Newly qualified drivers reveal their experience of learning to drive

Car insurance provider ingenie recently polled its community of young drivers on what they think about their learning experience now that they’ve passed their test, revealing some interesting results.

The hardest part about learning to drive

We asked what they thought was the most difficult aspect of learning to drive and perhaps unsurprisingly, 42% said it was other drivers that they felt were the biggest problem.  It can be hard to ignore impatient drivers, particularly when starting out.

Other bugbears include clutch control, learning manoeuvres and navigating the intricacies of roundabouts.

How much extra practice did they get?

Private practice is really important, not just for passing the practical test, but also for confidence as a newly qualified driver. As a provider of learner insurance for practicing in someone else’s car, we wanted to know how much practice people actually did outside of their lessons. A massive 50% said they hadn’t practiced at all compared to the 30% who said they practiced regularly.

Of those drivers who did practice, 83% of practice partners were parents. 17% of grandparents stepped up to the plate and the rest were relatives and friends.

But did they enjoy it?

Driving is one of those skills that most young people think they will love but that’s not always the case. 38% of our community said they did enjoy their lessons though, while a similar number enjoyed most of it.  Just over a quarter didn’t like learning to drive at all.

In our experience, those people who aren’t enjoying the learner experience are feeling that because of something specific. Maybe they live in an area where traffic is heavy, or they don’t get on with their instructor.  Or maybe they just aren’t ready for it yet.  Getting to the bottom of the issue is the first step to solving it!

And the best thing about passing?

We wanted to know what passing meant to them. Is it just about freedom or something more? Road trips were lowest on the list, followed by not having to carry home shopping! A quarter of drivers loved that they no longer have to ask for lifts. But by far the most popular was that they no longer have to use public transport!

ingenie provides black box car insurance for drivers aged 17-25, offering savings of around £400 and the ability to earn an extra 21% off over the course of the policy for good driving. Learners can also buy insurance with ingenie for learning in their own car or for learning in another person’s car.