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Original poster

Driving lessons - £34 per hour? Is this the new normal?

42 replies

CrimePodcast · 13/03/2022 12:29

Hi, booked driving lessons for DC a month ago to start this week. They have gone up from £30 ph to £34ph. I understand as fuel has obviously increased. They are verging on unaffordable for us now.

Just wondered if anyone else has heard of a similar increase.

OP posts:
Whatwouldnanado · 13/03/2022 12:31

They're 35.00 here. Dd has given up a couple of dance hobbies which is just as well!

MistySkiesAfterRain · 13/03/2022 12:33

In my area (south east) they have gone up to £35 from £30.

I booked some last year at £30 then had to cancel as the DVLA decided to not give me my license for almost a year.

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 13/03/2022 12:34

Very normal.

It's not cheap to be a driving instructor, unfortunately.

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Driving & parking
Ruibies · 13/03/2022 12:36

Mine were £30ph when I enquired in nov, had to join a waiting list and by the time I was able to start in feb they'd gone up to £32ph if bought in bulk blocks of 10. I think £34 if bought in less than 10 hours. I was hoping 10 hours would do me but erm seems I'm not a natural lol so this is going to be a veryyy expensive endeavour 🙈

Pumpfive · 13/03/2022 12:38

It's unfortunately a sign of the times. People need to make a living and petrol prices are soaring so driving instructors need to be making sure they cover that. it is expensive though.

Original poster
CrimePodcast · 13/03/2022 12:48

Thanks. I utterly sympathise with instructors and understand the rise, am just slightly miffed as I've spent nearly 2 years saving for her lessons and they have risen from an estimated £27 when I started saving to £34 now.

OP posts:
OutlookStalking · 13/03/2022 12:50

Wow driving instructors presumably earn quite well? (Although completely understand putting prices up for fuel, being a vital part of their job!(

fairylightsandwaxmelts · 13/03/2022 13:14

@OutlookStalking

Wow driving instructors presumably earn quite well? (Although completely understand putting prices up for fuel, being a vital part of their job!(
Not as well as you'd think. They have to cover:
  • insurance (their own plus business)
  • MOT
  • service
  • replacement tyres, washer fluid etc. (they'll go through a lot more than your average driver)
  • fuel - not only for lessons, but for all their driving between appointments, to and from work and tests.
  • standard cleaning costs
  • annual leave
  • sick days
  • pension

Once you subtract all of that from their chargeable rate, they won't earn anywhere near as much as you think.

GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat · 13/03/2022 13:17

£40ph here and two hour lessons only so £80 per week. Dc1 started in April 2021 and passed December 2021. We're currently saving for dc2.

Seemssounfair · 13/03/2022 13:19

£34/hr sounds steep. When ds took lessons April - November last year he paid £25/hr. Prices were mostly between £25-£28 with only the odd one or two up as high as £30-£33.

OutlookStalking · 13/03/2022 13:20

How much does it work out at roughly do you reckon fairy?

jamandmarmaladeoncrumpets · 13/03/2022 13:23

It was £10/hr in 1996 here. so glad i passed back then.

Feelingoktoday · 13/03/2022 13:25

I was paying £30 for bulk ten hours. Now my son’s lesson is 45 mins instead of 60 mins. I suppose it’s inevitable but it will price people out of the market.

Overthebow · 13/03/2022 13:26

Wow that’s way more than I expected. We’re a long way off driving lessons for DC but at that kind of cost I’d do most of the teaching myself.

Porfre · 13/03/2022 13:27

They've got to cover not just the price of petrol but their own living costs

Saladd0dger · 13/03/2022 13:29

You can only get 2 hour lessons around here. £70. It was £60 a couple of months ago. Will probably go up even more by the time the dvla get around to issuing my provisional 😩

Roselilly36 · 13/03/2022 13:33

Driving lessons have always been expensive, I can remember paying £16 a lesson when I learnt to drive years ago. My DS1 lessons were £30 per hour 4 years ago. I think it’s the start of the journey of how expensive life is to come, what with insurance,, tax, buying a car etc.

JustWonderingIfYou · 13/03/2022 13:33

Mine were £25ph 15 years ago so that sounds like a bargain!

GiltEdges · 13/03/2022 13:37

If it’s a struggle to pay £34/lesson, is it even feasible for her to learn to drive? Insurance for the first few years and buying/running a car is likely to be astronomical by comparison…

Geranium1984 · 13/03/2022 13:39

I recently had my first driving lesson in West London, was £50ph (weekend rates) is usually £40ph during weekdays. 2hr lesson

2meows1woof · 13/03/2022 13:40

Just gone up from £27 to £30ph here.

Tee20x · 13/03/2022 13:43

I learned to drive about 7 years ago & paid £34 for 1.5 hour lessons - I wasted so much money on driving lessons too as I kept stopping and starting.

Can't believe some of the prices I'm seeing here! It's crazy

cakeorwine · 13/03/2022 13:44

I'd imagine the insurance for a driving instructor must be pretty high.

People often forget the overheads of self employed people.

user1471428785 · 13/03/2022 13:44

My dd has had lessons on and off ( due to Covid) since early 2019. Lessons have always been £35 but that for 90 mins. I dread to think how much they'll be when she comes back from uni this summer. Also a big concern in our area is there are hardly any test spaces due to the Covid backlog.

Extratoebeans · 13/03/2022 13:54

A family member is a driving instructor. When the car needs repairs, its never anything cheap, usually over £1000 each time, and sometimes if unlucky something else goes on the car fairly quickly. So while the car is in the garage they can't earn. The general wear and tear is massive compared to one person who can drive using the car. Plus the car needs replacing alot sooner than the average car.

Not to mention tires, fuel, insurance ect.