LEARNER DRIVERS should also learn the value of shopping around: they could knock nearly €200 off the cost of lessons that are now mandatory for getting a licence, a survey has revealed.
Under new rules that came into force on April 4th, learner drivers must complete at least 12 hours of tuition with an approved driving instructor before they can sit their test.
In the days after the essential driver training scheme took effect, the National Consumer Agency compared prices of driving lessons across the State.
It found that the cheapest places to learn were Galway, Tralee, Limerick and Waterford, while learners are being asked to shell out the most in the Churchtown and Dundrum areas of Dublin.
The agency survey found that, based on prices obtained from 130 Road Safety Authority-approved driving instructors in 12 areas nationwide, the average cost of a single lesson was €33.
The cheapest price quoted to its researchers was €25 while the most expensive single lesson cost €45.
Price discrepancies across the State are hardly surprising, but even in individual locations, the cost of lessons varied significantly, the agency said.
In seven of the 12 areas surveyed the variation between the highest and lowest quotes was €10 or more.
In the Dublin suburbs of Churchtown and Dundrum, the difference between the cheapest and dearest driving lesson was €16.
With price differentials of this magnitude, a learner who takes the full 12 training scheme lessons with the cheapest instructor can knock €192 off the cost of learning to drive.
There is less value to be had shopping around in Cork city, Dublin 15 and Dundalk, where the largest price variations between instructors was just €5.
The survey also looked at the prices of bundles of five, 10 or 12 lessons and found that discounts of an average of 10 per cent were available to learners who were purchasing multiple lessons.
The agency’s chief executive, Ann Fitzgerald, said the introduction of the essential training programme was a “very welcome development in the promotion of road safety”, but pointed out that there was a cost implication for consumers.
She also expressed concern that a number of instructors were not yet in a position to provide full information on the requirements of the programme and did not have a price for the 12 modules.
“Now that the essential driver training requirement is officially in force, we urge all those involved in the industry to provide consumers with clear information and attractive offers.
“We will be following up with Road Safety Authority in the coming weeks to ensure that consumers are getting the information they require,” Ms Fitzgerald said.