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wanting to learn to drive

im wanting to learn how to drive and get a car but ive not really got a clue about the whole process. id prefer to sort most of it online but i can ring places up if i need to.
do i need my own car and insurance before i take a test? and how much would it be a month roughly? im fine with having a shitbox like just something to take me to work n back and drive my mates around

Reply 1

StriderHort

Apply for a provisional licence - this lets you take lessons and book tests - you can apply online but will prob need to send them some ID.

You'll need to sit and pass your driving theory test at a test centre, some people like me do this before they take any driving lessons just to get it out of the way, but you need this pass to book your practical/final test

Arrange driving lessons - imo ask people you know to recommend a good instructor rather than random online schools, you will learn in their car on their insurance and in the vast majority of cases you will sit your test in this same car and insurance and won't need anything extra. If you want to go through the hassle of buying and driving your own car for a test that's more complex, likewise if you want to take lessons from a parent or whatever you'll need to make insurance arrangements

All going well after 30+ hours on average you should be reasonably confident to book and sit your practical driving test. Prepare as best as you can but it's pretty normal to fail as it's an pretty unforgiving test (took me 3 tries for both my theory and practical)

Costs monthly can honestly vary wildly, insurance will likely be your biggest as a new & young driver, deffo get insurance quotes for cars before you buy them as you might get nasty surprises that make little sense to you, but as a ballpark figure for insurance, tax, MOT and servicing you're maybe looking at £2-3000 a year with insurance being maybe 2/3rds of that, that's just a guess

Reply 2

bjones02520

Original post by fridgey99

Provisional license (can apply online I think you need minimal ID) > Theory test pass > practical test pass

This is really dumbed-down but its the only steps you need for your license, as said before me definitely look for driving schools that have good rep with friends or family, having a good connection with an instructor can make a world of difference when learning to drive

Nowadays lessons are anything from £30-50 an hour, so if you can practice outside of lessons with family or friends then it can save you money. A note on this though, it may be beneficial to only learn from an instructor as you can develop bad driving habits learned from your family/friends that may need to be rectified with an instructor before your test - I had 20 hours with only an instructor and passed first time, in part because I developed 'test habits' as its what my instructor pushed rather than habits that are helpful in the real world but can be troublesome on the test.

Car ownership is uber-expensive for first time drivers, mainly in the insurance part where we get absolutely shafted - black box can be cheaper but you need to weigh up if you want to develop your own driving style and have more freedom over saving money. its all worth it in the end as you essentially have it for life