Driving test delays costing drivers up to €600 each
Driving test delays caused by the pandemic will cost some young drivers an additional €600 on their insurance.
Thousands of provisional licensed drivers will be forced to renew insurance policies for up to €600 more than a fully licensed driver.
Motor insurance company Coverinaclick.ie say that figures from the RSA suggest that 33,000 drivers would have passed their test between the months of March and July, but as a result of COVID-19 test centre closures, they were unable to do so.
Deirdre McCarthy of Coverinaclick.ie, explained the scenario that is leading thousands of motorists looking at another year of high premiums, and advised these motorists to make informed decisions before renewing,
“Before COVID about 16,000 or 17,000 drivers were tested every month, and, on average, 8,383 people passed each month. The service had to be suspended on 13th March and was only able to resume earlier this week, on 20th July.
“Drivers who pass their test are typically rewarded with premium reductions of between €300 and €600 at their next renewal, because they are able to get competitive quotes from several more insurers.
“Unfortunately, for the 33,000 drivers who would likely have passed their test between March and July, they will not see these reductions if their insurance renewal date arrives before their test date. “Most insurers will give a pro-rata refund if a person passes their test mid-term. But many drivers are simply unaware of this, so we are advising them to check the insurers refund policy in this regard before renewing and to subsequently flag it with their insurer as soon as they have passed their test.”.
Ms McCarthy said there will be significantly longer wait times, and test centres will be prioritising the appointments of drivers whose test was suspended or cancelled during lockdown. I
“In short, it will take longer than many may have thought for their test appointment to come through. This is no reason for provisional drivers to rest on their laurels however - in fact, it’s even more of an incentive to get their application in as soon as possible.”