Pass Plus driver training will not lower your car insurance premiums

Drivers who spend £200 on a Pass Plus driving course are unlikely to get cheap car insurance, new research has found.  

Pass Plus is an optional training course designed to help new or inexperienced drivers improve their skills. The Government’s website says the training will also help drivers get a car insurance discount, but this has been debunked by MoneySuperMarket.

The price comparison website analysed 50,000 car insurance quotes between May and July 2019 and found that on average providers did not lower their pricing when customers changed their licence type from ‘Full UK Car Licence’ to ‘Full UK Car Licence with Pass Plus’.

“Although people assume that doing additional driving courses such as Pass Plus can reduce your premiums, our research shows that it actually makes no difference for the average person,” said Rachel Wait, consumer affairs spokesperson at MoneySuperMarket.

The Pass Plus scheme is usually offered to drivers on the day they pass their test by their instructor. The training takes at least six hours to complete and has six modules, which covers all-weathers, dual-carriageways, night driving, motorways, rural roads and towns. The training can cost up to £200 to complete, says MoneySuperMarket. 

Although Pass Plus will not save drivers money, it does promise to deliver important new skills by requiring each driver to reach a standard in each of the modules. Once complete, the successful Pass Plus student is awarded a certificate and training report form from their instructor for each model. 

The research coincides with new data that shows the average cost of car insurance has increased to £783, with average prices jumping by £23 over the past 12 months.