How Much Does It Cost to Learn to Drive?

In this blog I’ll explain how much it costs to learn to drive and whether the cost is good value for money.

Some people consider that learning to drive is quite expensive. But how expensive is it? How much does it actually cost to learn to drive a car?

According to the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) the average number of driving lessons taken with an ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) or PDI (Potential Driving Instructor) is 47 hours. That is if 20 hours are completed as private driving practice with a family member or friend. If you don’t get private practice, you’ll probably need more driving lessons with an instructor.

The private practice you get needs to be valuable driving, where you aim to consolidate what you’ve covered with your instructor. If you, for example, miss your mirror checks when you’re driving without your instructor, your instructor will need to spend time with you breaking bad habits. This could potentially slow your progress rather than accelerate it.

This number of lessons needed can vary greatly from person to person though. How quickly you learn to drive and become safe and test ready depends on many factors.

Firstly, everyone learns different skills at different rates. How quickly you learn a skill can depend on how anxious you feel when you’re controlling a car or negotiating the roads and traffic.

It can depend on how much lesson preparation you do. Reading about a subject or watching appropriate videos can enable you to do more actual driving and less talking during your lesson.

How quickly you learn can also depend on you where you live. If you live a long way from a town and the location of the test centre, it’ll take a lot of your lesson time to travel to an area that you need to be in and become confident to drive around. Negotiating busy roundabouts, multi-lane junctions and dual carriageways is very different from driving on rural roads.

Consequently, some learners may only take 20 hours tuition and others may take 100+ hours tuition.

So, how much does it actually cost to learn to drive?

Well, with a 1-hour lesson costing on average between about £25.00 to £35.00 per hour, the total cost to learn to drive with a driving instructor, based on 47 hours tuition, is between £1,175 and £1,645.

Add to this is the cost of the theory test, currently at £25.00, and the cost of the practical test, currently at £62.00.

Also, if you do have practice with a family member or friend, there are more insurance costs to include.

That may seem a lot of money. But think about what you actually get for the money you pay your driving instructor:

1. An instructor to collect you from and return you to your home, or other mutually convenient location
2. A fully trained driving instructor who has spent a lot of time, effort and money training and passing three qualifying exams
3. You end up with an extremely valuable skill you can use for the rest of your life
4. The use of a vehicle. The instructor has to purchase a suitable vehicle that is kept clean and well maintained. The car must always have sufficient fuel and specialist car insurance is required.
5. The instructor also has to purchase teaching aids, software, books, apps to help you with your theory and practical driving.

You may want to shop around for the cheapest lessons. But always consider, is the cheapest what you really want to learn this life skill? It may work out well, if it’s maybe a newly qualified instructor who’s trying to fill their diary, and you’ll get excellent coaching. But it may not work out well. Listen to recommendations, chat to instructors, read reviews and remember you can always change instructor if you don’t feel comfortable with who you’re with.

Please remember, it’s incredibly important to feel comfortable and get on well with your instructor. You’ll spend a lot of time together in the confines of their vehicle.

So, is the cost of learning to drive good value for money?

Well, when you take into account that your first year of car insurance will cost about £1,300 to £2,000, the cost of learning to drive is, in my opinion, incredibly good value.

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll have a ‘skill for life’ that’ll enable you the freedom to travel, the ability to have better job prospects and give you an easier life.

I hope you found this blog interesting and informative.

Let me know what you think. Do you agree that the cost of learning to drive is good value for money?