You might be gnashing your teeth waiting for your driving test slot to come through. You might have spent the months during lockdown eyeing your theory test certificate’s use-by date nervously.

But according to research from Confused.com, there is good news for UK learner drivers.

No, really

Compared to Europe, learning to drive here in Blighty is relatively cheap.

The insurer has come up with an overall figure for how much it costs learner drivers in 19 European countries based on calculating the average cost of lessons and tests plus provisional and licence costs for each country.

How much?

On average, UK learner drivers pay €1,437 (£1,254) to qualify; that represents a sizeable 6.98% of the average annual salary.

Sound a lot? Well, yes – but compared to other countries, we actually have it good here.

For instance, our nearest neighbour, France, pays nearly 20% more – £357 extra in fact.

And in Sweden, learner drivers pay a massive 13.75% of their annual salary to get their hands on a driving licence – €3,506 – which is over double what we pay here.

In fact, in a breakdown of 19 European countries, UK comes out as the fourth lowest-costing country to learn to drive in.

Cheapest places to learn

If you want to get a driving licence at the cheapest possible price, look no further than Malta.

The total price for getting your driving licence is €910/£794, which equates to only 5.40% of the country’s average annual salary.

In terms of cost only – not taking into account the national average salary – Poland comes out cheapest.

Over there, learner drivers only pay €525/£458 on average to secure their licence.

Secret to success

To keep learning costs down as much possible, our advice is simple: Make sure you’ve put enough time and practice in to pass your tests on your first attempt.

To hep, check out these useful resources that’ll put you in the best possible position to nail your practical and theory tests:

Top 7 Tips to Get Ready for Your Driving Test

Make sure that big, big day goes smoothly with this handy checklist.

Theory Test Pro’s Guide to Dealing With Driving Test Nerves

Learn how to tackle the stress of the big day with our practical advice.

Need to Know: Top 10 Pitfalls of Private Practice

Discover what causes tempers to boil over during private practice – and what to do about it.

How to Click Your Way to Theory Test Success in 2022

Ace your theory test with advice from top instructors on how to tackle the Hazard Perception Test section.

Top 10 Official Reasons Why Learners Fail Their Driving Test

Uncover the most common mistakes that cause learners to flunk their tests.

Ace Your Theory Test

Double your chances of theory test success with Theory Test Pro. Sign up for free here.

Learner and instructor photo by Bas Peperzak on Unsplash