It’s a question that lots of people ask us and it’s a valid question to ask.
There are lots of factors that you’ll need to take into account when we answer this question. Where you are in the UK, the skill and additional training of your driving instructor, maintenance of the driving instructor’s car, and the general cost of living at the time. It could also be the costs of the franchise or company the driving instructor works for that has a large influence on costs.
Where about you live:
This is a large factor in the cost of learning to drive. For instance, if you live in a densely populated area, London or Birmingham for example. Then the cost of your driving lessons will likely be less as there will be more driving instructors servicing your area and they will also be traveling less between clients which will help to keep their costs down. If you live in a less populated area Oban in the highlands of Scotland for instance you will likely pay more for your driving lessons as there will be fewer driving instructors covering the area and they will possibly have to travel much further between clients and perhaps have further to travel to suitable training areas, making their cost per lesson more expensive and sadly that might mean your lessons are more expensive.
Skills your driving instructor has:
So just becoming a driving instructor is a pretty big achievement but sadly some instructors just leave it at that. However, lots of driving instructors or driving schools will charge a little more than their peers so they can reinvest that money into their own CPD – Continual Professional Development and to help to provide a better service to you the client with the intention that it should take you less sessions to reach the required standard to be a safe driver.
Maintenance and Fuel
Just like when you have passed your test your driving instructor’s vehicle will require regular maintenance and repairs to ensure that the car is safe for you to drive and to ensure that it is available for your driving lessons.
Fuel is also a factor and as I write this we are seeing record prices, at the pump for both diesel and petrol. This isn’t a huge cost centre but is a factor that influences the cost of a driving lesson.
General cost of living
This will have a huge impact. The driving instructor will need to earn a wage on top of all the other associated costs of being a driving instructor. The higher price the instructor has to pay where they live for the essentials of living, then the higher the price of lessons is going to be.
Finally the cost of belonging to a business network (TheAA or RED for example) have implications as these companies can charge a large weekly fee and this is passed on to you the client. This isn’t to say these companies don’t have great instructors but regardless of skill level or additional skills they might or might not possess they will often be amongst the more expensive in your area. This isn’t to say do not use their instructor’s just ask why they are worth that little bit more.
For us at Revolution, we’re probably a little more expensive than other driving schools, but, we provide excellent value for money, all our instructors attend regular CPD and maintain many good business practices to ensure that our clients get the expert tuition they deserve all the time.
Generally, I think as a rule anywhere from £30-£40 per hour depending on the above factors wouldn’t be unreasonable.
Just remember to ask why someone is really cheap and why someone is more expensive.
Their living costs will be roughly the same as other instructors in the area.
If they make up the amount they need by doing 60 paid hours a week that is a lot of hours and if your lesson is during hours 40-60, how much of a quality driving lesson will you be getting? I know I’d be falling asleep.
Not all driving instructors are the same!
As we’ve said before, the best instructors will be developing their skills all the time. Reading books to enhance their skills, watching/listening/reading DVSA Publications to help them to help you. Many instructors are required to attend CPD as part of their contract with a driving school to operate using their name. Sadly lots, and by lots, I mean most, driving instructors only look at developing their skills when they have a DVSA check test coming up. These could be 6-8 years apart. The check test is an assessment by the DVSA making sure the instructors are doing the job properly.
Just so you know, Revolution Driving Instructors MUST complete a minimum of 6 hrs CPD per year.
So in conclusion how much a driving lesson will cost will really depend on a number of things. There really isn’t a right amount to pay for your driving lessons, it’s more about getting the right value, weighing up the various benefits you’ll get against the amount of money it’ll cost you.
Don’t be scared to ask some questions other than how much it is. Be happy to ask why it costs what it costs at both ends of the price scale. But ultimately make sure you’re happy with the value you’re going to get for the price you’re going to be paying.
Revolution offers experienced driving instructors who are experts in what they do, getting you passed.
We strive to ensure you’re not just ready to pass the driving test but also to be equipped to drive in the real world.
