As the cost of motorings grows, here's how to cut your cars' bills
Updated: 23/08/2012 16:51 | By motoringresearch.com
Rising costs blamed for drop in driving tests
The increasing cost of driving in the UK is putting young people off taking their tests, according to a number of motoring institutions.
The latest figures published by the Department for Transport show nearly 200,000 fewer driving tests were taken over the last 12 months compared to five years ago.
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During the period from April 2007 to March 2008 1,762,148 driving tests were taken compared to 1,569,069 between April 2011 and March 2012, marking a 19% drop in candidates aged between 17 and 22 years old.
Many youngsters can’t afford driving lessons, with even the £143 fee needed to get a licence and take the theory and practical elements of the test a stretch for some.
However, this is a relatively small outlay compared to the cost of buying, running and maintaining a car – with fuel prices and insurance premiums escalating, potential young drivers are being stopped from learning to drive by prohibitively high costs.
The AA, RAC and Institute of Advanced Motorists are warning that the rising expense of driving could inhibit young adults from finding work, too.
Inhabitants of rural areas with limited public transport links could find it difficult to source work or commute to and from a job without a car.
Being unable to drive can also affect the social side of life, making children dependent on parents for lifts and straining relationships.
AA head of public affairs Paul Watters believes a driving licence could facilitate a job or further study and that it is not apathy amongst young drivers causing test take-up rates to drop.
Contrary to that, young drivers realise how important obtaining a driving permit can be.
Since 2005 driving lessons have increased in cost by around 14% – now at an average price of £24 per hour – while the theory test has nearly doubled in price to £31. The cost of the practical driving test has increased by a third, up to £62.
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9Comments
21/08/2012 16:04
I got a lift home with a young lad who was just 18 yrs. The car was his and a rather elderly Corsa 1.2ltr. Even that, even though he has a good full time job, is too expensive to run. At £ 3,400 per annum, 3rd party, it`s him paying for the bad driving of others of his age.
21/08/2012 19:14
Having just watched a news report on ITV where they informed 3 people that of the £30.00 worth of fuel they had just put in the car, £18.00 of that was tax, i.e. they were only actually putting £12.00 worth of fuel in their car, something really has to be done now. If a car was a luxury item, then not so much of a problem because those who cannot afford it wont buy it, however, cars are not a luxury item, they are now an essential item and the government and oil speculators are now pricing us all off the road.
I cant speak for others, but my insurance has actually fallen by a significant amount this year, but the cost of fuel continues to climb. Every time it goes up 1 p a litre as sold by the oil companies, the government whacks an additional d 1.4p on top of that so by the time it reaches the pumps, with vat it becomes 3 p. And when you add it up, you get to the news item where £30.00 worth of fuel it actually only £12.00 worth of fuel and that 60% of what you/we spend on fuel goes in tax and not into our fuel tanks. To put that into persective, for every £10.00 you put into your petrol tank, you are only actually putting £4.00 in, the other £6.00 goes to the government.
I cant speak for others, but my insurance has actually fallen by a significant amount this year, but the cost of fuel continues to climb. Every time it goes up 1 p a litre as sold by the oil companies, the government whacks an additional d 1.4p on top of that so by the time it reaches the pumps, with vat it becomes 3 p. And when you add it up, you get to the news item where £30.00 worth of fuel it actually only £12.00 worth of fuel and that 60% of what you/we spend on fuel goes in tax and not into our fuel tanks. To put that into persective, for every £10.00 you put into your petrol tank, you are only actually putting £4.00 in, the other £6.00 goes to the government.
11/09/2012 10:52
Lets face it the whole set up stinks, first its the initial cost to get your licence and once you have it if your under 40 the cost of insurance is pathethic, and thats made up of many things stupid, and I mean stupid laws with Insurance claims where you get these no win no fee bloody lets rape everybody and claim for wiplash even if it was a 5mph bump.
Then its the deliberate lets go out and cause a crash and claim even more money idiots, so these all add to the high cost of insurance.
Then to make it worse lets charge an 18 to 25 year old £4 grand for car insurnace on a car thats only worth £800 oh yeah that will work so they drive with no insurance at all, when will everyone wake up and look deeper into this, Insurance companies should treat each person as an individual and not by age, if you screw up you pay for it if you dont you get the benifit of cheaper insurance, it it really that hard, I speak from experience bad driving is not age related young drivers are good as well as bad and the same applies for all age groups.
Gripe over form mr grumpy
23/08/2012 22:45
What are the odds that the number of drivers on our roads hasn't decreased in proportion? Therefore they're out here driving without training, authorisation (licence) or insurance, and probably in a stolen or unroadworthy vehicle.
I recommend three months' prison for "first offenders" (ie first time they're caught) and kneecapping any repeaters to stop them driving again - ever. It would also disqualify them from all state-funded support because they decided to break the law so brought the consequences on themselves.
Unlicenced and/or uninsured immigrant drivers would be extradited without appeal in RAF Hercules aircraft: frog-marched off the loading bay door over their home villages without parachutes and video'd all the way down.
The punishments would be televised here and abroad to show the world that the UK isn't the soft touch that everyone seems to think we are. We wouldn't have to carry them out very often after the first month...
18/09/2012 20:25
My first few years of driving were a nightmare for the reasons listed above. Five years ago lessons were £22 each, the licence £35, and the test worked out at almost £100 a time. (£50 for the test itself, and £44 for the "hire" of the instructor's car during the test, and an hour's brush-up beforehand).
Once I finally passed, the car was £1700 (a second-hand Y-reg KA), insurance premium almost £2,000, and another £30 or so for the full licence.
Once that was out of the way, I expected costs to fall gradually after a couple of years - instead petrol prices were rising almost daily, and my insurance company informed me that my third years' premium would be £200 dearer than my second, as others my age were getting into accidents regularly. (My own care in driving disregarded in favour of viewing me solely by my age range).
All necessary costs, though, as my job was an 8am start, and the earliest bus was at 7.15am - meaning that unless I could find someone willing to give me a lift at that time of morning I would have to get a taxi. (Losing me quite a chunk of my wage packet, as you can imagine).
However looking at today's costs in comparison, it seems I was very fortunate! Costs continue to skyrocket, and there must be so any youngsters who are stuck in similar situations, or have difficulty getting to college and work, but simply can't afford the costs associated with learning to drive.
31/08/2012 16:59
Are we surprised at this? By putting up ever cost relating to driving its obvious this government wants to force the working man off the road, leaving it to the rich to travel in peace. Unfortunately they will be tripping over the thousands who will carry on driving without tax, insurence etc. because they just cant afford it.
21/08/2012 23:03
Where on earth do people get their numbers from?
Back in 2005 I was charging £22 an hour for lessons. Today, I charge £23. Both were/are at the top end of the going rate in my area. That's an increase of 5% - well below the increases in my overheads.
This industry is being ripped apart by idiots charging stupid low lesson prices, who then can't afford to use the fuel to give decent driving lessons to anyone foolish enough to take lessons with them. When all my overheads are taken into account, I'm left with as little as half that £23 in my pocket (before tax) - and as little as a quarter if work falls off (which it often does when you're self-employed).
Once upon a time, it was understood that if you couldn't afford something you either gave up something else to save up money - or went without. These youngsters who think a car and a driving licence are a right need to grow up a little.
They are privileges.
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