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Can learner drivers drive at night?

By Paul Baxter, 22nd January 2025

Yes learner drivers can drive at night, there are no curfews with our learner driver insurance. You’re free to drive at night as long as you’ve got your L plates, or D plates if you’re in Wales, and you’re supervised by a qualified driver, aged 25 or over, who has held a full UK driving licence for more than 3 years.

The challenges for learners driving at night

There are some benefits to driving at night, such as there are fewer cars on the road. Also, it is good for learner drivers to gain experience of nighttime driving while they are being supervised, as it may all seem a bit scary if you leave it until you pass your test. However, we would recommend starting in the daytime and build your confidence before heading out when it’s dark.

Before you start to practise at night, you should familiarise yourself with your car, learn how to switch on your high beams and if they switch off automatically when they see another vehicle or if you’ll need to switch them off manually.

Don’t use your full beams when it’s snowing or very misty as it can reduce your visibility.

Finally learn how to switch on your fog light but only use them when it’s foggy…you don’t want to dazzle or confuse other drivers.

Also top-up your windscreen fluid, you might not realise how dirty your windscreen is the dark.

Please take your time, as your spatial awareness and hazard perception are reduced in the dark. As there are lights coming from different directions, it can be easy to become disoriented, especially when you’re driving on roads that you’re not familiar with.

Don’t let all of that has make you nervous about driving in the dark. You can overcome it, and just need to give your yourself time to learn how the car works and build your confidence and practise, practise, practise.