While many young people are keen to start driving lessons the moment they turn 17, the price can put them off. Many of these young drivers may only be working part time (if at all).
The best way for anyone to ensure they have enough money for driving lessons is to budget accordingly.
To help you do this, Tempcover has put together a guide to the costs you may need to consider when getting behind the wheel for the first time.
With the average price of a driving lesson now £25-45 an hour (according to Cinch), it’s likely a huge percentage of their wages will be put towards learning to drive.
There is no set answer to this question as prices can vary depending on a number of different factors. These can include:
As mentioned above, many driving instructors may offer special introductory rates or bulk booking discounts. You can research the instructors and schools in your local area to find one that suits your needs.
The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) recommends 47 hours of lessons before attempting your first driving test. In a time when most are feeling the pinch, this means at least £30 a weekly lesson can add up. If you only took the average amount of driving lessons at this average price, you’d be shelling out at least £1,410 before booking your test.
All this on top of somewhere between £1,000 and £1,800 for 40 to 50 driving lessons plus learner insurance for private practice and fuel costs.
Once you've passed, you'll also factor in MOT and tax - meaning you could easily be spending at least £1,900 over learning process.
Before even booking your first set of driving lessons, you need to apply for a provisional driving licence. A legal requirement before getting behind the wheel and driving on any public road, these cost £34 when bought online or £43 by post. You may also have to pay to update any details, including your photo and address, on your provisional licence.
Once you’ve got your provisional licence, you can go ahead and book your driving lessons. Most professional driving instructors will normally cover additional costs like L plates and insurance.
Alongside the 47 hours of lessons with an instructor, the DSA recommends a further 22 hours of private practice.
If you want to get some extra driving in-between your lessons with a professional instructor, you could look into practising with a friend or family member.
To do this, you'll need learner driver insurance. You and your supervisor will also have to meet some eligibility criteria.
You’ll have to bear in mind the prices for booking a theory test before taking your practical test.
If you don’t pass these tests the first time, you’ll have to pay for the retakes as well. At £23 for each theory test and £62 for a practical (£75 at weekends), these prices can also quickly add up.
If you do unfortunately fail, paying for extra driving lessons to get your confidence back up and improve on your faults also adds to the money you’re spending out.
Unless you’re already a named driver on the policy (which can be expensive), you’re going to need learner driver insurance.
To only pay for the time you need – anything from 1 hour to 28 days – you can get Tempcover’s learner driver insurance.
The vehicle owner (often Mum or Dad) will also enjoy complete peace of mind as their no claims discount is protected, meaning they wouldn’t lose it if the worst was to happen and you were to have an accident while learning to drive.
Other ways of saving on driving lessons include block booking with a professional driving instructor and taking advantage of referral and introductory offers.
For the insurance you need to get those crucial extra hours of practice in a calm and comfortable environment, temporary learner driver insurance is the ideal way to save time and money. Get a quote in under 2 minutes from Tempcover today.
To get learner driver insurance, you must:
To get learner car insurance, the person supervising you must:
Qualified driving instructors will have their own insurance to cover learner drivers, but if they’re enjoying some extra practice with friends or a family member, they’ll need learner driver insurance. Tempcover’s temporary learner driver insurance is flexible, comprehensive and won’t affect any no claims discounts.
This can vary depending on a number of factors such as the size of your vehicle and where you are based. Tempcover works with a group of underwriters to offer customers a very competitive rate for the time they need.
The majority of qualified driving instructors will have the appropriate insurance already but if a learner is looking to get some extra practice in with some private lessons, they’re going to need to be insured on the car they drive. They can be added as a named driver to an existing annual policy but this can be expensive or you can get temporary learner driver insurance from Tempcover. From 1 hour to 28 days, this short-term solution is flexible to your needs.
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You can pay for your short term insurance policy in several ways. Using our secure payment system, you can use the following payment methods:
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