Regular Lessons are so Important to Success
The DVSA publishes that a Student looking to pass his/her driving test should undertake approximately 45 Hours of paid instruction with an instructor and where possible 22 hours of private practice. REF – https://readytopass.campaign.gov.uk/driving-skills/track-progreslearning/
Where over 100 hours of driving experience are achieved the chances of a test pass grow significantly.
These are of course average numbers based on Students across the UK, undertaking both manual and automatic lessons. not everyone has access to private driving in their own car for the 22 hours and different instructors will teach in different ways. Not forgetting of course every Student is different and learns in different ways and at different paces.
It is never quite as simple as saying that after 67 hours you should be ready for test, it is never that clear cut.
So How do we know when you are ready?
The easiest way is reflecting on every drive, if you are driving well, with minimal mistakes, no Safety issues, reasonable confident without being overly confident, can routinely drive Independently with minimal instructions and make sensible well planned and safe decisions, always maintaining good control of your vehicle, in various road conditions, traffic flow and weather patterns you are ready for test.
However good you are there is normally a minimum of hours to achieve this standard and that is typically I am seeing around 38 – 46 hours. in car with me.
Everyone is different but that seems to be on average where the majority of my studnets are currently passing at. So to manage expectations approximately 20 – 25 lessons (2 hour lessons).
In 2026 I am going to take more of an approach to promote regular weekly lessons and monitor the progress of students. It is worth mentioning there is no race here, Safe Driving for Life is what we teach, has no set timetable, it takes as long as that Student learns and ensures they are driving safely.
Whilst everyone is keen to gain their full licence, nobody wants any accidents or corners being cut where a loved one could be hurt or imprisoned for hurting others. A Driving Licence is a Privilege earnt from hard work and dedication.
All I can do is subscribe to the ADI oath that decrees we will always do our best to promote learning and train to the best of our ability, achieving success in as long/short a time as it takes for that Student.
I will never knowingly add lessons just to make some random tally of numbers up, indeed at the end of every lesson we complete a reflective log to ensure that learning is going to plan with each Student, if any Student, parent or Guardian every feels that the learning is not achieving what they expected, please ensure you bring it to my attention as soon as possible so that we can adjust the lesson plans accordingly.
Mock Tests are the best tool to really drill down on Test readiness and more information can be found on this page – Mock Tests
Thank You In advance
Active vs Non Active Students
Non Active Students – are those Students that have had one or less (two hour lesson) in any given continuous 4 week period
These are not necessarily stuck in stone, and immovable as peoples lives change and other priorities occur. However where they will count is around issues where I am booking tests, I shall no longer book for Non Active Students.
Currently my booking app has this terminology built in and will automatically remove an Active Student to a non Active status. This may give rise to problems when restarting lessons as my diary may be full and the 24/hr booking platform will only work for Active Students.
Current Active Students
Intense Course's
These are not my favourite activity as Students perceptions are often swayed by the misunderstanding they will gain a Driving Licence in a very much quicker time period. Usually however much you explain a determined Student tends not to hear what you are saying and it inevitable does not end well.
In the sense you can do more hours training, in a quicker time frame this much is of course true and for some Students that model may work for them, however when a Student tries to undertake say 6 hours in a day, it is far from 6 hours of actual learning. much more like 2.5 hours of learning.
Students get tired quickly, when training as the focus when learning to drive can be quite intense, in my opinion you are far better to develop the Student gradually over a period of time, building their strengths and stamina up in line with high quality learning.
Learning to drive is not about clocking 45 hrs of training up as quickly as you can, you need to develop your own skills and understand how to read the road, how to plan, respond to dynamic information quickly and take safe, legal and well planned decisions accordingly.
When undertaking intense training, more comfort breaks need to be built in, when learning slows (it does in everyone at different times) often the Students wishes to accelerate perceived learning as they feel they are paying for a fast track service, often failing to realise its impossible for a tired person to learn effectively.
Often in an intense course you get limited road and weather conditions I have seen it where you have never driven in rain as you approach a test.
I am not saying I will never run an intense course but through the odd bad experience it is my preference to mange a better planed traditional regular session course.
Anyone wishing to undertake an intense course with me can you please email me your requirements so that we can discuss all possibilities prior to any bookings being made. Thus trying to reduce any foreseeable problems.