A new report from Go.Compare Car Insurance revealed that the cost of getting a young driver on the road has risen to £6,574 – the highest since 2019, representing a shift backwards to pre-pandemic costs.
Costs for young drivers – those aged between 17- 21 – and their families dipped to £6,394 in 2021 and £6,071 in 2020, a sharp fall from £6,846 in 2019.
And according to the research, driving lessons represent a fifth (20%) of the cost to get on the road, with an average spend of £1,350 needed to pass a driving test. The same research also found that nearly a fifth of parents (19%) said getting their child on the road had been a significant drain on their finances this year. In addition, the various costs associated with learning to drive – insurance, fuel and running costs – were the top most concerns for parents, over safety and any other worries.
The costs of getting on the road in 2022 are as follows:
| Average spent buying first car | £3,592 |
| Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) | £66 |
| First year insurance premium | £1,430 |
| Provisional driving licence (if applied online) | £34 |
| Driving lessons to successful test (45 lessons) | £1,350 |
| Driving tests (theory and practical – if taken on a weekday) | £85 |
| Driving licence application | £17 |
| Total cost of getting on the road | £6,574 |
Buying a first car
According to the report, young drivers spend an average of £3,592 on their first car, and it seems that nearly half of children will be relying on mum and dad to help out with getting the keys, with 44% of parents saying they had either contributed or were planning to contribute to the cost of their first child’s first car.
On top of this, a significant 86% had already, or were planning to contribute to the cost of driving in one way shape or form, whether it be the initial outlay of the car, the insurance costs, driving lessons or all of the above.
As part of the report, Go.Compare looked at its quote data and revealed the top ten cheapest cars to insure for young drivers. Topping the list this year were the Skoda CitiGo (£908), the Volkswagen Up! (£930) and the Seat Mii (£960).
