This guide covers England, Scotland and Wales. Learning in Northern Ireland? Different rules apply, including Graduated Driver Licensing for learners within its scope. Start with nidirect’s learner guidance.
What do you need to sort out before starting?
Before your first drive, you need a licence that lets you learn in a car, and you need to meet the age, eyesight and health requirements. Here are the starting points:
- Age and licence: you can apply for your first provisional licence from 15 years and 9 months, but most people can start driving a car at 17. Some disability-benefit rules allow a start at 16; check the exception before making plans. If you already hold a licence for another vehicle, check that it also lets you learn in a car. See the official starting guidance.
- Eyesight: you must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres, using glasses or contact lenses if needed. Wear them whenever you drive if you need them to meet the standard. There are also minimum standards for how clearly you see and how wide your field of vision is; the official eyesight guidance explains these.
- Health: some medical conditions must be reported to DVLA. If you’re unsure whether yours needs reporting or affects whether you can drive, check DVLA’s medical conditions guidance before driving.
Provisional licence covers the full eligibility checks and how to apply.
If you need extra support with learning, it can range from an instructor who breaks tasks into smaller steps to a car with adapted controls. Explain what you need when contacting instructors and ask whether they have experience providing that support.
You can ask about lessons while sorting these things out. If you’re unsure whether your licence allows you to drive, or whether a health condition affects your driving, get that checked before getting behind the wheel.
What can you realistically fit into your life?
Start with what you can afford and when you’re free. Compare the full price of lessons of the same length, not just the hourly rates. A cheaper quote won’t help if it depends on buying a block you can’t afford or attending at times you’re busy. Use the questions below when contacting instructors.
Lessons are a major ongoing cost. For example, at an illustrative £40 an hour, a two-hour lesson costs £80. Work out whether you can keep paying that regularly, alongside licence and test fees, learning materials and any private-practice costs.
Licence and test fees: a first provisional licence costs £34 online or £43 by post. The car theory test costs £23; the practical costs £62 on weekdays or £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays when booked through GOV.UK. Cost of learning to drive helps you build the wider budget.
You may see 45 hours of lessons plus 22 hours of private practice quoted as an older average. DVSA’s current Ready to Pass? guidance focuses on driving consistently and independently, rather than reaching an hours target. Ask your instructor for an initial estimate after they’ve seen you drive, then revisit your budget as you progress. If you can’t practise outside lessons, make sure that estimate takes this into account.
If your budget or timetable means longer gaps between lessons, ask your instructor how to keep learning between sessions.
If a parent or carer is helping, agree what they can offer: money towards lessons, lifts, time or encouragement. They can help you understand the options, make your own decisions and prepare questions for your instructor. Agree how you’d like them involved in conversations with your instructor, even if they won’t be supervising practice.
How do you choose lessons and plan your practice?
Choose an instructor who suits you and decide whether to learn in a manual or automatic. If you can practise outside lessons, agree how that will support what you’re learning.
Manual or automatic
Passing your test in a manual car lets you drive both manual and automatic cars. Passing in an automatic gives you a licence that only covers automatics. You’d need to pass a manual practical test to drive a manual independently later. GOV.UK explains the upgrade route.
If you expect to borrow a manual car after passing, you’ll need a manual licence to drive that car independently. If you expect to drive an automatic, learning without clutch control and manual gear changes may suit you better. It doesn’t guarantee fewer lessons or a lower bill.
Finding an instructor who suits you
You can use GOV.UK’s Find driving schools and lessons service to look for approved instructors. Not every approved instructor chooses to be listed.
Questions to ask before booking
- How long are your lessons, and what’s the full price of each one, including any booking fees?
- Do you offer block discounts, and what’s your cancellation policy?
- Do you have a regular slot on [days] after [time]?
- If I’m struggling with something, how would you help? Could you give me an example?
A useful answer to that last question explains what they’d do: break a task down, demonstrate it differently or give you time to practise before adding another skill. That tells you more than a promise of patience. You’ll still need to judge the teaching during lessons. Choose a driving instructor covers the other checks.
Can private practice actually happen?
Practice with family or friends gives you more time behind the wheel to reinforce skills and build confidence alongside your lessons. Agree suitable tasks with your instructor so that practice supports what you’re learning.
For practice with family or friends, your supervisor must:
- be 21 or over;
- be qualified to drive that type of car, including a manual licence if you’re practising in a manual;
- have held a full licence for at least three years, issued by the UK, an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
You also need insurance that covers you driving that car as a learner. Some insurers set a higher minimum age for supervisors. Check the official private-practice rules.
Check when you, your supervisor and the car will be available, and allow for insurance and fuel. If the practice car is manual and your lesson car automatic, or the other way round, ask your instructor whether that practice will help right now. Lessons with family helps you decide whether practice suits you; Supervise a learner driver and Learner driver insurance cover the detailed checks.
If that help is uncertain, tell your instructor you can’t count on practice outside lessons, so you can plan without it. You can add private practice later if it becomes possible.
What will you do between lessons?
Start with The Highway Code, which you can read free online. Choose a theory-study resource, set aside regular study time and note anything you need help understanding.
“I lose track when several instructions come together” is more useful than “that lesson went badly”. It gives your instructor something specific to respond to next time.
You must pass your theory test before booking the practical test, so it helps to study alongside your lessons. GOV.UK’s theory test revision and practice guidance explains which materials to use. Study and reviewing mistakes help, but neither replaces driving experience.
If someone supervises your practice, share the instructor’s suggested tasks with them. Use that time to reinforce the skills agreed with your instructor. If advice conflicts, ask your instructor to clarify it, and keep practice within your current ability.