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Can Young People Afford to Learn to Drive?
Apr 1 2022 4:48PM
Insurelearnerdriver wanted to get to the bottom of what young people thought about learning to drive and whether they thought the current expected costs were actually affordable.
The following report uncovers some of the financial realities facing young drivers, and how they are currently dealing with these financial burdens.
Watch or Readourresearch highlights.
The cost of learning to drive
According to research, the recommended average learner driver needs 47 lessons with an instructor and 23 hours of private practice, before they will be test ready.
Including the cost of the theory and the practical driving test, a learner should not be surprised to pay out around £1,260 to learn to drive. Unsurprisingly, 85% of those questioned in the survey found this figure to be unaffordable.
Discouraged drivers
56% of 17-20 year olds have indicated that they would never learn to drive. Half said it was due to cost related issues.
- The cost of learning to drive (34%)
- The cost of insurance (11%)
- The cost of learning to drive (34%)The cost of insurance (11%)The cost of buying and running a car (5%)
Funding
59% of learner drivers have had to resort to borrowing money or selling personal possessions to afford the costs.
- 18% of learners used their overdraft
- 12% of learners used a credit card
- 10% of learners took out a loan
Cutting corners
To save money learner drivers are cutting their tuition short and taking their test too early.
- 48% said they took their driving test before they really felt ready
- After passing, 64% admitted to avoiding certain manoeuvres, due to a lack of confidence
“I realised soon after passing that there were several driving situations I had not had enough experience in whilst learning and found quite daunting after passing.”
There are no current restrictions that stop a learner from taking their test as soon as they have a provisional licence and theory test pass certificate.
- 62% of young drivers think a minimum learning period should be introduced
- 24% of young people admitted that they could have avoided an accident if they had taken more time to learn to drive.
Help for learner drivers
Insurelearnerdriver believes there are three steps to making sure young people will be safe road users after the driving test.
- Increase their confidence as learner drivers
- Reduce the overall cost of learning to drive
- Gain lots of hours of private practice experience
Insurance cover for learners seeking private practice
Insurelearnerdriver offers temporary learner driver insurance policies to help aid those who are learning to drive. The insurance covers them whilst driving in a borrowed car or a car they own, under the supervision of an accompanying driver.
Using this cover to privately practice will ensure the learner gains experience and further develops their skills learned. There are no daily time restrictions so they can practice for as many hours as they like, building up there confidence for the test and cementing skills and values for future road use.
Combining the flexibility and cost effectiveness of private practice with learner driver insurance is what our survey revealed to be the best way to help encourage young people to start learning to drive.
