Last Updated on April 14, 2023
Learning to drive is an exciting time for learner drivers, but the added expenses can be scary at first! We want to break down how much it will cost on average for you to become a full licence holder, give you a clear idea of the costs, and give you tips on how to save money when learning to drive.
Contents
The Essentials
When you are learning to drive, there are some essentials that really are unavoidable for example, provisional driving licences, driving theory tests and of course your practical driving test. They make up the bulk of the cost of learning to drive.
Provisional licence
Firstly, is of course your provisional licence. Every learner driver needs to hold a provisional licence to be able to start the journey of learning to drive.
The cost of applying for a provisional licence is £34 when applying online and £43 when applying by post.
| Apply online | £34 |
| Apply by post | £43 |
There is also an additional cost if you do not complete your practical driving test within 10 years of getting your provisional licence. If your provisional licence runs out and you are still looking to learn to drive it will need to be renewed. This is an additional cost of £14 every 10 years. You can avoid this cost by passing your test before your provisional driving licence expires.
You can find out more information about provisional driving licences in our provisional licence guide and FAQ.
Driving Theory test
Before you become a full licence holder, you must pass your driving theory test. You can take this as soon as you have your provisional licence, and it will cost £23 (which you can book online).
Make sure you are fully prepared before booking your driving theory test to give you the best chance of passing first time, hopefully this will help avoid you paying to re-sit the test.
You should be aware; a theory test certificate is only valid for 2 years. Therefore, trying your best to pass your practical driving test within 2 years of completing your theory will help you in avoiding paying an additional £23 to retake the theory test.
Driving lessons
Certainly one of the biggest costs when learning to drive comes from driving lessons. There are no minimum hours of practice that you need before taking your test. According to the DVSA, on average it takes 45 hours of driving lessons and 22 hours of private practice.
You may need to take more or less lessons to pass, and you might save money by doing more private practise in place of driving lessons!
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Lessons can range from £20-£45 per hour1 depending on where you live and which instructor you choose, and you may be able to get discounts, free hours, or lower hourly rates when purchasing lessons in bulk.
| 45 hours of lessons at £20/hour | £900 |
| 45 hours of lessons at £45/hour | £2,025 |
If you are in the process of searching for an instructor, you could use our find an instructor app to help you locate the right instructor for you.
Practical driving test
One of the final stages of learning to drive is booking your practical driving test. This can be easily booked online and costs £62-£75 depending on what day you book the test. Booking your test during the morning on weekdays is cheaper at £62, compared to £75 on evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.
| Morning week day test | £62 |
| Evening, weekend or bank holiday test | £75 |
There may also be a cost involved if you use your instructor’s car to sit your test, this will of course increase costs by your instructor’s hourly rate.
There are other options though, with Collingwood Learner Driver Insurance you can take your test in your own car which could save you from extra costs!
When booking your practical driving test, you need to be 100% prepared, or you risk having to pay to retake the test in the future. Make sure you are aware of common reasons why people don’t pass their tests, so you don’t make the same mistakes.
Additional costs
There can be additional cost when learning to drive that you may have. Some of which can reduce the overall cost by getting in more driving practice and reducing the need for driving lessons.
Learner Driver Insurance
When getting insured as a learner driver, you have options. You can hold your own Learner Insurance policy or get added on to a friend of family member’s insurance
If you are added as a named driver on someone else’s insurance, you may not be able to build your own no claims bonus. Also, if you have an accident whilst insured on someone’s vehicle, it may affect the policy holder’s no claims bonus.
Insurance with a learner as a named driver costs an average of £2,150.032 per year, compared to £1,114.763 without a learner. This means it could cost an additional £1,035.27 with a learner added to the policy.
The better choice may be a learner driver insurance policy, since it is often the most affordable.
Collingwood allows you to get insured7 on your own, a friend or a family member’s car. By having your own insurance, it would prevent someone else’s NCD being affected if you have an accident whilst behind the wheel.
This can help you reduce costs when learning to drive as you may need fewer driving lessons, pass your test sooner and you could earn a no-claim bonus4 saving you money as a full licence holder!
The average annual policy with Collingwood Learners costs £235.255 (£19.62/month, 65p/day) but, this can vary depending on a variety of policy factors. An annual policy allows you to get out more and practice outside of driving lessons while you are waiting for your driving test.
| Additional cost when added on to parent’s insurance policy | £1,035.272 |
| Average price of Collingwood Annual Learner Driver Insurance5 | £235.435 |
L plates
If you are driving any car when you are still a learner you will need to have L plates (D plate in Wales) displayed on the front and back of the vehicle. If not you can face penalty points if they are not displayed or do not meet the specifications. They can be bought from a wide range of stores and can cost between £2-£12 for a pack of two on Amazon.
| 2 pack of L plates | £2-£12 |
Apps and resources
Additional extras you may need are apps and resources to help you learn and pass your driving theory test and practical test.
To help prepare for your theory test, a popular choice is to use an app to help you learn. A favourite of ours is the RoadHow app.
Which is filled with information on hazard perception, highway code, and quizzes to assist you in passing your theory and practical tests! The cost of premium access for the app is over £236 a year although, you can get it free with a Collingwood Learner Driver policy.
You can also find a lot of free resources online to assist you, through YouTube channels, such as Conquer Driving. The DVSA and DVLA websites also offer free resources to practice for your theory test with hazard perception and multiple choice question practice.
Overall cost
This overall cost for learning to drive is based on research findings. Also with the assumption that you will be learning for a year, will pass your theory and practical driving test first time, need 45 hours of driving lessons, and have a household car to be insured on.
| Higher cost | Price |
| Provisional | £43 |
| Theory test | £23 |
| Driving lessons | £2,025 |
| Practical driving test | £75 |
| Additional cost when added on to a parent’s insurance policy | £1,035.272 |
| RoadHow App | £23.88 |
| L plates (D plates) | £12 |
| Total | £3,237.15 |
| Lower cost | Price |
| Provisional | £34 |
| Theory test | £23 |
| Driving lessons | £900 |
| Practical driving test | £62 |
| Collingwood Annual Learner insurance | £235.255 |
| RoadHow app | Free! |
| L plates (D plates) | £2 |
| Total | £1,256.25 |
Conclusion
The cost of learning to drive can vary depending on the choices you make and there are certainly ways to save money and reduce costs!
There are unavoidable expenses involved with a provisional licence, theory test, and practical driving test. However, there are ways for you to save on driving lessons. As long as you have a willing supervised driver, you can practise as much as you like with learner driver insurance, giving you a better opportunity to pass first time and avoid extra costs.
Overall, there is a potential saving of £1,980.90 when selecting the cheaper options!
With Collingwood Learner Driver Insurance, we could insure you in your own, a friend or family member’s car7 to get extra practice before your test.
Based on quotes from RED driving school, Pass and Go and AA.1
Based on 59 quotes from compare the market on a Renault Clio Extreme (75) with a 19 year old as an additional driver2
Based on 96 quotes from compare the market on a Renault Clio Extreme (75)3
With 10 months of uninterrupted cover with no claims with Collingwood Insurance Services.4
Based on the average cost of all annual policies in 2022 up to October 17th5
Based on a monthly membership price of £1.996
Terms conditions and underwriting criteria apply7
All prices for provisional licence, theory test and practical driving test are accurate as of November 2022
