Inside: Tips to Reduce the Cost of Learning to Drive. Collaborative post.
Being able to drive is a great life skill that can open up an entirely new world. Despite this, The Guardian reported that fewer young people are learning to drive and the costs involved are a primary reason for this. It is understandable that money could be a concern for someone of any age, especially during a cost of living crisis.
Average Costs
Nimblefins conducted a study that looked into the average cost of learning to drive and it is easy to see why many are shying away from driving. The average cost for an hour’s driving lesson in the UK is £34 when purchased in bulk (and more individually) and the average driver will need 47 hours worth of lessons – this adds up to £1,080.
The amount can also vary depending on where you live and this it is as much as £40 for an hour when bought in bulk in Scotland.
So, what can people do to bring down the cost of learning to drive?
Choose Your Instructor Carefully
A key decision is choosing an instructor and not just because of how much they charge. You need to find an instructor that has good ratings and a high pass rate, which could help you to pass your test faster. Crucially, you also need to find an instructor that you are comfortable with – do not shy away from switching if it is not a good fit.
Book Blocks Lessons
As mentioned above, it is more affordable to book lessons in blocks as opposed to individually. Although it is more of a commitment, you will find that this could make a big difference to how much you spend. Additionally, try looking around online for discounts to make further savings.
Practice
Practice is key to success with driving. Much like anything, the more hours you put in, the better you will get. This is why you should practice as much as you can with friends/relatives in between your lessons. This will give you the chance to hone your skills and feel more confident behind the wheel.
Just make sure that you have learner driver insurance in place whenever you are driving and you have someone in the passenger seat that meets the criteria (over 21 and held their license for 3+ years).
Make Use of Free Resources
You will find that there are also a lot of free resources that can be useful when it comes to the theory side of driving. There are websites where you can learn all that you need to know and even practice your theory test for free, which should help you to pass your theory first time.
Learning to drive can be expensive, but it is also one of the best life skills that you can have as an adult. Hopefully, this post will help you to keep your costs down and learn to drive quickly.