Galway city offers the best value in the country for teaching motorists to drive, according to the National Consumer Agency which has published the findings of its latest price survey.
The survey examined the cost of driving lessons and found that the cost of a one-hour lesson ranges from €25 to €45. This represents a nationwide average price of €33.
The survey follows the introduction of a new requirement for learner drivers to complete the Essential Driver Training programme if their first learner permit was issued on or after April 4, 2011. This means that it is now mandatory to have driving lessons from a professional driving instructor before taking a full driving test. There are more than 1,500 approved driving instructors throughout Ireland.
The survey looked at the price of a one-hour lesson and the cost for a bundled purchase of five, 10 or 12 lessons. It is important to note that prices were obtained from 130 Road Safety Authority-approved driving instructors in 12 areas nationwide.
The price of a one-hour lesson ranged from a low €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 between the cheapest and most expensive quote for one 1-hour lesson across all 12 areas surveyed was €9.
On average, discounts of 10 per cent were available when purchasing multiple lessons.
Depending on the area, this means a savings of up to €120 on 12 EDT lessons.
Commenting on the survey, chief executive of the NCA, Ann Fitzgerald, said: “The introduction of the Essential Driver Training programme is a very welcome development in the promotion of road safety. However, there is a cost implication for consumers, especially if you consider that some drivers may require more than the mandatory minimum 12 hours of tuition. Our survey of instructors shows that learner drivers can make significant savings with variations of up to €16 per lesson.”
The NCA also sought information in relation to the cost of multiple lessons to gauge the level of discounts applied. Discounts offered on buying a number of lessons varied from no discount to 25 per cent. On average a discount of 10 per cent was available. Instead of monetary discounts some instructors offered an extra lesson for free.
Given the recent nature of the introduction of the EDT programme, the NCA was unable to obtain 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 per cent on the individual lesson prices provided by these instructors.
Ms Fitzgerald added: “ Our experience in conducting the survey was 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 EDT 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 the Road Safety Authority in the coming weeks to ensure that consumers are getting the information they require.”
The full report on the survey of driving lesson costs, the latest in the agency’s series of price surveys, is available on the NCA’s website, www.nca.ie
Instructors must be approved by the Road Safety Authority. The RSA tests and regulates driving instructors. It is an offence for instructors to give driving lessons unless they are on a register of approved driving instructors (ADI ).
Motorists can check if instructors are qualified in two ways: Find the instructor on the list of approved instructors or ask to see the instructor’s permit (it should be displayed in the test vehicle ).
