Driving is an expensive skill. It is one of the most fulfilling and liberating experiences in your life. Many people believe that the price of driving lessons is far less than the benefits. How much do driving lessons cost? And how does that compare to learning to drive? Here are the numbers you can expect to pay for learning to drive in 2022.
Driving lessons can cost upwards of approx PS15 an hour. It would help if you also considered the costs of applying for your provisional license, the driving theory test, and the practical driving exam. Add in the cost of your first cars, such as insurance, fuel, and vehicle costs. The costs can add up.
Don’t let this put you off. Instead, be prepared and understand all the costs involved in learning to drive. We will go into more detail about these costs below.
Provisional Licence Fees
Provisional licenses are now more affordable than ever. Provisional licenses are now available for purchase at approx £34 online and approx £43 by mail. Provisional license applications used to cost approx £50. This makes the license more affordable.
You should apply for your provisional license as soon as possible to have it ready when you’re ready to take your first lesson. Although provisional licenses are not technically valid, the photograph must be updated every 10 years. You can also apply for it up to three months before you turn 16. Although you won’t be allowed to take your first driving lesson until 17 years, this allows you to prepare. You can also save money if the price rises by applying early.
The price of driving lessons in Birmingham will depend on your ability to learn quickly, your lessons’ consistency, your previous skill level, and the instructor. Driving lessons usually cost approximately £25-30 per hour, although prices can vary depending on the instructor and where you live. Our lessons are priced at approximately £22 an hour for manual cars and approximately £25 for automatic cars. We also offer excellent starter packages that cost as low as approx £15 an hour.
The Driving Standards Agency states that it takes an average learner driver 47 lessons and 22 hours to pass their test.
These figures are multiplied by our average approx £25 lesson. If you take the approx £175 lessons and approx £1,725 private practice, you’ll be paying approx £1,175 per lesson.
What Does a Theory Test Cost?
The theory test costs approximately £23 per car or motorbike and are paid flat. It consists of questions about the fundamental driving elements, such as driving skills and traffic signs.
Before taking a practical driving test, you must pass the theory test.
Driving Test Costs
Driving tests cost approximately £62 on weekdays and approximately £75 on weekends and evenings. Most people practice for their driving test for one hour before taking it. To calculate the actual cost of your driving test, you will need to add up the lesson costs. In this example (at approx. approx £25 an hour), you can expect to pay around approx £112 to take a daytime test and approx £125 to take an evening or weekend test.
Good news: Once you pass your exam, upgrading your provisional license to a full one is no cost – as long as you keep the same photo.
The Total Cost of Learning to Drive
Although the total cost of learning how to drive will vary depending on who you are, it might look like this:
Provisional License = approx £34
47 lessons at approx £25 per lesson = approx £1,175
Theory test = approx £23
2 x Driving test and driving instructor time/car = approx £224
