Learning to drive can be an expensive business, I should know, I paid for my own lessons when I was a student. Luckily for me I passed my driving test first time (I don’t know how!) and it didn’t take too many lessons but it’s not the same for everyone. So I thought I would share with you 5 ways to save money when learning to drive. For more hints and tips about money and other financial issues check out UK Credit’s Money Life blog.
Choose the right instructor
This sounds simple right?! Do your research, ask friends and family for recommendations and meet the instructor if possible before you book. You will learn much better from someone who is good at their job and you feel comfortable with and therefore you will need fewer lessons.
Photo courtesy of Herry Lawford, CC Licence, no changes made
Look for special offers on lessons
Many instructors will offer special offers on lessons or a cheaper price if you book in advance or book a whole course. This will save you money in the long run. It may even be cost effective to book 2 hour lessons so you cram more into one session and don’t waste time ‘warming up’ each time. 2 hour lessons are usually at a slightly cheaper hourly rate too.
Practice with friends or family
Once you have had a few lessons you can ask close friends or family if they would mind taking you out for some practice drives. This will not only get you used to driving different cars but you will gain more confidence with the more practice you have. Just make sure that you are put on their insurance policy before you start!
Use Free Study Aids
You will need to take a theory test as well as your practical tests so you will need to learn the highway code and other useful information. There are plenty of books and study aids you can buy to help you before you take the test or you can use freely available information on the internet or in the library. Just make sure that the information that you are using is recent. You can find a copy of the Highway Code here and practice tests here.
Book your test for a weekday
Driving tests are a little cheaper on weekdays and the roads will be quieter too outside of rush hour times. Don’t forget that you can postpone your test at no extra cost if you give advance notice, which could save you money if you aren’t ready to take it.
So there you have it – some easy ways to shave a few pounds off your learning to drive bill!
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