Pass Plus
As a new driver, statistics show that you’re more likely to have an accident within the first two years of driving than at any other time during your driving career.
If we look at the first year of driving, the figures are even more shocking; 1 in 5 drivers has an accident during that 12 month period. This is the primary reason new drivers’ insurance is so expensive, often putting your ‘dream 1st car’ out of reach financially!
Successful completion of the DSA approved Pass Plus course usually results in a substantial discount on your motor insurance, often far exceeding the cost of the Pass Plus course itself.
Why do insurance companies offer a discount? Pass Plus was set up by the Driving Standards Agency, and in trial areas, has proven to be effective in bringing down those accident figures we just mentioned. It is therefore recognised by insurance companies.
By taking extra training after your test you are setting yourself apart from the average person and making a commitment to being safer on the road. The insurance companies also recognise this very favourably.
This is what you get when you take Pass Plus with us:
- 6 hours of structured tuition to give you invaluable ‘real world’ experience.
- Eligibility for substantial insurance discounts, often far outweighing your course fee.
- Reduce your risk of being in an accident.
- A chance to drive in areas not covered during your lessons.
- Be taught how to deal with situations that you haven’t encountered before.
- As there will be a gap between taking your test and taking Pass Plus, you will have a chance to discuss any issues you came up against during your first few weeks of driving alone.
- Speed up the learning process of becoming an expert driver whilst under expert tuition. This is a major contributing factor as to why the insurance companies offer you the discount.
- Boost your confidence of dealing with a variety of situations and also boost your general confidence on the road.
- Peace of mind for your loved ones.
- Assessment sheet showing how you did, this will also enable you to get your certificate.
Pass Plus is a 6 hour course that can be divided into smaller sessions. There is no test to take but you will be assessed by your instructor as you are learning.
You be assessed as either ‘achieved’, which means you successfully reached the standard required for each of the competencies. Or you can get marked as ‘exceeded’, meaning that you exceeded the required standard for each of the competencies.
You’ll cover 6 modules during the course, each with their own competencies. These modules are:
Town driving
All-weather driving
Driving out of town
Night driving
Driving on dual carriageways
Driving on Motorways
Testimonials from DSA website
Quotes ranged from £1500 to £1800 fully comprehensive
Student Israr Sabir, aged 21, passed his test and within two months he was taking his Pass Plus lessons. Astonished at the cost of insurance quotes, he followed his brother-in-law's advice and booked Pass Plus.
"My brother in-law is a policeman and he told me about the scheme and recommended it. I had been ringing up companies to get a one-litre Micra insured and the quotes ranged from £1500 to £1800 fully comprehensive. I wanted full cover because I knew that newly qualified drivers often had accidents within the first year of driving. At the time I was working part-time in Nottingham and took the Pass Plus scheme there, even though I had taken my test in Birmingham. I wanted experience at motorway and inner city driving. I managed to insure the car for just under £1,000, which is a huge saving" said Israr, a final year student of Computer Science at Wolverhampton University.
Rebecca saved cash!
Seventeen year-old A-level student Rebecca Brown, from Upminster in Essex passed her test in November - the first time she went to a driving test centre. And within three weeks she had completed her Pass Plus course.
Rebecca said "Some of my friends had done Pass Plus and they said that it had really helped them get the confidence to drive on their own. The course teaches you skills that you don't necessarily learn on your lessons. I would not have been able to go on the motorway on my own, and I think it is better to have your instructor there than a family member".
"My mum had given me her old car, a Fiesta, because she had got a new one. But I had to pay for the insurance. When I went to Tesco to insure it, the company knocked off £200 in discount because I had a Pass Plus certificate. So taking Pass Plus has even been more cost effective for me".
"My instructor offered discount of a free lesson for every ten lessons I booked. I knew I wanted to take Pass Plus so I included those lessons when I made the bookings. It worked out at about £13.50 a lesson, so I ended up saving some money as well as learning more skills" she said
Rebecca is so convinced that Pass Plus has made her a safer driver that she thinks everyone should take it.
One year's No Claims Bonus
When 20 year-old student Mohammad Kadar from Nottingham went to take his driving test, he was fairly confident he was going to pass it. And he had already set his sights on buying a car. So when he was given the green light to drive on his own, the first thing he did was to book a Pass Plus course.
"My instructor had talked to me about Pass Plus and told me about the whole procedure before I took the test. I knew I wanted to drive on the motorway and at night, and I wanted to build up my confidence with high speed driving, and also driving in cities in heavy traffic. And you don't cover all of these things in the test itself."
"So when I passed my test at West Bridgeford Driving Test Centre about a year ago, I booked a Pass Plus course straight away. It really did help me a lot and built up my confidence" he said.
Armed with these extra skills, his next move was to buy a Suzuki Swift, and insured it through Churchill insurance company. Within six months he had changed his car to a Rover 1.6 SLI.
"The insurance company gave me a year's 'no claims' bonus for having the Pass Plus certificate, and it made a big difference to the cost. I now tell other people that they ought to take the course."
As you can see, the benefits of taking Pass Plus with us are huge. Check out our prices page for our current price and details of how to book.
