At what age can you actually start driving lessons? It is a topic of discussion here at home, even though an adolescent is 'only' 15. Not surprising, of course, because from the age of 16.5 your child can start taking driving lessons. And since adolescents will turn 16 in a few months, this is now really getting closer. In addition, you can start with the theory lessons for your driving license earlier, because you can already take the exam for that when you have turned 16. And if your child starts taking driving lessons, what do you do with the costs? Do you pay for this, or do you let your child pay for it himself? We did research.
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First of all, so briefly:
Would you like more information about who your coach can be and how it goes with registering and applying for a supervisor pass? Check the 2todrive website.
Please note:your theory exam is valid for 1.5 years. Keep an eye on that! If you have passed your exam, but you are not yet working on the practical lessons and you do not know exactly when you will start, you run the risk that your theory exam paper has expired.
The costs for getting your driver's license depend of course on how many driving lessons you need. And one needs more lessons than the other. Maybe your teenager has already gained some experience on a moped, or he or she is just a quick learner. But maybe you also have a child who is very tense for driving lessons. Then he or she may just need a few extra lessons.
On average, 35-45 driving lessons are taken before taking the driving test. The average hourly rate is €41.00-€44.00 for a driving lesson (but this may deviate from the local rates charged in your area). That means that you have lost about € 1,500.00 to € 1,850 for the driving lessons alone.
Then you have the other costs:
So you 'just' lost a sloppy € 1,850 - € 2,250.00 before this car driving paper is in your pocket. And then that is without unforeseen circumstances. If your child fails the first time, a number of driving lessons will have to be taken and exam fees will have to be paid again. Given the investment, it is therefore important that you look for a good driving school that meets your needs.
When your child starts taking driving lessons at the age of 16.5, your child naturally wants to get his or her driver's license as soon as possible. But preferably in a thorough way so that they can also safely participate in traffic. It is therefore not directly about having as few lessons as possible before your instructor allows you to take the exam, but about good preparation. Being sent for an exam too early can just mean that you fail and have to take even more lessons and retake the exam. That creates a lot of extra stress and of course the necessary costs. So don't just focus on the costs, but also on the way the driving school gives the lessons. Super nice if, for example, you can take a free trial lesson and there are driving schools that offer it, such as NXXT.
Because taking driving lessons is exciting - especially at a younger age - it is also very nice if there is a good click with the driving instructor. It's even nicer if you just have that driving instructor all the time. A change of instructor can be very annoying because everyone teaches in their own way. In addition, that instructor also knows your child and who he or she should be paid attention to. I remember myself that, for example, during my motorcycle lessons, I did not enjoy being taught by different instructors.
It is also nice to know that the instructors of a driving school are trained and retrained annually, so that you are assured of the right expertise for getting your driver's license.
Another important point that you can take into account is how you want to finance the driving lessons. We do have a position on this ourselves, but I was above all curious how our readers deal with this. That is why I started an investigation to see how you provide for your children's driving lessons. Who pays what? Do you give driving lessons as a 'gift' to your children or do you let them pay for getting their driver's license themselves? And why do you choose that? And that's what came out.
A substantial majority of the participants who participated in the survey (60%) indicate that they pay for the costs of driving lessons for their child † The reason for this is that they think it is part of education, just like a study. The vast majority do this by saving for it from the start † They save on their own account or an account for their child. The bill is then specifically intended for expenses such as driving lessons, study and any furnishing for your own house when the time comes.
A smaller proportion (25%) indicate that they have their children -regardless of age- pay driving lessons and exam fees themselves † They just have to save for it and work for it is the advice they hear. Only then do children really get to know the value of money.
Remaining 15% takes part of the cost of the driving lessons and the final exam on his behalf. They also indicate that their child must also contribute to the costs themselves. Firstly to teach them that you have to work and save to be able to purchase something, but also simply because it is a big chunk of money.
What choice do you make when it comes to driving lessons, the age of your child and paying for driving lessons and exam fees?
