As driving lessons and tests return, new figures from a car insurance comparison website show almost a third of all learner drivers are over 30 years of age.
Quotezone.co.uk data also reveals that many motorists spend longer as learner drivers than might be expected, with almost a third (32.2%) holding a provisional licence for more than a decade.
While the general picture of learners being young still rings true, with 60% of learner drivers in Quotezone.co.uk’s sample aged between 16 and 25, and the average age for all learners clocking in at 26, it is common to find learners in their 40s – 8.7% of all learners – and even their 50s – 3.8%.
The advancing years have also not held back over 300 learners out of a sample of 50,000 learner drivers who could qualify for a UK pension. The research also found that more than 100 septuagenarians and octogenarians are renewing their interest in passing their driving tests.
Quotezone.co.uk says demand for its learner premiums has rocketed 42% from 2019 to 2020, although the average age was still firmly rooted in the mid-20s.
The data was sourced from Quotezone.co.uk’s 2020 records covering a sample of 50,000 provisional drivers across the UK, with 15,000 of the sample over 30 years of age.