Car insurers who cover towing on a provisional license?

1

1928sky

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 August 2006
Messages
588
Visit site
Hello,
Getting fed up with insurer (Diamond) as they will not give me a straight answer as to whether they will cover me as a provisional driver when towing a trailer (post 1997 test). Also I am borrowing trailer from my parents and therefore do not own the trailer which can also be a problem as a lot of policies specify you must own the trailer. Has anyone found a company that will openly say they will cover you as a provisional driver of a trailer. It does need to be reasonably priced but on the other hand I understand being 24 year old with a freelander 2 doesn't come cheap!
Thanks
 
That's the thing- I don't actually know? You might theoretically think as a learner in a category you would generally be a higher risk and therefore insurers would wish the premiums to reflect this (as would be the case if you were a learner driver), unless of course they have already factored this in.
 
I don't believe that you will be able to tow a trailer until you've passed your test but I may be wrong. The best bet may be to check the back of your license and check that it says B+E. If it does then you should be covered but if you don't have that category then you can't tow until you've past your test.

Of course I may have totally misunderstood what you have just asked and if you have passed your test, then yes I believed you would insured as you have already passed your test so your not a learner driver as such its just your not experienced in towing.

Hope this makes sense.
 
Last edited:
as far as i was aware you dont need to.. when ever i have done quotes it has never asked will you use the vehicle for towing. your vehicle is insured and so should the trailer.
 
fuzz said:
I don't believe that you will be able to tow a trailer until you've passed your test but I may be wrong. The best bet may be to check the back of your license and check that it says B+E. If it does then you should be covered but if you don't have that category then you can't tow until you've past your test.

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...

you can but under strict rules.. otherwise how do people practice etc before doing there tests ;-) you are just a provisional b+e entitlement holder, on your paper part it says provisionl b+e. :-)
 
ditto china -

im waiting to sit my B+E and have been practising with L plates on and either my husband sat with me, who passed his B+E or a friend who has cat E anyway. My instructor confirmed both were legal options.
 
china said:
you can but under strict rules.. otherwise how do people practice etc before doing there tests ;-) you are just a provisional b+e entitlement holder, on your paper part it says provisionl b+e. :-)
Click to expand...

What I meant was if you have not passed your driving test (B test) then you can't tow. Sorry after rereading the original post, I realised I totally misunderstood it. Sorry for the confusion.
 
No I haven't passed the test, I want to tow with supervision and L plates to practice. In the policy booklet it says you can tow but you must be own the trailer or have a hire purchase agreement, it mentions nothing about licence required. To them the concept of a "learner" trailer driver seems entirely alien when you phone them up. There have been other posts about telling your insurance company if you want to tow provisionally as it could affect your insurance, which is what I have tried to do. The annoying thing is you can guarantee if you crashed while towing they would know their position!
 
Jemma24 said:
Hello,
Getting fed up with insurer (Diamond) as they will not give me a straight answer as to whether they will cover me as a provisional driver when towing a trailer (post 1997 test). Also I am borrowing trailer from my parents and therefore do not own the trailer which can also be a problem as a lot of policies specify you must own the trailer. Has anyone found a company that will openly say they will cover you as a provisional driver of a trailer. It does need to be reasonably priced but on the other hand I understand being 24 year old with a freelander 2 doesn't come cheap!
Thanks
Click to expand...

Are you thinking about towing a horse trailer with your Freelander 2?

I didn't think they were 'man enough' to do the job, could be wrong though :/
 
HollyB66 said:
Are you thinking about towing a horse trailer with your Freelander 2?

I didn't think they were 'man enough' to do the job, could be wrong though :/
Click to expand...

As long as you have L plates on and someone that does have the intiltlement with you, you can tow. (not on a motorway though)

I was sold a frelander about 8 years ago when i was 19, i trusted what they told me
"yes its strong enough"
But it wasnt, i very quickly sold it!

I think the freelander 2 might be stronger but do check as that will invailidate insurance too!
 
Yes I am going to tow with a Freelander 2, it has a 2 tonne towing limit, I only have one horse and a 505 so it will easily fall under this, even with some equipment etc in the trailer it would be max 1500kg, the car unladen in 1800kg (a lot more than the original freelander) so car will always weigh more than the trailer.
 
OK I might not be popular for saying this but wouldn't it be safer to pass your test before you start adding in towing with a trailer?
 
Sorry, just to clear this up for everyone, I have passed my car driving test- over 7 years ago. I am a provisional for the B+E category, like any other driver who has passed the B (car) driving test after 1997 until I take the trailer test.
 
So you haven't passed your driving test yet - and you are towing a trailer ? I got this from the government website:

Since 1 January 1997 drivers are no longer able to sit a test in a heavy vehicle/trailer combination (eg category C+E or D+E) unless they have first passed a test and obtained a full licence in the corresponding rigid vehicle (eg category C or D).

This means that although drivers may have been driving a vehicle and trailer combination legitimately, under ‘L’ plates, they are not permitted to sit a trailer test using such a combination until a test has been passed in a rigid vehicle and a full licence obtained for that category.

So it sounds like you have to pass your driving test before you can tow the trailer with L plates, so you aren't insured and what you are doing is illegal.
 
BigRed said:
So you haven't passed your driving test yet - and you are towing a trailer ? I got this from the government website:

Since 1 January 1997 drivers are no longer able to sit a test in a heavy vehicle/trailer combination (eg category C+E or D+E) unless they have first passed a test and obtained a full licence in the corresponding rigid vehicle (eg category C or D).

This means that although drivers may have been driving a vehicle and trailer combination legitimately, under ‘L’ plates, they are not permitted to sit a trailer test using such a combination until a test has been passed in a rigid vehicle and a full licence obtained for that category.

So it sounds like you have to pass your driving test before you can tow the trailer with L plates, so you aren't insured and what you are doing is illegal.
Click to expand...



the OP has said several times now, she has passed her test, she has held a full driving license for 7 years!!

Same as me, I am almost 35 and have been driving for 14 years! I havent sat my B+E yet though, i have it booked and in the meantime I am practising with someone sat beside me who has,with L plates on.
 
OP- I am like you, I have my driving test but learning to tow trailer... I have been wondering how to practice legally so thanks for posting this. Looks like NSN has answered the question for us.

As for a freelander 2 - yes its able to pull one horse and a 505. I looked into it as an option. Its far better than the orginal.
 
Ems207 said:
OP- I am like you, I have my driving test but learning to tow trailer... I have been wondering how to practice legally so thanks for posting this. Looks like NSN has answered the question for us.

As for a freelander 2 - yes its able to pull one horse and a 505. I looked into it as an option. Its far better than the orginal.
Click to expand...

another thing i queried with my instructor incase it helps. i wasnt sure if the person who sits with you has to have passed their B+E or if it was ok if it was someone who had cat E because they had passed before 1997. Either case is perfectly fine to practise towing a trailer - the grandfather rights were only revoked for HGV's.
 
NeverSayNever said:
the OP has said several times now, she has passed her test, she has held a full driving license for 7 years!!

Same as me, I am almost 35 and have been driving for 14 years! I havent sat my B+E yet though, i have it booked and in the meantime I am practising with someone sat beside me who has,with L plates on.
Click to expand...

Just to be pedantic - she only said it after I queried it! think people posted at the same time!

If the car insurers are being unclear, how about writing a letter to them to say something on the lines of "having had various discussions with your staff relating to policy xxxx, I am writing to confirm that I am fully insured to tow a trailer with the following restrictions, while waiting to take my actual trailer test

Use of "L" plates,
Accompanying driver who has passed the (whatever it is)

I do hold my own full license and have done so for the following years. If I do not recieve a response from you, then I will take this as confirmation that my understanding of the conversations we have had is correct.

Can't be sure if its legal but at least it might stir up some sort of response! However if you do not get a reply then don't assume the answer is yes - my objective was to get them to actually respond but it might not work.
 
Jemma24 said:
Yes I am going to tow with a Freelander 2, it has a 2 tonne towing limit, I only have one horse and a 505 so it will easily fall under this, even with some equipment etc in the trailer it would be max 1500kg, the car unladen in 1800kg (a lot more than the original freelander) so car will always weigh more than the trailer.
Click to expand...

I always thought you could tow with a provisional, L-plates and accompanied by a licence holder BUT I also thought you were not allowed to tow livestock.
 
It's got nothing to do with a trailer being involved as such, the issue is you've now become a provisional driver again, which is a different insurance group. And the problem with that is the size of your car. I had the same problem with getting me insured on the big merc 4x4. They just wouldn't provide insurance cover for someone officially counted as a provisional driver (i.e me without a full B+E license, a trailer and therefore L plates). The same as they just wouldn't insure a 'real' provisional driver to learn to drive in it.

Phone your insurance company again as ask to speak to their supervisor, who should be able to give you an answer. Then get them to send you the cover in writing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top