Is there an engine size limit for learners?

Postoffice123

I'm a learner driver and looking to buy a used car but is there a limit on the engine size? Heard it was like 1.1L or something but I could be wrong .... Thanks

Greenmachine

Postoffice123 wrote: »

I'm a learner driver and looking to buy a used car but is there a limit on the engine size? Heard it was like 1.1L or something but I could be wrong .... Thanks

No limit on engine size re, being licensed, or for the purpose of the test. The issue with a bigger or more powerful engine may mean you can't obtain insurance. A 26 year old female friend is having huge trouble getting a quote on a standard 1.4 golf.

Postoffice123

Greenmachine wrote: »

No limit on engine size re, being licensed, or for the purpose of the test. The issue with a bigger or more powerful engine may mean you can't obtain insurance. A 26 year old female friend is having huge trouble getting a quote on a standard 1.4 golf.

Yes that's the problem, it's really hard to get insurance. Just hope a 1.1L car will allow me insurance but hopefully it will!

Aeternum

As above. When I wa shopping around I got similar quotes for a 1.5 almera as. 1litre Yaris. I think a lot depends on the 'name' the car has - whether insurers will consider people driving them to be high risk or not. It was cheaper for me to get a 1.7 diesel civic insured than a 1 litre micra with some insurers I remember!

Postoffice123

Aeternum wrote: »

As above. When I wa shopping around I got similar quotes for a 1.5 almera as. 1litre Yaris. I think a lot depends on the 'name' the car has - whether insurers will consider people driving them to be high risk or not. It was cheaper for me to get a 1.7 diesel civic insured than a 1 litre micra with some insurers I remember!

Yeah I was thinking about buying an Opel corsa but I'm not sure if it is cheap to insure or if ill get insurance at all!

Aeternum

Postoffice123 wrote: »

Yeah I was thinking about buying an Opel corsa but I'm not sure if it is cheap to insure or if ill get insurance at all!

Just ring and ask for quotes before you buy it - let them know your having a look at it and they will give you a quote. I rang up once with a few different cars I was interested in and got a quote for each of them! You can definitely get way cheaper quotes over the phone than online too.

Postoffice123

Aeternum wrote: »

Just ring and ask for quotes before you buy it - let them know your having a look at it and they will give you a quote. I rang up once with a few different cars I was interested in and got a quote for each of them! You can definitely get way cheaper quotes over the phone than online too.

Yeah I'll try that! Thanks!

Michellenman

I bought and insured a corsa (07) recently - yearly insurance fully comp was €525, look in to getting a parent or someone else on the insurance. It was cheaper for me to have my mam as a named driver than for myself alone, same for my boyfriend. Dunno if it will be hugely more expensive for a learner in that car but for reference im 25 and ive a full license 8 years

L1011

It was "proposed" by Gay Byrne when he was in the RSA - running his mouth without the brain engaged as he does. I got an apologetic email from Noel Brett explaining that it was never planned and agreeing that it was nonsensical anyway.

You can get a 1.4 engine that produces 200hp or one that produces 65hp - so limiting on engine size is pointless.

n97 mini

Michellenman wrote: »

I bought and insured a corsa (07) recently - yearly insurance fully comp was €525, look in to getting a parent or someone else on the insurance. It was cheaper for me to have my mam as a named driver than for myself alone, same for my boyfriend. Dunno if it will be hugely more expensive for a learner in that car but for reference im 25 and ive a full license 8 years

You're the primary policy holder? i.e. not your mam with you named on it?

Muahahaha

L1011 wrote: »

It was "proposed" by Gay Byrne when he was in the RSA - running his mouth without the brain engaged as he does. I got an apologetic email from Noel Brett explaining that it was never planned and agreeing that it was nonsensical anyway.

You can get a 1.4 engine that produces 200hp or one that produces 65hp - so limiting on engine size is pointless.

why is it that they restrict it with motorbikes then? (it used to be only on engine size, now its some combination of power to weight ratio) I'd imagine the policy has saved lives over the years. I certainly know the first time I sat on a motorbike and got up to speed my intitial thoughts at the sheer power and acceleration was as to how it was even legal. And that was only a 250cc machine, I'd imagine if you let learners ride 900cc or 1000cc bikes straight off the bat then there would be a lot more injuries and deaths than what there is currently.

It seems mad to think that a learner with a permit in his hand can go out and buy a Ferrari and legally drive it. In the wrong hands cars are a weapon to others in society and I'd say allowing an 18 year old to drive a supercar when they're still a learner is almost certainly a recipe for disaster. Its not really a problem we have in Ireland but it does exist in London where 18 year old sons of Arab sheiks can be seen driving Ferraris and Lambos around the streets of the West End. I also remember being in Qatar a few years back and in the main shopping center in Doha they had two mangled Ferraris on public display with pictures of the young lads who died alongside them, it was a saefty campaign to get teenage drivers of supercars to slow down. You couldn't make it up, instead of banning young lads from driving supercars full stop they were asking them to slow down, with the evidence as two wrecked Ferraris and two dead teenagers.

L1011

Muahahaha wrote: »

why is it they it with motorbikes then? I'd imagine the policy has saved lives over the years. I certainly know the first time I sat on a motorbike and got up to speed my intitial thoughts at the sheer power and acceleration was as to how it was even legal. And that was only a 250cc machine, I'd imagine if you let learners ride 900cc or 1000cc bikes straight off the bat then there would be a lot more injuries and deaths than what there is currently.

Motorbikes don't (generally) have turbochargers as an option; and the ratings beyond the 125cc rule are on power and power/weight ratio, not engine size.

Muahahaha

L1011 wrote: »

Motorbikes don't (generally) have turbochargers as an option; and the ratings beyond the 125cc rule are on power and power/weight ratio, not engine size.

A motorbike learner can still ride a 650cc machine though which is a lot of power to have at just a flex of your wrist. A 10 year old 650cc has far more acceleration available to it than most cars on the road yet a learner can still legally drive one. I'm not against it per se but its worth pointing out, as is the fact a teenage learner driver can legally drive any supercar that is on the market. Like I said its not a problem we have in Ireland but it does occur in other countries, here's a website dedicated to young Arabs writing off supercars in the UAE http://www.wreckedexotics.com/country/united-arab-emirates

L1011

Muahahaha wrote: »

A motorbike learner can still ride a 650cc machine though which is a lot of power to have at just a flex of your wrist.

Only if its heavily limited - to either 11kW or 35kW depending on category; as the limits are done on engine power. Engine size is completely irrelevant; and that's without the extreme variance in power output per litre available on cars these days.

This is not an option on close to any car manufactured.

Michellenman

n97 mini wrote: »

You're the primary policy holder? i.e. not your mam with you named on it?

Exactly.

Hotblack Desiato

L1011 wrote: »

Only if its heavily limited - to either 11kW or 35kW depending on category; as the limits are done on engine power.

That's no longer the case, as a rider over 24 can ride any size/power motorcycle on a learner permit provided they've done Module 5 IBT on a bike of large enough size/power.

The real question is, shouldn't car drivers have initial basic training too?

L1011

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

That's no longer the case, as a rider over 24 can ride any size/power motorcycle on a learner permit provided they've done Module 5 IBT on a bike of large enough size/power.

The real question is, shouldn't car drivers have initial basic training too?

Wasn't aware of that - reinforces the point of it being a rather impractical limitation .

The theory test and orced 12 lessons are a required basic of sorts. It can and should be improved though