UK driving lessons and tests are starting up again. It comes after  a few months in the lay-by, which has led to huge pent up demand, long waiting times and, of course, cost worries for student or parents and guardians.

Looking for a bargain

While it is inevitable that the customer is always looking for the best price, grumbling about the cost, how does the UK compare internationally?
The first and, what should be the most important consideration, is how good our drivers are. With arguably the best road safety record when it comes to KSIs, the UK certainly takes the high road here.
We also have a clearly set out approach to learning and testing, which cannot be said for many countries. It is clear what learners need to do, from theory testing to the practical test. There’s even plenty of information about further advanced driver training too.
Whatever a parent or learner looks at, it is nearly always the price the affects the decision making process the most.
Considering the fees in light of what drivers around the world are paying makes for an interesting picture. For some it will be a relief, while for others they will continue to demand lower costs.

Global reality

Research by Car Lease Special Offers has revealed UK learners may not be so hard done by compared to other countries.
It looks at 20 of the world’s strongest economies by GDP, from the UK to Australia and back again. It calculates the average cost of lessons, tests and any additional fees to see if there’s a correlation.

You get what you pay for?

Switzerland is the world’s most expensive for learning to drive. The Swiss figures are about as dizzying as a trip up the Alps. With the dearest lessons and tests in our research, the total cost of learning to drive in Switzerland is £3,805–nearly£1,000 more expensive than France in second position.
In light of that, the UK’s total of £1,199 doesn’t seem quite as unreasonable. The average hourly rate of lessons, £24, is also right in the middle of the set. Only five countries have fairer additional costs – just £34 for a provisional licence application. But, the likes of South Korea, Poland and India’s learners pay less than £500 all in.
Despite being one of the world’s up-and-coming superpowers, India still offers one of the most frugal methods of nabbing a licence. In fact, none of the fees we found topped single digits. Each lesson costs only £4 – a sixth of UK average costs – and the tests are paid for with change from a tenner (£6).

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most eco-conscious countries, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Switzerland deters drivers with excessive costs. Putting it into context, you could learn to drive in India, Thailand, Poland, Russia, SouthKorea, Sweden and Turkey with the money the Swiss are charging and still have nearly half a grand to spare.

That said, the USA comes in at less than half the cost. This is despite its repeated bestseller car being the heavy-duty Ford F-Series–a two-tonne pickup truck that’s about as environmentally friendly as…  you can imagine.
in. truth, the research shows the grass isn’t always greener. In fact, UK drivers are getting abetter deal than they realise.