How to insure car for just the day of when I have the driving test

It doesn't matter how long you've held your provisional licence because it doesn't make a different when it comes to car insurance. A full driving licence is what makes the difference.

With just a provisional licence, you cannot get car insurance for 1 day. The minimum length of cover that is available to you is for 4 weeks.

Your best bet is to take driving lessons with an approved instructor and take his car for the practical test. If you want to take your own car, then you'll either have to take four weeks worth of provisional learner insurance or get your own car insurance policy (an annual contract with your provisional licence) which will provide adequate insurance cover for you.

[Migrated from previous post 1126 dated 28 Jul 2010]

I've never heard of that before to be honest. If you've got comprehensive insurance, you're already insured to drive your car during the practical test. If for any reason during the driving test, the examiner thinks you're going to put other road users at risk, then he will ask you to pull over and take over. He will take the car back to the driving test centre. At that point somebody else who is insured on your car can drive you home (or people who are allowed to drive other vehicles under their car insurance policy can do that as well).

Is your driving instructor an approved one? And are you taking him with you for your practical test?

[Migrated from previous post 1187 dated 19 Aug 2010]

Sorry when I said instructor, I meant examiner. I've been told that I need an insurance that allows the examiner to drive just in case it's required. Is that true? I am going for the driving test in my car as I'm allowed to drive on my international licence (as I've been in the UK less than a year) and I have comprehensive insurance on my international license. Sorry I should have worded my question better the first time around. Any advice? :)

[Migrated from previous post 1190 dated 19 Aug 2010]

Okay this is what will happen if the driving examiner thinks you're driving in an unsafe manner - you will be asked to pull over but the examiner won't be able to drive your car back to the test centre (correction from what I said before). Since the examiner is not insured on your car, he cannot drive your car. Therefore from wherever you have stop, he will walk back to the test centre and either inform your driving instructor or someone else to tell where you are. You can also walk back with him and later get somebody else to pick up the car.

Remember that this will only happen in case you are considered to be a really unsafe driver and the chances of that happening are very slim if you have had enough driving practice. You cannot get insurance for the driving examiner to drive your car because you don't even know who your examiner will be (you need a name to add him on your policy) and nobody does that anyway. Like I said before, if there's any problem, both of you can walk back.

[Migrated from previous post 1191 dated 20 Aug 2010]

I need insurance for one day as my daughter has to do her test and the instructors car has broken down.

[Migrated from previous post 2129 dated 24 Sep 2013]