Before choosing a driving school offering cheap lessons, consider the reasons why they might be cheaper than the average rate. An established school or instructor gets most of their work from recommendations from happy customers; if someone is offering 'too good to be true' prices ask yourself why?
Some things to look for:
Will your instructor be qualified?
There is a tough and expensive path to become an instructor and some schools use Trainee instructors while they are learning on the job, many of which never qualify; nothing wrong with that, we all have to start somewhere and some trainees can be better than some fully qualified ADIs as long as you are made aware and are happy. A fully qualified instructor MUST display his badge while giving paid instruction.
You should also be alert to illegal instructors, find out more about illegal instruction here.
Tie in Deals
Beware deals where you are tied into a full course through to test where you only get the 'Cheap' lessons at the end if you stay the full course.
Length of Lessons
Some schools offer cheap lessons but don't be so keen to tell you each lesson is only 45 minutes for example, so you may be paying less but not getting value for your money and may even cost more in the long run.
Post introductory deal hourly rates
How much are the standard rates once you use your introductory hours? They can be higher than average so you pay more long run.
Driving Lesson or Roadside Chat?
Fuel is expensive; if giving something cheap you have to cut costs somewhere and saving fuel is easy especially in early stage lessons. You could spend more time sitting at the roadside talking about driving but not actually driving.
Test Day Shock
How much does it cost for the car and pre test lesson on the big day? Be sure to check you are not paying for the cheaper lessons with an exorbitant test day fee. If you end up taking more than 1 test attempt it could get very expensive.
Remember learning to drive is a skill for life and you could learn something that may save your life some day. It can seem expensive but taking professional driving lessons can open the door to future employment opportunities and can cost less than 1/3 of your first years car insurance premium.
