Practice with family is common, and regulated
Many learners supplement professional lessons with practice in a parent’s or friend’s car, and that is legal, but only if the supervisor and the car meet certain conditions. This article summarises GOV.UK’s guidance for learner drivers. It generally applies in Great Britain, and it notes the differences for Northern Ireland where it says so. It is a summary; check the current guidance.
Who can supervise
GOV.UK says anyone you practise with without paying them must be over 21, qualified to drive the type of vehicle you are learning in, and must have held their full driving licence for three years. It gives an example: someone supervising you in a manual car must hold a manual car licence. The three years counts a full licence from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
You can be fined up to £1,000 and get up to six penalty points on your provisional licence if you drive without the right supervision. It is also illegal for your friend or family member to use a mobile phone while supervising you.
Where you can drive
The general rules say you must have a provisional driving licence for Great Britain or Northern Ireland, must be supervised when learning to drive a car, and the car must display L plates. You can drive at any time, day and night. On motorways, GOV.UK says you can only drive on them if you are in England, Scotland or Wales, with an approved driving instructor, in a car fitted with dual controls. When practising with family or friends, it is illegal for you to drive on the motorway.
Speed limits differ. In England, Scotland and Wales, the speed limits with L plates are the same as after you have passed your test. In Northern Ireland the speed limit is 45 miles per hour while learning to drive a car.
Insurance
GOV.UK says you need your own insurance as a learner driver if you are practising in a car you own, and your family member or friend will usually be covered on it. If you are practising in someone else’s car, you need to either make sure you are covered by the owner’s policy as a learner driver, or take out your own policy covering you as a learner driver in that car. It notes some insurers require the person supervising you to be over 25. The penalty for driving without insurance can be an unlimited fine, a driving ban and up to eight penalty points.
In practice, tell the insurer who will supervise and check whether their age or experience matters, since the policy wording may go beyond the legal minimum.
L plates, D plates and P plates
You must put an L plate on the front and back of your vehicle so they can be seen easily. In Wales, you can use a D plate instead. Plates must have a red L or D on a white background and be the right size. You can get up to six penalty points if you do not display an L plate or if it is not the right size. You should take L plates off when the car is not being used by a learner.
After you pass, you can display green probationary P plates, but you do not have to, and you can leave them on for as long as you like. In Northern Ireland you must use R plates, restricted driver plates, for one year after you pass your test.
Recording practice
GOV.UK says you can download a form to record any practice you do without your driving instructor. That is useful for showing your instructor what you have covered and where you feel unsure, and it can help them target lessons.
What this means for supervisors
Before agreeing to supervise, check you meet the age, licence and three-year conditions, that you hold the right licence category for the car, and that the insurance covers a learner and your supervision. Do not use your phone. Agree a plan with the learner’s instructor about what to practise, since motorway driving is not permitted in this setting and skills like hill starts may be best introduced professionally first. These points are practical suggestions, not GOV.UK requirements.
The bottom line
A person supervising a learner without payment must be over 21, hold the right licence category and have held a full licence for three years, and the learner’s car must display L plates (D plates are an option in Wales), be insured for learners and stay off motorways unless the learner is with an approved instructor in a dual-control car. Penalties include fines of up to £1,000 and penalty points. Northern Ireland differs on speed limits and R plates.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “Driving lessons and learning to drive, Practising with family or friends”
- GOV.UK, “Driving lessons and learning to drive, Using ‘L’ and ‘P’ plates”
- GOV.UK, “Driving lessons and learning to drive (overview)”