Sunday , February 9 2025

Cost of learning to drive – north-south divide exposed

Young driver

New research has revealed that learner drivers in Reading and London pay almost double the amount per hour for driving lessons compared to those living in other UK cities.

Auto Trader, the digital marketplace for new and used cars, has investigated and identified the most and least expensive cities for those learning to drive in the UK – unveiling huge differences.

With a recommended 47 hours of lessons for learners to be fully prepared for the practical driving test, it can mean the cost for driving lessons alone is close to £1,000 – and even up to £1,600 in some areas. The average cost of driving lessons across 19 cities studied is £1,296.47, which can still be deemed hugely expensive for many learner drivers.

Reading and London came out as the most expensive areas for driving lessons at an average of £34 and £33 per hour respectively, with Southampton and Exeter in joint third at an average of £30 per hour. This is nearly double some areas in the UK with Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester as the cheapest options at £20, £19 and £18 for their average hourly prices.

The most expensive city to learn to drive in the UK is Reading, where it costs an eye-watering £1,717 to get out on the roads – nearly £500 more than the average UK cost of £1,296.47

The cost of the essentials to get on the road also adds up, with obtaining a provisional licence, booking a theory and practical test setting each learner back by £119.

With the pass rate for those taking their theory test sitting just below 50%, that cost can increase to £142 and £165 for those taking their theory tests for a second or even third time.

For learners that fail their practical test first time (government statistics show that nearly 54% fail first time), they can expect to pay a further £62 for every test taken, meaning their basic costs will go from £119 to £181 for taking a second test, and £243 for those hoping for third time lucky.

City Average driving lesson cost (per hour) Average amount of lessons needed Total driving lesson cost Cost of a provisional licence Cost of a theory test Cost of a driving test Total
Reading £34.00 47 £1,598.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,717.00
London £33.00 47 £1,551.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,670.00
Southampton £30.00 47 £1,410.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,529.00
Exeter £30.00 47 £1,410.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,529.00
Glasgow £28.00 47 £1,316.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,435.00
Nottingham £28.00 47 £1,316.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,435.00
Bristol £27.00 47 £1,269.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,388.00
Cardiff £25.00 47 £1,175.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,294.00
Plymouth £25.00 47 £1,175.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,294.00
Belfast £24.00 47 £1,128.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,247.00
Edinburgh £23.00 47 £1,081.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,200.00
York £23.00 47 £1,081.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,200.00
Sheffield £23.00 47 £1,081.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,200.00
Newcastle £22.00 47 £1,034.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,153.00
Huddersfield £22.00 47 £1,034.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,153.00
Leeds £22.00 47 £1,034.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,153.00
Birmingham £20.00 47 £940.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,059.00
Liverpool £19.00 47 £893.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £1,012.00
Manchester £18.00 47 £846.00 £34.00 £23.00 £62.00 £965.00

 

About Gareth Herincx

Gareth is a versatile journalist, copywriter and digital editor who's worked across the media in newspapers, magazines, TV, teletext, radio and online. After long stints at the BBC, GMTV and ITV, he now specialises in motoring.

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