Engine power/size limit?

engiweirdo

Just a question about something I'm unsure of. I will be learning to drive in the new year with the intention to buy a new (used) car. Is there a limit to the engine size of car you can drive on a learner/newly qualified driver licence. Are there insurance restrictions in place. I have this vague idea of being limited to vehicles under 1.4L but not sure am I right or wrong is this.

Thanks in advance.

GarIT

engiweirdo wrote: »

Just a question about something I'm unsure of. I will be learning to drive in the new year with the intention to buy a new (used) car. Is there a limit to the engine size of car you can drive on a learner/newly qualified driver licence. Are there insurance restrictions in place. I have this vague idea of being limited to vehicles under 1.4L but not sure am I right or wrong is this.

Thanks in advance.

I think that might be the case for bikes. I had a friend that learned in a 2L and I've seen a few high end BMWs and Audis with L plates so they seem to be doing it fine. Just expect to pay a tonne extra on insurance.

engiweirdo

GarIT wrote: »

I think that might be the case for bikes. I had a friend that learned in a 2L and I've seen a few high end BMWs and Audis with L plates so they seem to be doing it fine. Just expect to pay a tonne extra on insurance.

Ah right. Any ideas what the best case scenario would be for insurance costs. Not costs themselves, but what type and age of vehicle would be best to keep the vultures somewhat at bay. Budget of about €2k as I'm assuming I'll have to pay about €3k for insurance no matter what.

theguzman

The newer the car the lower the insurance cost, a newish small car like a gold of polo under 5 years old and with a small engine should in theory be cheaper than an older car; however in the Irish insurance market no-one could be really sure.

TallGlass

It's best practices for a learner to stick with a low powered car for insurance purposes. IE, 1.0-1.2 litre for now.

There are no licence restrictions on B. Only on A licences you'll find your limited.

dennyk

There is no limit on engine size for a B license category. The only restrictions are the weight of the vehicle plus its maximum cargo capacity (cannot be more than 3500kg) and the passenger capacity (cannot be more than eight passengers, excluding the driver).

For insurance, while there's no fixed limit, cars with larger and more powerful engines will generally be more difficult and expensive to insure, especially combined with other factors that negatively affect insurance premiums (e.g. a young and inexperienced driver with no insurance history). Ideally you'd want to look for a somewhat newer car (less than ten years old) with a small engine (1.0-1.2l) that isn't "sporty" to get the best insurance price.

DaveyDave

You'll get insured on pretty much anything that isn't performance orientated.

It doesn't matter if it's a 1 litre petrol or a 2 litre diesel. 100hp, 150hp+ etc.