Considering an intensive driving course.

[willhub]

I'm wanting to get driving as quick as I can rather than dragging it over months or years or tests.

So been looking at a 48 hour intensive course including the theory for around 1500 quid.

Is such a cost for such a course reasonable and should I still be doing revising outside of this for such things as the theory test?

 

[OldKitMan]

sounds like a decent price to me. Think driving lessons vary between £20 and £30 an hour so multiply it up by 48 and it's a fair price.

 

[willhub]

It includes to theory test as well, I'd hate to waste the money for example if I didn't pass, so I'd want to do all I can to ensure I pass.

 

[bremen1874]

I hope you get more practice in than a course like that can offer before heading out on your own.

Theory tests are easy enough if you have even a fleeting knowledge of what's in the highway code. They didn't exist when I took my test, but I have taken various practice tests over the years and there's to excuse to ever fail one.

 

[[TW]Fox]

Why do you think it will take 48 hours?

 

[ttaskmaster]

I took about 20hrs and I know my instructor currently charges £25 per hour. If you needed 48 lessons, you'd be looking at £1200, meaning the intensive course is quite expensive.

Depends how you generally learn best, though.
If you respond well to being flooded with information, and will remember it for all time thereafter, then this might well be a reasonable option.
However, most people need time to process each lesson, develop the mental and physical skills, and just let everything sink in, which is why lessons are usually spread out. In those cases, an intensive course will be fairly useless as most of it will just get forgotten a few weeks after passing the test.

 

[ScoobyDoo69]

48 hour seems like a lot.

My week intensive course was around 24 hours of driving with the driving test on the Friday. Was more than enough!

 

[willhub]

I've never set foot in a car and I'd like to get started but get it over in a reasonably short time, which is why I'm looking at intensive courses and the recommended is 48 hours for the ultimate newbies.

 

[GravyMonster]

Learning to drive isn't something you should look to rush IMO. I'd suggest looking to book lessons in advance with a tutor, 2 hrs at a time instead of 1 if you really have to hurry the process along.

Just googling my local instructors and you can get 20 hours of lessons for £490, or 30 hours for £740. Sure it's less condensed than the 'intensive' course, but the price is far more reasonable.

 

["andy"]

i didn't do an intensive course but came pretty close. i had a few lessons when i was 17 and hated it, mainly as me and my instructor didn't get on. it just wasn't an enjoyable time in the car with him.

A year or so later i was doing a job where having my license would be beneficial but i was working away which made it difficult to do lessons the traditional way.

I spoke to a few local instructors and in the end took a week off while my boss/workmate was on holiday.

I did a 2 hour lesson every morning and late afternoon for 4 days of that week off and they went really well . The new instructor who just let me get on with it had a laugh with me and had plenty of patience . I had a 2 hour lesson the next weekend where we did some practice tests and i already had my test booked for the weekend after that. The lesson before the test went horrendous but my instructor gave me a miracle pep talk and i passed with 1 minor.

my only worry with a course would be getting an instructor i didn't get on with. It really was night and day between my two instructors who worked for the same company so look for reviews/recommendation, especially with that sort of time/money being involved. imagine being stuck in a car for 48 hours with someone you really dont like !

 

[willhub]

I'll have a think about it, I want to pass and want to learn so I know that'll go someway to helping. I've bought 4 in 1 theory test and also practical test and probably going to have this as my bed time reading for some time.

 

[Bickaxe]

When are you thinking of doing it?
I took my lessons from Jan - July (varied between 3 and 5 hours a month as I was in 6th form) and got to drive in some interesting conditions which I believe really helped me.
Growing up, a few mates did intensive courses in the summer. They all managed to write their cars off by winter as they had limited experience of driving on various conditions. None of them did a theory test either. I had mine a few days after it came in and it was very easy (was a fair few years ago now)

I doubt you will need 48 hours, that seems excessive. If you can get some practice in before your first lesson, it can help.

 

[Rroff]

Learning to drive isn't something you should look to rush IMO. I'd suggest looking to book lessons in advance with a tutor, 2 hrs at a time instead of 1 if you really have to hurry the process along.

Just googling my local instructors and you can get 20 hours of lessons for £490, or 30 hours for £740. Sure it's less condensed than the 'intensive' course, but the price is far more reasonable.

Yeah there is a lot you only learn with time, well for most people anyway, such as actually breaking down and reading what you are seeing, that makes you a better, safer driver. In that respect as well the quality of the instructor makes a huge difference.

They all managed to write their cars off by winter as they had limited experience of driving on various conditions.

There is more to it than just experience IMO - some people never learn or seemingly have an unwillingness to learn from their experiences and with driving it is so crucial to becoming a better driver. Often that is the mindset of people who want to rush it as well though not always.

 

[MatteRB26]

I feel like the intensive courses are good enough to get you through your test - but not good for actual driving experience. I know people who passed their tests after doing the intensive course because they met the criteria - but oh my could they not drive.

There's something about being on the road in different conditions, days, times etc. that just gives you the full benefit. I'd say that unless you need to pass ASAP for whatever reason - it's not something to be rushed.

I suppose the saying is that you never truly learn to drive until you've passed your test (which judging by a lot of the driving I see, is too easy).

 

[Semple]

Learning to drive isn't something you should look to rush IMO. I'd suggest looking to book lessons in advance with a tutor, 2 hrs at a time instead of 1 if you really have to hurry the process along.

Just googling my local instructors and you can get 20 hours of lessons for £490, or 30 hours for £740. Sure it's less condensed than the 'intensive' course, but the price is far more reasonable.

As others have said, intensive courses aren't all that great. They can teach you a skill in a shorter amount of time, but you're likely to miss out on gaining experience that you would have gained by having frequent lessons spread over many weeks.

Is that 48 hours over 5/7 days? Works out around 9/6 hours per day. That seems an awful long time to spend in a car in one go. Especially if you've never set foot in a car before. Your feet can ache from clutch control after several hours. And if you're particularly struggling at one part of it, sometimes having a break and going back to it later on is a better approach. Just forcing you to repeat the same bit over and over because you have several hours of tuition left for the day will just get you frustrated and angry.

Edit: The theory test you would have to do in your own time anyway, unless part of the 48 hour course is your instructor talking you through the million different signs, and training you on hazard perception. Frankly that seems absurd, and is likely something you'll have to spend a good few weeks revising unless you've got a very good memory.

 

[MrRockliffe]

Learning to drive isn’t the sort of thing you rush - you need experience on the road in different conditions. This takes time over a few weeks.

Furthermore, test centres are hectic at the moment. Some of the local ones to me don’t have any availability until late October, and aren’t taking and practical bookings.

Find a good instructor and aim to spend 30 hours on the road driving, whether that’s 20 with an instructor and 10 private, it doesn’t matter. The more experience, the better you’ll be

 

[Randomface74]

Learn automatic it's much easier and everything's going electric anyway.

 

[Rroff]

That seems an awful long time to spend in a car in one go. Especially if you've never set foot in a car before. Your feet can ache from clutch control after several hours.

Never had problems with my feet personally - but the first 2-3 lessons by the end of an hour my neck/shoulders were aching quite badly and I definitely needed a break - probably because I was quite tense for the first few lessons as well as not used to the position/action when driving - went away fairly quickly after that.

 

[ttaskmaster]

Learn automatic it's much easier and everything's going electric anyway.

That won't happen for a couple decades, probably, and many classic cars are manual only.
Besides, it's nice to meet all the Americans who can't "Drive stick" and show off how it's almost taught at birth across our little island.

 

[willhub]

Does everyone know the stopping distances off by hear from 20 to 70mph, the theory test guide advised I need to know this off by heart, and gives a "handy trick" calculation I can use to work it out, however if I was going to do that when actually driving I'd probably crash.