Getting on the road now costs nearly £1,000 before a driver even obtains their licence, with one in five young people deciding not to learn to drive because of the expense, according to new research by Confused.com.
Learning to drive: nearly £1,000 before the test
Before learner drivers are ready to take their test, the cost of multiple lessons adds up. The average learner has already paid for more than 18.5 hours of driving lessons. Based on the average cost of driving lessons in the UK, this equates to a minimum cost of £777, with costs varying depending on location.
For those who need to retake their practical tests, the amount of money required can become unmanageable and unpredictable, said Matt Crole-Rees, Confused.com car insurance expert. Data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) shows that more than 2.3 million practical driving tests were taken by 17 to 24 year olds in Great Britain between January 2023 and March 2025, yet almost half resulted in a fail.
With half of learners taking at least two driving tests, by the time they get their licence, they will have paid around £124. Adding this with theory test prices and the cost of driving lessons takes the average cost per learner driver for getting on the road to at least £924.
Waiting longer means paying more
Lengthy waits can also add to the overall cost of learning to drive. With wait times for tests remaining longer than ever, some learner drivers might have to wait a long time to get behind the wheel of their first car from the time they purchase it.
Between 2023 and 2025, practical driving test waiting times averaged 12.3 weeks in Great Britain – but some places have much higher wait times, Matt said. The longest average wait times include:
- Isles of Scilly: 25.4 weeks
- Arbroath: 19 weeks
- Wellingborough: 17.3 weeks
- Pinner: 17 weeks
- Montrose: 16.9 weeks
- Oban: 16.8 weeks
These delays can leave learners waiting months to retake a failed test, increasing both the time and expense involved in obtaining a licence. In some cases, long gaps between attempts could even mean a learner's theory test certificate expires before they pass their practical test, requiring them to pay to take it again.
Young drivers 'sacrificing opportunity'
Many learners say they're making financial sacrifices to afford getting on the road. More than a third (35%) have cut back on other spending, such as socialising and shopping, to cover the costs of learning to drive.
It's also creating barriers for some: nearly one in five (19%) admit they have considered not learning to drive at all because of the expense, and almost one in four (22%) also say not being able to drive limits their opportunities for work, not just travel and socialising.
Matt said the research suggested that affordability was an increasingly important factor in determining who can enjoy the opportunities that driving can create; those without a licence, particularly in areas with limited public transport, could find themselves with fewer job opportunities and apprenticeships, or have difficulties commuting.
Matt said: "Learning to drive has always been a major milestone, but for many young people the costs involved are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Between lessons, theory tests, practical tests and the expense of buying and insuring a first car, it's easy to see how the total cost can quickly run into the thousands.
"Our research shows that many learners are already making sacrifices to afford getting on the road, with some even questioning whether they can afford to learn to drive at all. At the same time, lengthy waiting times and the need to retake tests can add further costs and delays to the process. And once you've got past the hurdle of getting your licence, there are other major expenses to consider, including buying a car, insurance, fuel and road tax."
With first-year motoring costs reaching as high as £7,700 among some of the most popular first cars, choosing the right first vehicle can make a significant difference to how much new drivers spend overall. To help learner drivers, Confused.com has created a cost of driving calculator. The tool estimates the first-year cost of driving by comparing some of the most popular cars among 17 to 20 year olds, as well as the cheapest cars to insure. It breaks down key expenses, including average insurance premiums, vehicle purchase prices, fuel costs and road tax, helping motorists make more informed decisions when choosing their first car.
