Intensive driving courses: their cost and what's involved

If you need to pass your driving test in a hurry, try an intensive driving course. You need roughly 45 hours of driving experience to be test-ready - an intensive course crams all of this into a week or two. The course prices vary depending on the length of course you choose. But you can expect to pay over £2,000 for a 45 hour course. Fancy giving it a go? Scroll on to read more about intensive driving courses.

What is an intensive driving course?

An intensive driving course is basically all of your driving lessons crammed into a week or spread over a couple of weeks.

They're great if you're looking to pass your test fast. On average, it takes 45 hours of driving lessons to be ready for your test. So if you're doing weekly lessons, it could take you around 45 weeks to be test ready.

This isn't the case with intensive courses. Some websites mention that you could go from a complete beginner to test ready in under two weeks. But obviously this can vary depending on your commitments and how you learn.

But they're intense, as the name suggests. So if you're considering an intensive driving course, you should be prepared for high pressure driving for long periods of time.

How much does an intensive driving course cost?

Here's a rough estimate of the course lengths and a price scale: 

Sources:

• https://www.apass4u.co.uk/intensive-driving-courses
• https://www.intensivedrivingcourseswales.co.uk/prices-and-guide
• https://www.intensive-driving-school.co.uk
• https://www.passmefast.co.uk/courses

As a rule, you can expect to pay more if you're learning to drive in an automatic. This is because automatic cars are more expensive to insure than manual cars, they also cost more to maintain. Automatic lessons are also in high demand, but there's not many automatic driving instructors.

Remember that where you're learning can impact the cost of your intensive driving course. For example, you might have to pay more for an intensive driving course in London.

How long does an intensive driving course take?

To be test-ready, you need around 45 hours of driving practice. So if you're a complete beginner, your intensive course could take about 9 days - that's if you're doing 5 hours a day of practice. You don't have to do it all in one go though, but it would be at least a few days a week.

Course length varies depending on the experience you have already. For example, if you've already had 10 hours of driving experience, you could choose a 35 hour driving course that would take 7 days.

You could also choose to have a top up course that lasts around 5-6 hours. Most intensive driving course companies have a course that can suit you and your experience level.

Is an intensive driving course right for you?

There are definitely pros and cons to an intensive driving course:

Pros to an intensive driving course

• You should be test ready by the end of the course. But this depends on the course you choose and your own learning.
• They're great if you need to pass fast. For example, if you need to learn to drive for a new job.
• You might retain driving skills and build your confidence quickly. Because you're fully immersed in driving you might find you pick up skills more quickly.
• Intensive driving courses could be cheaper in the long run. Because it's intensive, you might need less hours in total than if you were learning weekly.

Cons to an intensive driving course

• Sounds obvious, but it's a lot of driving. If you're not prepared for 5 hours + driving per day for a week, an intensive course might not be for you.
• It's a lot of money upfront for an intensive driving course. With weekly lessons you can spread the cost over a number of weeks.
• You might get less experience driving in different conditions. For example, you might not experience driving at night or in bad weather.
• Intensive driving courses are not great if you want to learn at your own pace. It could be a frustrating experience if you find you're struggling with the fast pace.

Overall, an intensive driving course might be good if you like an intense pace and don't get easily overwhelmed when learning new things. It's also worth considering an intensive course if you're on a tight deadline to pass.

But before you book, think about the upfront cost. You might also want to experience different driving conditions, you can't really do this on an intensive driving course. Weekly lessons can help spread the course cost and you'll probably experience different driving conditions.

What to expect during an intensive driving course

The course content depends on the type of intensive driving course you do. But here's a rough idea on what you can expect:

Initial driving assessment

Sometimes there's an initial assessment of your driving ability. You don't have to have any driving experience, it's only so your instructor can gauge how many lessons you'll need and what to focus on.

Theory test preparation

Some courses include the theory test as part of the course. You might do this in a classroom as part of the course, or you might need to study for it alongside the driving sessions. You can't take your driving test unless you've done your theory test, so bear this in mind if the test is at the end of the course.

Daily lessons

You'll be driving for 5-6 hours a day every day for a week or more, depending on the course you choose. Some courses run only on the weekends, others run during the week. You can expect to cover:

• Vehicle controls and manoeuvres like reversing, parking and three-point-turns
• Hazard perception and defensive driving
• Driving in different areas, for example, urban, country roads and motorways
• Emergency stops
• Mock test routes

Mock driving test

Most intensive driving courses include a mock driving test at some point. This'll help you prepare for the test at the end of the course. It'll either be on the final day or soon after the course ends.

Other things to know

Some courses are residential, so you can stay close to the driving school and purely focus on driving for the week.

Other courses might be in groups, rather than individual. If you've chosen this type of course, you might not be driving for the entire day. You'll probably spend some time observing your fellow course mates.

How to choose the right intensive driving course for you

Finding an intensive driving school or instructor

First, when you're looking for an intensive driving instructor or school, check they're rubber stamped by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). This is probably one of the most important steps. They'll usually have their DVSA accreditation on their website, but if you can't find it, ask them to show you.

Try not to rush into booking a course. Ask friends for recommendations or do a quick google of 'intensive driving courses near me' as a starting point. Take a look at some of them and read reviews online. You could also email or phone them to see what the course content is.

It's a good idea to ask about pricing at this point, then you'll know if the course fits your budget. Do this with a couple of instructors, but remember that the cheapest option might not always be the best. Read their reviews and check their credentials.

You could even visit the driving school yourself before booking to get a sense of the place. It's a lot of money to part with so you want to make sure you're getting what you need from it.

Booking the right intensive driving course for you

Then you need to decide on the type of course you want to do. You can choose a few different types of driving course, depending on your ability:

Beginner courses: Designed for those with no driving experience. These are usually 40-50 hours and last around 7-10 days.

Refresher course: These are ideal if you have some driving experience but need a bit more practice. These aren't as long as the beginner courses and last between 3-5 days.

Pass-plus: If you've passed your test, you might want to do an intensive pass-plus course that focuses on advanced driving skills like night and motorway driving.

It's worth noting that you might not be able to get a refund once you're on the course. Some give you a refund within 7 days of the course starting, for others it's 14 days. You might have to pay an admin fee for this too. Every driving school varies, so before you book check their refund policy.

What happens if I don’t pass after completing the course?

It's fine if you don't pass your test after the course. Most instructors recommend that you rebook your test straight away, but this is up to you.

Some schools even offer a retest course if you think this could help. You usually cover the areas where you lost points and spend more time on them. Retest courses can be around 5-6 hours and can cost from £100 to £300, roughly.

Preparing for your intensive driving course

In terms of what you need to bring, you'll need a provisional licence and evidence of your theory test if you've already passed it.

Before the driving course, it's probably worth doing one or two lessons. It could help to be at least slightly familiar with the controls and basic manoeuvres. But most courses cater for complete beginners, so this isn't mandatory.

You could also tick your theory test off the list so you can focus solely on driving, but again, some courses might cover this.

If you don't feel too frazzled, you could drive in your car with a qualified driver between your daily sessions. That means they're over the age of 21 and have held a full licence for over three years. But only do this if you're not feeling tired or overwhelmed. You might not be able to do this if you're on a residential course though.

We keep going on about this, but remember that intensive driving courses are, as the name says, intense. So make sure you have enough time between lessons to rest and decompress.