Lessons, license applications, learning materials, insurance… When you’re learning to drive it can be difficult to keep a track of all the costs involved.
To help you budget for learning to drive, we’ve researched the rates and tallied up the total to give you a rough guide to learner driver expenses.
- Applying for a provisional license
- Your first step to getting on the road is applying for a provisional license.
- To save money, we’ll use the online cost for our running total.
Driving lesson cost
The average person needs around 45 hours of driving lessons and a further 22 hours of practice before they are ready for a practical test.
The cost of lessons varies depending on where you live. You could make a saving here through introductory or package rates.
A good instructor will also let you know if you’re ready for your practical test before you’ve had 45 hours of lessons. So that’s good news if you have a family member or friend that can take you out for additional practice.
Practical driving test cost
Your practical driving test is the last step before getting your full driving license.
In the spirit of being well prepared and avoiding nasty surprises, the weekend figure will be added to the total cost.
If you plan on using your instructor’s car, you’ll need to factor in the cost of their time for the test. With examinations lasting 40 minutes, plus added time for the ‘show me’, ‘tell me’, and eye test section, you’ll need to book their car for an hour.
We now have our estimate before the cost of a car; tax and insurance are added to the mix.
The cost of learning to drive before the car, tax, and insurance:
Car
Whether it’s secondhand, straight from the forecourt, or your parents you most of the time need to foot the bill.
Learner insurance
Many insurers will offer dedicated learner driver insurance. This kind of flexible, short term cover offers protection while you prepare for your driving test.
If you’ve got your provisional driving license and are already having professional lessons, learner driver insurance allows you to get that extra experience behind the wheel with the help of a friend or family member.
After you pass your test, you’ll have to get your first proper car insurance policy.
The total cost of learning to drive
We now have an estimate for the cost of getting your full driving license. The following assumptions have been made about our calculations:
- Learner drivers take 45 hours of lessons
- The theory test is passed the first time
- The driving test is taken on a weekend and passed the first time
- An instructor’s car is used for the practical driving test
- The cost of the car matches the national average for a first car
- Insurance premiums match the national average for first-time drivers
- The car has a diesel or petrol engine, paying tax across 12 monthly payments
Conclusion:
In the era of inflation, BestDrive saves you from extra expenditures in just perfect skill learning. A good deal is always a fair deal just the way we describe our customers how