I often get asked this question. Clearly new students are keen to get their driving licence as soon as possible, and whoever is paying for the lessons is keen to minimize the cost.
Unfortunately there is no simple answer. Everyone is different. Some people pick up the required skills quickly; some take longer. One of the key roles of a driving instructor is to provide a safe environment for practicing those skills.
Also, it is not just about passing a test. Learning to drive is also about learning how to monitor your own driving ability to enable continuous improvement, even after passing your test.
The DVSA say that on average, 45 hours of tuition from a driving instructor is required plus 22 hours of practice driving with a Full Licence Holder such as a parent.
My sister said that many years ago, her instructor told her that the number of hours you needed was equal to your age!
I thought it would be worthwhile looking back over my brief history as a driving instructor to collate the data for the 22 students I have taught from scratch, to see how it stacks up. The data looks like this:
I cannot reveal any names, but I think its fair to say that the number of hours does not equate to the age of the students!
