Cost of learning to drive puts off teenagers

Learner drivers may have to spend more than £3,300 to get on the road, according to new analysis by Telegraph Money.

While learning to drive used to be a teenage rite of passage, high costs mean many are waiting until they are in their 20s, or later, to get behind the wheel.

The average cost of an hour’s driving tuition is £26, according to the AA Driving School. While there is no longer an official benchmark for how many lessons most learners have, most recently the number was set at 47. This means the average learner would have to pay £1,222 for their lessons alone.

The combined cost of a provisional driving licence, a theory test and a practical test comes to £132 – and that assumes the learner passes both tests first time. The bulk of the cost, however, will be insuring a car after qualifying to drive.

The AA said the average insurance policy for an 18 year-old would cost £2,000. But when Telegraph Money looked for insurance for an 18-yearold man to drive a relatively cheap Hyundai i10, the cheapest quote available was £2,500.

Young drivers can bring costs down by installing a telematics box that tracks safe driving, or by being a “named driver” on a parent’s policy. Being a named driver if you will be the main driver of a car is illegal.

An AA spokesman said: “A much higher percentage of young people now go to university and thus have priorities and calls on scarce financial resources other than learning to drive – it is much more a ‘nice to have’ rather than a necessity.

“More and more people will learn to drive when in their 20s after graduating and starting full-time professional employment.”