How many hours of lessons did it take you to pass your driving test?

[Calltheguards]

I feel like I will never pass the driving test, I have just failed my fourth attempt for the silliest reasons (1. Supposedly I stopped but didn't make a complete stop 2. I drove down a road that was too narrow, but most roads are too narrow around here and I was guided down it 3. I got in the correct lane at the roundabout but I need better positioning).

I have been trying to learn with my husband independently but I feel like no matter what I will fail unless I get private lessons or something 🤷‍♀️

Did you take private lessons? How many hours did you do?

15 hours intensive course. I passed first time. I was 17 and 1 week old. My instructor was fantastic. I was doing a 3 point turn an hour into my first lesson.

I think it was about 18 hours, including the hour before my test. Not long really.

Six lessons and then 3/4 hour in the morning before my test and passed.

That was in 1983 and quite the norm to have that many/few lessons.

Nowadays I see young people having 50-100 lessons.

It seems they don’t teach confidence.

60 hours! I was shocking

5 plus an hour before the test.

3 lessons plus driving with qualified family. Passed first time. Did my reversing the night before the test. I was 26. Had found out that week that I was pregnant and could have conquered the world.

It's great that your husband has been teaching you, but he won't be up to date on current standards for the test. Strongly recommend taking a few hours of lessons with an approved driving instructor. Just tell them you can drive but need a couple of "how to pass the test" lessons.

Also, I might be misreading the tone of your post but you might need to rethink your attitude a bit! "Supposedly I stopped but didn't make a complete stop" suggests you disagree with the examiner - I failed for that first time, and I get that it's frustrating, but a stop sign means stop and there is no leeway. Particularly during the test you don't get to ignore a sign just because it's stupid, the examiner doesn't get to say "well you didn't stop but it was close enough" even if they'd love to

Treat your tests as learning experiences - now you know a lot more about what they expect. You can always ask the examiner to clarify if you don't understand why something was a fail.

God... I'm not sure.

I think it was like 30 hours maybe?

I passed when I was 23.

Get private lessons. I know they're expensive but they really do work. Make sure you find someone you get on with well.

Practising with your husband in tow is good... for practice but not for learning I dont think.

I’d never actually pulled over on the left (to park) before I took my test!

I grew up in the middle of nowhere, with a driveway, so was picked up from there, drove 20 mins to bigger village, did a few manoeuvres, drove home.

Six lessons and then 3/4 hour in the morning before my test and passed.
That was in 1983 and quite the norm to have that many/few lessons.
Nowadays I see young people having 50-100 lessons.
It seems they don’t teach confidence.

Or maybe there has been a huge increase in the amount of road traffic over the past 36 years, and the test has been made a lot harder?

Bloody years and five attempts. Keep at it, it's so freeing when you can drive. You can do it!

15 months of 90mins a week and 4 tests. Felt like bloody forever.

@ThereIsNoSuchThingAsRoadTax

Absolutely. I wasn’t saying that was applicable now as the roads and volume of traffic are completely different.

However I do think that people are not being taught how to be confident and are just being taught manoeuvres etc and that’s why the amount of lessons people now have can sometimes run to over a hundred.

I (re)learnt with my DH.

Passed my theory, then booked lessons with an instructor to get me through my test.

Had 6 I think.

I was also told, that examiners prefer to pass people who are in an approved instructors car, rather than their own. However that may be bollocks or specific to our notoriously difficult to pass in test centre!

Nottobesoldseparately

That's a bit worrying. I feel more confident in our family car, but it does make sense that examiners might treat instructor's cars differently. I'll need to consider that.

I passed with 34 hours of private lessons. Didn't do any driving with OH or anyone inbetween lessons either.

I passed in March this year :)

Please pay for actual lessons.

The problem with even the most experienced drivers is over time, everyone picks up bad habits. Your husband can teach you the basics of how to drive but he can’t teach you how to be test ready and you may pick up bad habits along the way. You will only drive test-worthy during the test, from there on you yourself will pick up bad habits and do stupid things sometimes that would be a straight fail.

My DP failed nine times until I made him get actual lessons then he passed. His driving was fine but he needed a real instructor to teach him how to be test-worthy.

I think I had 30ish hours with an instructor, passed first time.

I've done about 50 hours and have had to take a break for a couple of months as its getting me down that I'm struggling so much.

I passed fifth time OP after many many lessons! Good luck next time

I had 26 hours with an instructor and my parents took me out . I passed first time.
We are now in Australia and you have to do 50 hours on your L’s before you take your test! Then you go onto the P plate system. It’s a great idea

My dad was a very senior driving examiner, who ensured I had lessons with the person he knew was the best instructor in the area. I know I could have passed my test after maybe 15 hours (because my dad was able to test me!) but he was very clear I was being taught to drive, not to pass my test. I had I think 40-50 hours before I was put in for my test.

I passed first time in my late 20s after 40 hours of lessons (taken 2 hours at a time spread over 4 months), but no other driving practice, which is a bit under average (average is around 45 hours of lessons and 25 hours of practice).

In Ireland you have to have 12 hours of lessons with a registered instructor before you can apply for a test

About 50 i think, on an automatic. I was 36 and this was in north London where it’s mad.
I also took three attempts at my test, for silly reasons

Probably more than 60 and I failed 4 tests!!

To be honest I think you are wasting your money on tests if you don't have at least a few proper lessons. You need to be up to test level and can only get there with a proper instructor who knows exactly what the examiner will be looking for.

Don't give up though, you'll pass when you are ready.