Heard the one about the learner driver who, in January 2021, passed his theory test at the 158th attempt? It’s actually true and the joke was on him because, at £23 a pop, it cost him £3,634 in tests alone. Then there was the driver who took 43 attempts to pass his practical test. That will have cost him £2,666 in tests. Just goes to show: taking and failing your driving test is an expensive business.

Don’t be like them. With the pass rate for the UK’s 750,000 or so annual driving tests usually around 45 per cent, you have a one in two chance of passing, statistically speaking. Previously, if you failed the test it was fairly quick and easy to get another one. 

But 2021 has seen a backlog of around 430,000 tests thanks to the various lockdowns amid the pandemic. To try to give people a better than average chance of passing the test, we’ve asked the professionals for their advice on learning to drive, from whether to use an instructor to how to pick a good one. 

How many driving lessons will you need?

According to the DVSA, you’ll need around 46 hours of lessons in order to pass your test. That will probably cost you about £1,400. But if you fail the test it could cost you the equivalent of four or five lessons more (around £150 – the cost of the test plus the instructor and their car for two hours). And that’s without accounting for lessons to ensure you stand a better chance of passing.

Should you use a driving instructor?

At £25 to £30 for an hour’s lesson, paying a driving instructor represents a significant financial outlay – and this price can vary per driving school or instructor. So why not take advantage of the school of mum or dad? Quite simply, would you expect your mum or dad to get you through your A-levels? Thought not.

The chief executive of the Driving Instructors’ Association, Carly Brookfield, said: “Parents tend to have outdated knowledge about driving. That might lead a young driver to make a decision that could cost them their life.