Survey finds big price differences in driving lessons

We’ve just published our latest price survey, which looked at the cost of driving lessons and found that the cost of a one-hour lesson ranges from €25 to €45 nationwide. The average price across the country for a one-hour lesson is €33.

The survey was conducted following the introduction of a new requirement for learner drivers to complete the Road Safety Authority’s (RSA) Essential Driver Training (EDT) programme if their first learner permit was issued on or after 4 April 2011.

Driving school costs

We looked at the price of a one-hour lesson and the cost for a bundled purchase of five, 10 or 12 lessons. Prices were obtained from 130 RSA-approved driving instructors in 12 areas nationwide.

• The price of a one-hour lesson ranged from a low of €25 - found in Galway City, Tralee, Limerick City and Waterford City - to a high of €45, which was quoted in the Churchtown/Dundrum area of Dublin.
• In seven of the 12 areas surveyed the variation between the highest and lowest quotes was €10 or more, reaching as high as €16 in the Churchtown/Dundrum area of Dublin.
• Three areas - Cork City, Dublin 15 and Dundalk - had price variations between respondents of just €5.
• The average range of quotes within all 12 areas was €9.

Multiple lessons and discounts

We also looked at the cost of multiple lessons to find out if any discounts applied.  Discounts offered on buying a number of lessons varied from no discount to 25%. On average a discount of 10% was available. Instead of monetary discounts some instructors offered an extra lesson for free.

Because the EDT programme had just been introduced, we were unable to get a defined price for the 12 EDT lessons from all instructors surveyed. However, based on 42 quotes received, the national average cost to complete the 12 EDT modules was €365. This represents an average discount of 10% on the individual lesson prices provided by these instructors.

Combining the potential savings resulting from the variation in quotes received for a one-hour lesson and the discounts for buying in bulk can lead to significant savings.

Read the full survey

Published Date: 14/04/2011

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