Expensive

JP Liz

Anyone else think driving lessons, driving test and pre tests costs are very expensive????????

Wishbone Ash

Moved to Consumer Issues.

ironclaw

Yes. But I suppose you reap the rewards eventually. At €2 for a 145 bus journery, by driving I very quickly make back costs and I take more than one bus to get home. Driving is expenentially cheaper than public transport. Taken the LUAS recently!

ruprect

JP Liz wrote: »

Anyone else think driving lessons, driving test and pre tests costs are very expensive????????

How much are they?

When I had lessons ~10years ago it was about £20 and I couldnt understand how it was so cheap.

I expect they incur around the same costs as a taximan, perhaps insurance is more, service should be with people wrecking clutches etc, and petrol is high now. If you did the same mileage in that hour in a taxi what would it cost you?

I remember my instructor said he had a cheeky lad getting lessons, he would drive out to places and pick up stuff from mates, in effect renting the car. Then he asked if he could get a lesson and drive his parents to the airport!

I never bothered with a full pretest, I asked to do the route, they charged more for a pretest for no reason. At the time a pretest costed the same as doing the test, so I just would do the test and risk it. If you apply and say you need a licence for your job you can get it again quicker.

galah

not expensive, considering you pay about 1500 Euro for your license in Germany...

ruprect

galah wrote: »

not expensive, considering you pay about 1500 Euro for your license in Germany...

But you should compare the cost of running a car for 1 year in one country to another. Servicing, petrol, initial cost, motor tax, insurance etc.

I imagine many other car costs would be cheaper in germany. Nobody mentioned cost of licence as an issue anyway.

galah

cost of license in Germany incorporates lessons and fees etc (compulsory lessons and all). So it's really not that expensive here.

Petrol etc is way more expensive over there, too.

Colonel Sanders

I paid €38 an hour when I learned to drive (only passed my test a few weeks ago). I actually thought about it one night and after tax, insurance, petrol, depreciation etc I wouldn't say the net of costs hourly wage isn't that high

Doctor DooM

Yes it costs lots but I would say the instructer has a serious amount of extra charges, as mentioned above.

My instructor used to tell me when his car got bumped by a learner he'd wait til it happened 10 or 11 times to claim on it as the insurance costs were astronomical.

JP Liz

ruprect wrote: »

How much are they?

When I had lessons ~10years ago it was about £20 and I couldnt understand how it was so cheap.

I expect they incur around the same costs as a taximan, perhaps insurance is more, service should be with people wrecking clutches etc, and petrol is high now. If you did the same mileage in that hour in a taxi what would it cost you?

I remember my instructor said he had a cheeky lad getting lessons, he would drive out to places and pick up stuff from mates, in effect renting the car. Then he asked if he could get a lesson and drive his parents to the airport!

I never bothered with a full pretest, I asked to do the route, they charged more for a pretest for no reason. At the time a pretest costed the same as doing the test, so I just would do the test and risk it. If you apply and say you need a licence for your job you can get it again quicker.

€45 for a pre test lesson in Cork

foggy_lad

paid a tenner a lesson when i learned to drive and my instructor wanted me to apply and do the test after the 2nd lesson, not sure if she was hinting at me being a great driver or if it was to preserve the remnants of her nerves

Jack Bauer999

ironclaw wrote: »

Yes. But I suppose you reap the rewards eventually. At €2 for a 145 bus journery, by driving I very quickly make back costs and I take more than one bus to get home. Driving is expenentially cheaper than public transport. Taken the LUAS recently!

i woulnt agree with this at all!
take in car payments, fuel, insurance, tax, servicing and all the other
little bits you buy in a year and i think you find it'l work out a lot more expensive!

i think id have to be geting 10 luas's a day to even it up!

what being able to drive does do, is make life a lot easier!!

ruprect

JP Liz wrote: »

€45 for a pre test lesson in Cork

Sounds cheap to me TBH. I was thinking it would be €60-70.

Last 25min trip to the airport cost me €40, and I didn't wreck his clutch! And that taximan was completely ignorant of the rules of the road

JP Liz

galah wrote: »

not expensive, considering you pay about 1500 Euro for your license in Germany...

Expensive

Nightwish

I dont think its expensive seeing as if you are taught properly its a skill for life and you cannot put a price on being a safe driver.

emmanuels-baby

galah wrote: »

cost of license in Germany incorporates lessons and fees etc (compulsory lessons and all). So it's really not that expensive here.

Petrol etc is way more expensive over there, too.

in fairness, if you lived in germany, you don't really need to drive too often(well from my experience anyway)
their transport system is fantastic!!!

best of luck driving OP!

axer

emmanuels-baby wrote: »

in fairness, if you lived in germany, you don't really need to drive too often(well from my experience anyway)
their transport system is fantastic!!!

best of luck driving OP!

It is good but it doesn't get you everywhere at least when you live in the smaller towns/cities.

It is not only more expensive for the driving license and running the car here in Germany but they earn less here too.

sunny2004

I can see why it seems expensive, my take on it is simple.
If they were making a fortune then everyone would get into it as a business.

I think its simply the amount of hours devided into a decent weeks wages !

But I could be wrong.

I have never met a driving instructor and thought they are rolling in it !

eth0_

I paid 35 euro an hour for my lessons before my test and they were well worth it. When you think of the unsociable hours, the stress of having complete beginners drive your car, and the huge insurance premium they must have, 35 is a bargain.

To put it in perspective - you would pay around the same for an hour long horse riding or piano lesson in Dublin.

sunny2004

eth0_ wrote: »

To put it in perspective - you would pay around the same for an hour long horse riding or piano lesson in Dublin.

Did you do you test on a horse while playing the piano ?

eth0_

sunny2004 wrote: »

Did you do you test on a horse while playing the piano ?

No.