Learning to drive when older

[BeenChangedForGood]

I’m well aware this is a “how long is a piece of string” question but just looking to see if there’s a rough ballpark to be honest…

How many hours of paid tuition did you have before passing your test?

I’m in my 30s and I’m just about to finally begin driving lessons after many failed attempts to start over the years. It’s painfully expensive and not something that’s easy to afford in our family budget but I know it will benefit us hugely in the long run so I’m trying to make it work.

I don’t have the opportunity of any practice with anyone else outwith paid lessons.

Obviously everyone is different and it will vary massively but hoping there might at least be an average ballpark number of hours that I can expect to need to try and find the budget for 🫠

I passed at 40. Had about 11 months of 1 hour lessons. I estimate about 45 hours of lessons. I failed 1st time for 1 manoeuvre but passed a month later. I had no other practice,

DH learnt aged 31/2. He did two, two hour lessons a week for about 16 weeks and I.put L.plates on my car for him and he drove whenever we went out. He found it surprisingly hard despite being sporty and having really good co-ordination. However, he does have poor spacial awareness. He failed first time but passed the second.

He also wasn't too fussed about driving so not keen as mustard. It was a co dition of starting a family because I didn't want to go to hospital in a cab.

I'm late 30s and learnt a couple of years ago. I had 14 hours of lessons and then my test, which I failed, then another 5 hours and passed.

I’m learning now, early 40s. Automatic was the way to go. I’ve done 14 hours and my instructor says I’m test-ready. It’s hard to get a test, so I’ll be booking some more lessons and a mock test in the run-up. I don’t have any other option to practise.

I passed at 30 and had 40 hours of lessons in an automatic. I could have got away with 30 hours or maybe even less but it took a while to get a test slot. My DH has a manual car so I didn’t have any practice outside of lessons. I’d had (manual) lessons at 17/18 as well but gave up after my first attempt at the test. Automatic is much easier, and you’re allowed to use a reversing camera in the test now as well!

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement ☺️ I’ve had my first lesson and it wasn’t horrible 🤣 so that’s a relief. Gears are definitely going to take me a minute to get my head round but I managed the basics, didn’t hit anything and didn’t give the instructor any kind of nervous breakdown so we’ll take that as a win 😅

Automatic isn’t an option - we only have one instructor locally who teaches in an automatic, he’s semi retired and doesn’t work on the only day that I’m available for lessons. To get another I’d have to travel 40 mins each way by bus to get to my lessons which isn’t an option due to childcare times.

Lots of it, like the gears, is a matter of forming new habits . it won't happen overnight but once they're a habit, you've got it forever!

@fuzzkin thanks. I’m hoping this is the case ☺️ hopefully won’t take too long to get into the swing of it!