How many driving lessons did you need without private practice?

[prestigiouspasta]

How many lessons did it take you to learn to drive, if you couldn't practice in between?

I'm saving up to learn to drive, but I don't really know how much I'll need. I don't have anyone I can practice with in between lessons.

I cycle regularly so am comfortable with road signs etc, but have never even sat in a driver's seat before. I am considering learning automatic, but not set on it.

In going to unhelpfully say "loads". But! I was really scared of driving, i'd never really even cycled on roads or even paid attention when I was in my parents car. I also found the gears really difficult to learn (all the extra thinking whilst having to also pay attention to the traffic). Basically it was a combination that was a dream for the driving instructors bank balance.

You sound like you're starting from further ahead than I was. I also now drive an automatic and find it so much easier, so I think if you're going to find that a quicker way to pass your test then there's nothing wrong with just learning that. I believe you can also retake your test in a manual if it turns out you need to.

I'd suggest contacting a driving school and seeing what they recommend. You can always start with a few lessons then assess how quickly you're progressing.

It was a while ago (and I passed second time 🫣) but I want to say it was about 40-50 hours I had before passing?…didn’t have any private practice. Also learnt manual which think with automatic would have been less.

Oh, also, I think you shouldn't be worried about changing instructors if their method of teaching isn't working for you. My first instructor was lovely but gave into my nerves a bit too much ("do you think you want to do a faster road today?" - I almost always wimped out!). Whereas my second instructor very politely and quietly wasn't taking any of my bullshit ("what does that sign mean? National speed limit? Put your foot down then")

I did one of those courses, 4 days & test on the fifth. It was automatic though.

I can’t remember as it was 30 plus years ago. But more recently, my kids had lessons and no private practice. We’d bought them both 10x2 hour lessons and they didn’t need more than that. I accept it’s much easier when you’re 17!

A lot. But I didn’t cycle so was completely unaware not just of road signs but basic stuff like which lane to turn left and tucking in to let another car pass - I imagine you’re aware of all this. Also, I only had lessons in school/university holidays so it was very stop and start and I’d have to relearn a lot each time.

Will you be able to buy or use a car once you’ve got your licence, or in the near ish future? I had no car I could drive and as a consequence I basically passed and then forgot everything. Had to have more lessons when I got a car 10 years later. Based on this, I wouldn’t recommend doing lessons and taking your test now if you won’t actually be driving regularly afterwards.

I did a 1 week intensive course (30 hours) then three weeks of 2 hours a week. I had sat in a car before and knew the basics though.

I had 19 lessons with an instructor, then took and passed my test. That was it. My dad had already died and DM didn't drive, so I never got the chance to practise privately in a family car.

I'd just started going out with someone who had a car though and, after I passed my test, he insured me on it so I could drive it.

None, but we were students and couldn't afford paid lessons back then, early 1970s few paid for lessons! My late husband taught me, it was a bit fraught at times, but I passed first time and have never had an accident where I was at fault. He was very proud of his 100% success as a driving instructor with first time pass rate, a 'fact' I utilised many times in later years when teaching Statistics, especially how stats can be misleading if not properly investigated.

I can't recall because it was years ago as a teen abroad. I did have multiple lessons though and practice with family in between. I changed instructors because the first one was partially deaf, so I'd have to turn my head and yell in his direction when he'd ask a question! 😬

I learnt on an auto, because no one I knew had a manual. I did pick up manual fairly easily as an adult when I moved to the UK though. IF you do this, I'd recommend a lesson or 2 with an instructor, rather than getting a partner to 'teach' you!

49, had a break in between for 6 weeks which set me back a bit and I had had 5 lessons twenty odd years previously aged 17.
I didn’t tell anyone I was learning so no practice in between.

Thanks all. Seems like there's a lot of variety.

Do most people buy lessons 1 at a time?

It seems cheaper to buy packs of 10 hours, but I guess that's because it stops you being able to switch.

It's a bit of a catch 22. I currently live in a city centre flat with no parking, so wouldn't be buying a car straight away. I want to move out of the city, but not without being able to drive.

Well if you would be moving out and getting on with driving fairly quickly then that’s ok - not long enough to forget everything.

Bear in mind it’s harder to learn to drive in a busy city centre than in a more quiet suburb/ rural area. So there is some argument for waiting till you move and learning there. Or have your lessons in your future area (if you know where that is).

I was learning for about 4 years but I had had some lessons from a man who turned out to be unprofessional and a massive pervert and I was really nervous by the time I found the woman who got me through my test.

id Book the course of ten and see if you could do two a week. That should give you a baseline.

you’re quite right to want to learn before you move, will give you that freedom to choose your new place.

have you done your theory?

I have my theory test booked for November. I'm already passing the practice tests so I'm not too worried about that.

Forgot to transfer my Irish licence when I moved to London from Ireland. I passed first go on my Irish licence but I did have about 20 lessons. Big city.

So I booked 10 lessons. Passed again first go. All non automatic. First was mid 80s and the second mid 90s.

So on depending what car you use, I would say 20 lessons. It's incredibly expensive now. However I did book all of them together in both countries. So 20 together in Ireland, even though I had extra support. And 10 together in London.

Good luck with the lessons.

In the bad old days I think about 30 hours.

There were kind of two schools of thought.

One was to put you in for your test at the bare minimum level of lessons possible and just pushing you in until you passed. 15 hours was about the start point IIRC.

The other was to go longer with a greater degree of certainty of passing.

I knew people who took 3-4 times to pass, but not entirely sure whether they actually ended up taking more lessons than me.

I think in those days though it was far easier to get a test.

Remember to account for the length of time it takes to secure a test booking. Typically in our area tests are fully booked for the next 5 months. If you don’t have a car to practice in, it can get very expensive keeping up your skills whilst you wait for a test slot!

My dd has just started learning again after a bit of a break. She's booked a block of 10 lessons mostly to commit to the instructor because she found it bloody hard to find one to take her! She's doing 2 hour lessons because they just seem to work better for her, no in-between practice because she's at uni. Her theory test runs out next July so she's determined to pass before then but I have no idea how many lessons it'll take, she's having them for birthday and Christmas presents.

It was just because of the delays I asked. Book your practical test the minute you pass the theory, then think when to start the lessons. And make sure they take you round the test routes: this seems obvious but my son’s first instructor did not do great so it was a blur on the first test!

I was 35 when I learned so fully expected to be rubbish, and I was finding it hard at first but I think that was more being 2 months post partum so having very little sleep! I booked my test before finding an instructor even, 4 months in advamce to force myself to do it. I did a 2 hour lesson every Sunday from late October to early Feb, no.private driving between and then just before test I did a couple extra lessons running up and one on the morning of the test. Passed first time with three minors :) I'd cycled alot too so found roads signs fine but struggled to get used to doing so many things at once. I remember at the time approaching a roundabout, reading the sign for which lane to go in, looking in mirrors, indicating, slowing down therefore changes gears etc just felt like an insane amount of things to do in the short time approaching as being in a car felt so fast.
Now it's all so second nature I do it without thinking but that's the bit I remember thinking argh I can't do it! My instructor was great and pushed me to keep going when I had a few wobbles and wanted to postpone a lesson.

I also watched alot of videos a young instructor puts on YouTube, Conquer Driving, they were so useful! He videos himself, the pedals, what he sees etc.

I would over estimate how many you would need. There is a chart somewhere which shows how many lessons on average each age bracket needs to pass...it goes up rather rapidly with every 10 years over 17...

Just to add that the good thing about taking loads of lessons is more time with an experienced teacher - you'll be better than a lot of drivers on the road because you will have experienced a lot and been told that things would fail you which other drivers do repeatedly (not indicating on roundabouts being the one I see daily).