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by Marsh Finance on Sep 18, 2024 10:10:03 AM
👉 How much are driving lessons?
👉 Manual vs automatic: can the type of car change how much you pay?
👉 Filter by area: the cheapest and most expensive places to learn
👉 Additional costs to learning to drive
👉 How to get the best deal on your driving lessons
👉 Conclusion
👉 Driving lesson FAQs
Figuring out how much money you need to pay for driving lessons can be a bit of a headache. There's no set number of hours anyone needs to learn, and not all instructors charge the same. To give you a clear picture, we've talked about the costs of learning to drive, the most expensive places to learn, and how to get the best deal on your lessons.
How Much Are Driving Lessons?
The price of a driving lesson can vary a lot. The instructor you're interested in might be popular and charge more. Or you might live in an area where lessons are more expensive. The RAC found that driving lessons tend to cost anywhere from £25 to £45 for a one-hour session. In some cases, you could, therefore, be spending close to £2000 to learn to drive – ouch!
This isn't a fixed number, as prices can vary and many instructors offer deals on block bookings. To be prepared, make sure you can comfortably afford the highest possible price. Unless you're planning to take an intensive driving course (crash course), you don't have to pay upfront. However, some driving instructors might offer incentives if you do.
Manual Vs Automatic: Can The Type Of Car Change How Much You Pay?
Learning to drive in a manual is the preferred option for most drivers in the UK, as this covers you to drive an automatic in future. If you were to learn in an automatic, you could only ever drive an automatic. When it comes to the cost of both, there isn’t a huge difference. We’ve taken a look at driving schools across the UK to discover how much a manual lesson costs against an automatic lesson. For Apex Driving School, an organisation based near London, the cost of a manual driving lesson is £1 cheaper than an automatic lesson. Closer to home in Manchester, there is no difference in cost between a manual driving lesson and an automatic one. In most cases, there isn’t much financial difference between owning a manual and an automatic. With the benefits of learning in a manual, it’s hard to argue against learning in a manual car.
If you need an automatic car due to a disability, take a look at learning to drive with a disability here.
Filter By Area: The Cheapest And Most Expensive Areas To Learn In
The cost of driving lessons in the UK is affected by the area you live in. A study by the Bill Plant Driving School looked at the cheapest and most expensive areas to learn to drive in. These figures are based on many factors, with driving test waiting times playing a major part.
The cheapest areas to learn to drive in:
- Swansea (£23.50)
- Bristol (£28)
- Aberdeen (£29)
- Bradford (£29.50)
- Manchester (£30.25)
The most expensive areas to learn to drive in:
- Brighton (£40)
- London (£38.25)
- Nottingham (£35.50)
- Sheffield (£35)
- Portsmouth (£34)
*Please be aware that prices may differ slightly from these figures.
Additional Costs Of Learning To Drive
Learning to drive isn’t just about paying for lessons, there’s a lot more hidden fees that you need to pay.
- Learner driver insurance (If you’re learning to drive with a friend or family member)
- Application for a provisional driving licence (£34)
- Car theory test (£22)
- Practical driving test (£62 on weekdays & £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays)
Obviously if you were to pass, you’d also need to pay for a car and insurance for your first year, which tends to be more expensive for young drivers. Make sure you are fully aware of all of the costs associated with learning to drive before starting your journey. We’ve also put together the cheapest cars to insure, to help you save some spare cash when you hit the road.
How To Get The Best Deal On Your Driving Lessons
Getting the best deal on your driving lessons is really important. It can free up spare change that can go towards your new car. With that in mind, here’s our top tips for finding the best deal on your driving lessons:
- Compare, compare, compare: Shop around and get as many quotes as you can. This will help you see the benefits of each instructor and compare prices to find the best deal.
- Don’t be afraid to haggle: Sometimes just asking if there are any deals or discounts can be enough to save you a few pounds. If you have a figure in your head and plenty of knowledge of other prices, you are well-placed to try and negotiate a better fee.
- Look for discounts with block bookings: Plenty of driving instructors offer driving lessons in 10 or 15 block bundles. With block bookings, you are likely to get a discounted rate against individually paying for lessons.
- Don’t compromise on quality: Price isn’t everything. Don’t go for an instructor purely based on price, as a low price could signify a poor service. Combine your own research into a driving instructor with a price analysis to find a sweet spot.
It’s not just learning to drive that costs money. Take a look at our blog covering the additional costs of owning a car to get a complete picture of car costs.
Conclusion
Learning to drive can be expensive, which is a reason why some choose to learn off family and friends. If you are committed to learning from an expert, make sure you have budgeted appropriately, and researched the market to find the best deal for you, both financially and personally. Getting on the road as a young driver can be expensive. That’s why getting car finance could be a good choice. With finance, you can spread the cost of a car over manageable monthly payments. If car finance is something that interests you, check if you’re eligible for car finance in under 30 seconds with no impact on your credit score. Just browsing for a car for now? Visit our extensive car marketplace and view over 75,000 cars, all separated by different filters to find the perfect ride for you.
