Can an advanced driving course reduce my car insurance premiums?

Just passed your driving test? Congratulations! Just got your first car insurance quote? Commiserations. If you’re looking at ways to bring costs down, an advanced driving cost is one option to consider. Here are the pros and cons of taking an advanced driving course, and how it could boost your driving skills whether you passed your test a few weeks or many years ago.

What is an advanced driving course?

An advanced driving course is designed to improve and hone your existing driving skills and turn you into a better, more confident, and safer driver. Often, advanced driving lessons go into more depth and give you more experience at driving in trickier conditions, such as in heavy rain or in the dark.

How do advanced driving courses work?

Advanced driving courses are intended to be taken after you’ve already passed your main driving test. Think of it as an A-level in driving, where your standard driving test was a GSCE.

The details will vary by the specific advanced driving course. Typically you’ll spend several hours with an advanced driving specialist, building on the basics you learned as part of standard driving lessons in order to become a more skilled and safer driver. Most of the time will be spent driving though, depending on where and when you take the course, some modules may need to be more theoretical. It’s tricky to practise driving in torrential rain during a heatwave, for example.

With some courses you have to pass a test at the end. With others, the instructor assesses your competency as you move through the modules.

What are the different advanced driving courses available?

There are a number of different advanced driving courses on offer in the UK. The best one for you will depend on your specific needs and, to a certain extent, where you live.

• Pass Plus. This is probably the best-known advanced driving course in the UK. Over a minimum of 6 hours of training with an approved instructor, the bulk of which is spent driving, you’ll cover 6 key areas. These are all weather driving; motorway driving; dual carriageway driving; night time driving; driving in town; and driving down rural roads. There’s no test. Instead you’re assessed as you move through the modules.
• IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) RoadSmart Advanced Driver. This course is spread over 6 to 12 sessions, and includes control, observation, timing, positioning, and how to to deal with unpredictable roads. Drivers who complete the course and pass a test become IAM members. This may qualify you for a car insurance discount.
• IAM RoadSmart Young Driver Assessment. Aimed at 17-to-26-year-olds, this informal 1-hour session is designed to give inexperienced drivers hints and tips on how to manage new driving experiences and take their skills to the next level.
• IAM RoadSmart Mature Driver Review. Even those who’ve been driving for years sometimes face new challenges, or would simply welcome an expert’s perspective on how they could improve their driving skills. In this 1-hour session, an IAM RoadSmart expert will observe you as you drive around. After the review, you’ll receive verbal and written feedback to take away.
• RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders. This Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents scheme covers similar elements to the IAM RoadSmart course, with a focus on road safety. You need to take a test to pass it.
• Taking extra lessons with your driving instructor. This might be a good approach if you don’t want a comprehensive course, but would welcome a skill boost in certain areas.

How much do advanced driving courses cost?

How much you’ll pay varies significantly by the type of course and also, in some cases, where you live. As of March 2024, IAM’s two 1-hour assessments each cost £65, while the full Pass Plus course typically costs from £150-£200. IAM’s standard RoadSmart Advanced Driver course is similarly priced. You can take a fast-track version over 2 days, but this costs substantially more. RoSPA’s course can be cheaper than Pass Plus and IAM RoadSmart, but isn’t as widely recognised by car insurers

Some councils offer discounts for those who take advanced driving courses, so it’s worth contacting your local authority. And if you live in Wales, young drivers who have only recently passed their test can take the Pass Plus Cymru course for £20.

Will taking an advanced driving insurance make my car insurance cheaper?

Maybe. Some, but not all, insurers offer discounts to drivers who take advanced driving courses. IAM RoadSmart and Pass Plus tend to be more widely recognised by insurers than RoSPA’s course.

Is taking an advanced driving course worth it?

Young, inexperienced drivers can often face eye-watering car insurance premiums. As such, the prospect of getting a decent discount by taking an advanced driving course is likely to prove appealing. However, if you’re taking an advanced driving course purely to save money on your insurance we’d recommend checking how much you might save before signing up for a course. Not every insurer offers discounts, and even among those that do the money you’ll save may not be enough to cover the cost of some courses.

That said, the benefits of an advanced driving course aren’t just about cutting insurance premiums. Advanced driving lessons can boost your driving skills and confidence, and make you a better driver. The idea is that this will help you reduce the risk of getting in an accident and having to make a claim. Not only will this mean you don’t have to pay an excess, it’ll also help you to keep your car insurance no-claims discount. You may decide that the cost of an advanced course is worth the potential long-term benefits, regardless of any short-term gains.

How else can I save money on my car insurance?

• Shop around for the best deal. Compare prices when you first take out insurance, and every time you come to renew. Just because an insurer offered the best deal last year doesn’t mean they will do next year. Check a couple of price comparison sites, as well as insurers that don’t appear on price comparison sites such as Direct Line.
• Consider a telematics policy. Fitting your car with a black box, which tracks your driving habits and rewards good driving, could cut costs for careful drivers.
• Increase your excess. This is the amount you need to pay towards any claim. Opting for a higher voluntary excess can cut your premium. Just don’t set it so high that you can’t afford to pay it if you need to claim.
• Pay your full annual premium upfront. Paying a lump sum is generally cheaper than paying for your policy monthly, as insurers tend to apply interest to instalment payments.
• Choose a lower-risk car. One factor that affects insurance costs is the type of car you drive. Opting for a car in a lower insurance group should mean lower premiums.
• Build your no-claims discount. Drive safely and responsibly, avoid making any claims, and after a year you should be rewarded with lower premiums. The no-claims bonus will increase for every year of no-claims driving.
• Add an experienced driver. Adding a lower-risk, experienced named driver to your policy could lower your premiums, especially if you’re a young, inexperienced driver.

Pros and cons of taking an advanced driving course

Bottom line

There’s no legal obligation to take an advanced driving course. But doing so could make you a better driver and, in some cases, save you money on your car insurance premiums. If the latter is your only motivation, run some insurance quotes before you commit to a course, to make sure that the discounts available will bring premiums down enough to justify the up-front cost. Whether you decide to take an advanced course or not, make sure you shop around and use our tips on how to get the best and cheapest car insurance for you.

Frequently asked questions

• How are advanced driving courses different to normal driving lessons?

  Standard lessons cover the basics that you need to drive safely on UK roads, such as identifying and navigating hazards, parking, and how to deal with junctions and roundabouts. They help you get to the point where you can pass your standard driving test, which is a legal requirement to drive unaccompanied. Advanced driving lessons go a step further, going into more depth and focusing on how to drive safely in trickier situations you might not have covered in detail during standard lessons. This might include, for example, driving in congested urban environments, or at night.

• Are advanced driving lessons a legal requirement?

  No. There’s no obligation to take an advanced driving course or pass an advanced test. It’s entirely up to you whether you want to take one, whether that’s to try and reduce car insurance premiums or simply to improve your skills.

• What happens if I fail an advanced driving course?

  With some driving courses it’s not possible to fail as there’s no test. Instead your instructor assesses your competence as you go through the modules. You only move on when they feel you’ve met the required standard. If there is a test, and you don’t pass it, there are no specific consequences. You won’t suddenly find your licence rescinded, for example. You’ll be given feedback on why you failed and tips for how to work on it, and can book in a re-test when you feel ready.