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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

Driving leassons!

40 replies

Megainstant · 07/11/2016 11:42

dd will be 17 in a month. We'd like to give her some driving lessons - we aren't very well off so don't think I can afford a block of 10 at £25 a pop. I've applied for her provisonal licence - do you think four lessons is ok as a gift? I will add her to my car insurance so she can have the odd practice with me.

OP posts:
Original poster
Megainstant · 07/11/2016 11:42

lesassons?! Hmm lessons obviously

OP posts:
janinlondon · 07/11/2016 12:02

Grandparents offered our DD lessons for her 17th, but most of her friends are not having lessons because their parents cant afford insurance on the car once they qualify. We are in London, if that makes any difference. DD just said "Well what's the point? I wont be able to drive..........." (not to kind grandparents of course - they were given a different story!). Your DD may think differently, but its worth checking what it will cost you, and making the options clear before going ahead and buying lessons.

Original poster
Megainstant · 07/11/2016 12:18

We are very rural so having a car asap is quite useful. If I lived in London I wouldn't bother I don't think - you are very lucky with transport Sad

OP posts:
janinlondon · 07/11/2016 12:23

Yes you are right - the night bus system is extremely well patronized by our 17 year olds!!! Just wanted to be sure you are not going to have a heart attack (I did) when you get the insurance quote for a newly qualified 17 year old.

fightingback · 07/11/2016 12:23

I wouldn't block book any lessons just in case your DD doesnt like the instructor she picks.

Book one and see how she gets on first.

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 07/11/2016 12:30

God, are lessons really that much these days? Shock. My eldest is soon approaching 17 so it's something we planned to buy him. Like you, we're quite rural so driving is pretty essential. I also think it's better to get your license before life gets in the way: a full time job, rent or whatever.
Do you think your dd might be able to get a part time or holiday job to fund some lessons? The important thing is that she has to be motivated and want to drive.

I definitely think it's advisable to have some lessons before going out with a parent. I still get flashbacks about mounting a verge and running over a small tree the first time I went out, with my mum screaming "brake" in the passenger seat Grin.

SprogletsMum · 07/11/2016 12:33

I think even if you're not going to be able to drive independently straight after passing your test it's still worth passing when you're 17/18.
Once you've passed that's it you're done, it'll only get more expensive to take lessons. I passed recently at 27 and it was so much harder to fit in than it would have been at 17.

honkawonka · 07/11/2016 12:41

Lessons in my city (south east) are £55 for 2 hours :O I'm hoping to pass 3rd time round...

Evariste · 07/11/2016 12:45

We are also very rural and most DC round here start to drive at 17. It's a life skill IMO and best got out of the way before uni.
I went with an independent instructor recommended by a friend. He had taught all her three DC and was £23 per hour with first lesson free. They had about 20 lessons plus many, many hours with me.
Four lessons is not enough, even if you are confident about teaching her yourself. If you want to go down the DIY route then I would recommend lessons at the end so the instructor can prepare for the test. I don't think there is any point in just having four lessons and then nothing.

Sparklingbrook · 07/11/2016 12:53

We are a couple of months in on DS1's (17 ) learning to drive journey. No idea what will happen car wise when he passes his test, but I want him to have his licence now as an investment for the future IYKWIM. IT will open doors job wise for a start and he won't have to do it again.

He has a 2 hour lesson a week, and I have insured him on my car with Marmalade (about £75 a month), and it was £32 for his theory test. It's a costly adventure that's for sure. I don't think 4 lessons will be enough, although DS is practising in my car I don't say too much as I am not an instructor.

janinlondon · 07/11/2016 14:30

Can I ask the posters saying that in rural areas it is essential how much they are paying in insurance please? We are just completely unable to touch it. We could afford lessons no problem...........Is insurance absurdly different in London?

Original poster
Megainstant · 07/11/2016 14:40

I doubt it. But the bus to 6th form costs 600 a year so car insurance is not that much more!

OP posts:
SprogletsMum · 07/11/2016 14:45

If you shop around there are some cheaper deals about, and it depends on the car too.
Obviously I'm not 17 but a new driver and I'm paying just under £900 for 10 months insurance on a 1.6l car. The typical 'first' cars like fiestas, corsas etc were lots, lots more to insure.
I had to have a black box but only for 3 months and it got me a really small discount for the remaining 7 months of my policy. At the end of the 10.months I'll have 1 years no claims.

janinlondon · 07/11/2016 14:51

Is there anyone with a 17 year old new driver and an insurance quote to add them to your current policy...? OP have you got a quote?

Evariste · 07/11/2016 15:27

I added both DC to my policy as they reached 17 and again as they passed test. I bought my car with them in mind so it's a small low powered car. It was about £850 extra with direct line. Goes down each year. When DS1 got a car at 20 having 3 years driving experience it cost £850 without a black box. There was no affordable insurance on engines bigger than 1300cc.

SprogletsMum · 07/11/2016 15:29

Sorry to keep posting but I just remembered as well that adding my mum, dad and sister to my policy brought the quotes down by around £600 it made a huge difference so could also be worth looking at.

HSMMaCM · 07/11/2016 15:34

Dh did lots of phoning round different insurance companies asking about all sorts of different cars, so we could get the cheapest insurance on the cheapest car. I can't remember what he got it for in the end, but it was less than her £800 / yr bus pass.

poisonedbypen · 07/11/2016 15:37

This weekend we were quoted £1000 to add DS to the insurance as a learner. This is a very low value, low powered car. I believe it will double if/when he passes. It's horrific. DD disn't pass until just before she was 18 & it was worth waiting to insure her on her 18th birthday, it went down a huge amount. They really do need some lessons before you take them out (6 or so, our instructors have always let us know when they are ready - basically when they don't need to dual control any more).

janinlondon · 07/11/2016 15:40

Thanks for these replies. I think we must just accidentally have the worst combination of everything because ours is NOTHING like these! People comparing the cost with bus passes - are these kids taking the cars to school every day then? These are spare cars...? I don't imagine that if you have a spare car the cost of driving lessons would be too much of a problem. I have asked three insurers so far - two would not quote at all. One was seven times my current insurance....

janinlondon · 07/11/2016 15:41

Oh PPP cross posted there - that sounds closer. Thank you! I was starting to think I had an unknown black mark on my insurance as it was so far out of the ballpark people here are quoting.

Evariste · 07/11/2016 16:23

A lot depends on your postcode as well as the size of the car. When I insured DS1 for his own car the cost rocketed if I put down his uni address rather than our own tiny village in the sticks.

Also as a named driver they must NOT be the main driver. Some companies don't believe you when you say the DC is not the main driver and they will quote as if they are.

Mine were allowed to borrow my car once or twice a week, perhaps into town or to their part time job. Certainly not to travel to sixth form every day - that would seem to me to be in the realms of "main driver". WE have no public transport other than dedicated school buses.

janinlondon · 07/11/2016 16:48

Eva yes, postcode is a killer. And age of the family car.

NicknameUsed · 07/11/2016 16:52

"I will add her to my car insurance so she can have the odd practice with me."

I imagine that the cost of doing that will be far higher than the cost of 10 lessons.

Sparklingbrook · 07/11/2016 17:06

I pay around £75 a month for DS to practice in my car. It has nothing to do with my insurance, we used Marmalade and it's in his name. That's the price of three/four 'proper' lessons. I signed up for a month to start with and will have to renew it soon.

Violetcharlotte · 07/11/2016 17:15

My sons 17 and learning to drive. I've committed paying for his lessons, I can (just!) afford to do this and I want to as see driving as a life skill and my parents did for me.

I've told him if he wants to be insured on my car he'll need to contribute to the cost from the money he earns from his pt job.

I think unless you can commit to paying for enough lessons for them to pass their test, then it's not worth just paying for a few lessons, wait until they're working and can afford to pay for it themselves.