Four out of 10 driving instructors have increased the price of driving lessons since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Instructors ‘have been left with no choice but to up the cost of driving lessons as the backlog of learners mounts and pressure on the industry builds’, says insurance company Marmalade.
Its survey of 4,000 instructors also found that 30 percent of instructors have reduced the frequency of lessons a learner driver can book. Some instructors favour learners with experience as they require less time behind the wheel.
On average, driving lesson costs have increased by nine percent since the start of the pandemic, with the average now £31.15 per lesson, up from £28.47 in 2020. Marmalade says 21 percent of instructors are charging more than the current average.
Enquires up 227 percent
With demand for driving lessons outstripping the supply, instructors have experienced a 227 percent increase in enquiries since 2020, with an average of 8.24 more enquiries each week compared with the start of 2020. And 30 percent of instructors turn away five to 10 enquiries per week.
“Learner drivers are still feeling the impact of the past 18 months with the aftershock of the pandemic disrupting the industry at every level,” said Crispin Moger, CEO of Marmalade.
“Driving instructors have told us they are plagued by third-party apps that buy up all of the test slots, meaning they have no way of their pupils booking a test and leaving their capacity tight. This is a vicious cycle that is only making the situation worse for all parties, leaving learners unable to get on the road to freedom and impacting instructors’ businesses and lives.”
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