Learning to drive

Is Pass Plus worth it?

The short answer is yes, it is worth doing.

You pass your test and suddenly you're out on your own, having experienced only a few kinds of road conditions.

That's OK if you're just gradually building up the distance you're travelling and when you're making your journeys, but if you plan on immediately driving to work every day, it can be quite a shock.

Are you really ready to take on the rest of the world - alone?

What Pass Plus involves

It's a short course (at least 6 hours) that you can take after you pass your test, to help you get to grips with the parts of driving you probably didn't cover in your driving lessons.

For a start, you'll probably have never driven for more than 2 hours at a time. You'll have mostly had the safety blanket of your driving instructor, even if they haven't used the dual controls in months. You'll have covered the same routes over and over, preparing for your test.

You'll need to find a Pass Plus registered driving instructor (ADI). The course costs between £100 and £150 depending on the instructor.

Pass Plus will help you with:

• Town driving
• All weather driving
• Driving on rural roads
• Driving at night
• Driving on dual carriageways
• Motorway driving

These areas are covered over 6 modules, taking at least 6 hours to complete. There's no formal test but you'll be assessed over the course and you'll need to get to the required standard to pass.

I just did the motorways module with my driving instructor and feel a LOT more prepared for taking on all those lanes by myself.

How Pass Plus can affect your insurance

Some insurers (not very many) offer discounts on your premium if you've completed Pass Plus. Unless you've found an insurer you definitely want to go with and you've checked they offer a Pass Plus discount, don't do the course just to get cheaper insurance.

It's more about the extra experience and training you'll get - sorry!

Why doesn't ingenie offer a Pass Plus discount?

To prove that Pass Plus makes you less likely to make a claim, you'd need to keep track of people completing Pass Plus for years. Unfortunately, there's just not enough evidence to make all insurers officially recognise it.

However, Pass Plus could help you be a safe driver, which can earn you up to 21% off your premium if you're insured with ingenie. We say go for it.

Some local councils offer discounts for Pass Plus - check if yours does.