practical answer usually involves the supervising driver or a parent. It is worth a phone call rather than an assumption, because the answer depends on the facts.
What is not in doubt is the recovery and storage. If your car needs moving after a non-fault accident, that is arranged at no cost to you regardless of what licence you hold.
If you were not properly insured to drive, or were not lawfully supervised, do not hide it. It will be found, and an honest account from the start puts you in a far better position than a version that falls apart later. Every claim is subject to identity, fraud and anti-money laundering checks.
What if you were hit by a learner?
The same rules apply in reverse. A learner is insured, and if they caused the accident their insurer deals with the claim in the normal way.
One thing worth knowing: a learner in a properly insured car with a lawful supervisor is straightforward. A learner driving unsupervised, or on somebody else’s policy without cover, is where it gets complicated, and it can end up being handled as an uninsured driver claim. Our guide on uninsured drivers covers what happens then.
What you would normally be charged - and what you pay us
Recovery and storage after a non-fault accident are charged at the same rates whether the driver is a learner or has thirty years behind them.
| Charge | Typical provider | PTH Claims |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery from the scene | £150 - £350 | FREE |
| Secure storage, per day | £15 - £40 | FREE |
| Replacement vehicle, per day | £40 - £150 | FREE |
| Total cost to you | Often four figures | £0 |
Terms and conditions apply. Typical provider figures are industry ranges and vary by provider, location and circumstances. All claims are subject to identity, fraud and anti-money laundering checks.
With PTH Claims that figure is zero. We carry the cost and recover it from the at-fault driver’s insurer. It never reaches you, and it never depends on how your claim ends.
Why people use us
Nothing to pay
No cost to you, whatever the outcome of your claim.
No claim on your policy
Run against the other driver’s insurer, so no excess and no effect on your no-claims.
One point of contact
We deal with the insurers, the engineer and the compound. You deal with us.
Nationwide, 24/7
Recovery and replacement vehicles arranged anywhere in the UK, day or night.
Common questions
No. There is no rule that a learner is at fault. Liability depends on what actually happened. If another driver caused the accident, it is their fault regardless of how long you have been driving.
Not automatically. A supervising driver is legally responsible for the vehicle alongside the learner, so their conduct can be looked at, but if another driver caused the accident that is where fault sits.
It is worth raising as part of your claim. Keep the booking confirmation and any cancellation correspondence, because that is the evidence the claim rests on.
Handling the claim against the other driver’s insurer rather than your own means no excess and no claim on your policy. That matters more to a learner than to almost anyone else, because new driver premiums are already high. Our guide on premiums after a non-fault accident explains it.
Possibly, though a provisional licence complicates the insurance. It often works through the supervising driver or a parent. Recovery and storage are arranged at no cost to you either way, so it is worth a phone call.
Then the vehicle belongs to your instructor and the claim runs through them. Our page on driving instructor claims explains that side of it. You may still have a claim of your own for anything you personally lost.
Only if it is true and it caused the accident. It is a very common thing for an at-fault driver to say, because it shifts attention onto the learner. Photographs, witnesses and dash cam footage are what answer it.
Terms and conditions apply to all services described on this page. Free recovery, storage and replacement vehicles are provided on the basis that the charges are recovered from the at-fault party’s insurer. We will explain the terms in plain English before anything is arranged.
Before we act for you we are required to verify your identity and to carry out fraud and anti-money laundering checks. This may include checks with credit reference and fraud prevention agencies, which will leave a record on your file.
Where fraud is suspected, information may be shared with fraud prevention agencies, insurers and law enforcement. Providing false or misleading information in support of a claim may mean your claim is refused, and can be a criminal offence.