The cost of a good driving instructor is worth every penny. After all they’re setting you up for a lifetime of safe driving.
That said, driving lesson prices have gone up since Covid and the lockdowns disrupted business massively.
Some 40% of driving instructors have had to increase lesson prices by 9% from 2020 – that’s a rise from £28 an hour to just over £31, reckons the insurer Marmalade.
Now consider that the DVSA reckons you need between 40 and 50 hours of lessons to ensure you’re ready for the test – and your bank account can expect to take a serious hit (never mind the cost of car insurance, etc.).
Helping hand
However, there is help at hand for learners with disabilities via the charity Motability.
If you have a provisional licence, you can qualify for up to 40 hours of lessons for free, potentially covering the entire cost of your lessons.
How it works
To qualify, for the Motability Foundation’s Driving Lessons Grants Programme currently prioritises funding for people want to learn to drive and who are:
- Disabled people who have a lease agreement on the Motability Scheme or a pending order for a Motability Scheme vehicle (delivery expected within four months), a provisional driving licence and a valid theory test pass certificate.
- Motability Scheme customers with a full driving licence who need familiarisation for new driving controls in a grant-funded vehicle.
Are in receipt of one of these disability allowances to join the Scheme:
- Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of PIP
- Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance
- Higher Rate Mobility Component of Child Disability Payment
- Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of the Adult Disability Payment (ADP)
- War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
To be eligible for driving lessons, you must also receive a Government-assessed means-tested benefit (listed below):
- Universal Credit;
- Income Support;
- Employment and Support Allowance (income-related);
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (income-based);
- Housing Benefit;
- Council Tax Benefit (Council Tax Support, Council Tax Reduction) or Rate Relief for customers living in Northern Ireland (not including the 25% discount under the Disabled Band Reduction Scheme or Single Occupancy Reduction);
- Pension Guarantee Credit;
- Working Tax Credit.
• Learn more about Motability’s Driving Lessons Grant Programme here.
Ace Your Theory Test
