Starting driving lessons; when to start learning

and why would we start to learn?

Driving is an essential skill required for personal independance, allowing us to expand our opportunities and horizons, reducing our dependance on others and making us more employable.

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Most people can start learning to drive from their 17th birthday, but it is never too late to learn. 

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This important life skill can be as beneficial to a young person as to the more mature experienced person.  As an essential skill, increasingly desired by employers, driving can prove invaluable when looking to enhance personal growth.

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Driving is a skill that you will carry throughout your life and can still be useful in maintaining independance even when you are otherwise restricted physically, a life skill that has the potential to yield immeasureable value.

Theory Preparation.

It is essential that you are able to successfully complete the Class B car driving theory test.  Understanding the Highway Code, driving theory and hazard perception is an integral part of your driving development.

Your instructor should provide feedback and suggest theory Q&A throughout your training, adapting to your increasing skill and understanding.

How long will it take to pass my test?

According to the DVSA, the average 17 year old student need a total of 65 hours of practice, 45 paid hours of tuition and 20 hours of private practice to prepare for a successful test.  Additionally, it is expected that for ever year over 17 the student starts to learn to drive there will be 1 additional hour of paid tuition.

For a 17 your old student, with one 2 hour lesson each week, this means you should currently be expecting to complete your course and successfully pass the class B driving examination after 20-22 weeks; 5-6 months, subject to booking a suitable examination with the DVSA.

How much will lessons cost?

Lesson price is variable, dependant on area, license type and state of the driving economy.  Learning to drive an automatic vehicle has a typically higher lesson price than learning to drive in a manual vehicle.

The price of fuel, and other service items can increase lesson price.  In some cases, market demand can also play a role in determining lesson price.  Prices are typically more expensive in the south of the UK compared to the midlands and the north.

The DVSA suggest that prices can range from £35 per hour for a manual vehicle to £60 for more complex training, automatic vehicles or in high demand areas.

Some driving schools offer bulk paid lesson packages, this can be a good way to reduce the lesson costs.

How should I prepare for my driving lessons?

There are some very good quality apps that provide both free and paid theory practice.  These can be downloaded from either the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store and the .GOV.UK website also has some useful free resources for theory practice.

You can also find good information on internet resources such as YouTube and TikTok, however, it is important to ensure that the information is of a good quality and the information contained within the video is accurate and reliable. 

When ever you are watching a driving instructional video, ask yourself, is the presenter an Approved Driving Instructor and is the information reliable?

The DVSA ensure that all driving instructors teach to a predefined quality standard and should therefore be more likely to provide reliable information and guidance.