Getting a driver’s license for the very first time can be expensive. Not only will it cost you a pretty penny for driving instructions, but you’ll have to also pay to take the test, you’ll need to put gas in your car, pay for insurance, make car payments, and hopefully your parking tickets will be few and far between.
But driving doesn’t need to be this humongous burden and added expense. You can learn the ins and outs of the driving experience on drivingguide.com, but it’s definitely going to cost money as you know, so it makes sense to do everything in your power to keep your costs low.
As mentioned, paying monthly car payments and putting gas in your car is only a couple of the expenses that you’ll have to cover on a regular basis. Since we want you to keep your bills as low as humanly possible, we are sharing seven tips to make the experience of learning to drive a lot less expensive. Please make the most of them for your benefit.
Cost-Cutting Tip #1: Make Sure to Take Solo Driving Lessons
Some driving instructors attempt to get more than one student to go for lessons at the same time. At times, there might be a second or third driver in the car practicing along with you.
Guess what? This situation is far from ideal for you. If you pay your driving instructor by the hour, but you only get to physically drive the car for 20 minutes of the lesson, you are seriously shortchanging yourself. Instead of putting yourself in this situation, tell the instructor that you’ll only take lessons if you are driving solo.
Not only will you save money this way, but you will also gain more insight and experience because the instructor will only have to focus on you and no one else. So always take your driving lessons by yourself with the instructor, because any other situation is too costly of a mistake to make.
Cost-Cutting Tip #2: Double up on Your Driving Lessons
You will learn how to drive faster the more time you have behind the wheel. So, instead of paying for one hour of driving time, you can pay for a two-hour lesson as an alternative.
For starters, the instructor might offer you a discount for booking two hours at a time. But the real reason to do this is to learn how to drive faster. You’ll get better by driving two hours at a time instead of one. So in the end, you’ll probably need fewer lessons to learn how to drive and pass your driving test.
Cost-Cutting Tip #3: Picking Your Driving Instructor
When picking your driving instructor, find one with which you have a good rapport. Otherwise, you could end up with a grouchy, miserable instructor that you do not get along with. This situation will make it much harder for you to learn how to drive because you’ll be unhappy all the time and this could lead to stupid mistakes.
So be careful when picking the person to teach you how to drive. Make sure you like their personality and get along with them. Because the more you like your driving instructor, the better you will do behind the wheel, and the quicker you will learn. This will ultimately lead to needing fewer driving lessons which will save you money over the long run.
Cost-Cutting Tip #4: Save on Car Insurance
Car insurance is very expensive as you are about to learn. If you are a young driver just getting behind the wheel, you can ask your parents to put you on their policy as a learner. You may even qualify for lower insurance rates and discounts this way.
Cost-Cutting Tip #5: Take the Driver’s Test at the Optimal Time
In some towns and cities throughout the US, it is less expensive to take the driver’s test at certain times than others. You may even qualify for a discount if you take the test during a slow period, so ask your instructor when is the best and most affordable time to take the driver’s test.
Cost-Cutting Tip #6: Learn the Driver’s Manual like the Back of Your Hand
You want to pass the written test on your first try, right? So, study the driver’s manual and learn it like the back of your hand. The better you know and understand the manual prior to taking the test, the better your chances of passing it. If you fail, you’ll need to pay to take the test again which is not very cost-effective.
Cost-cutting Tip #7: Practice Driving with Family and Friends
Lastly, you can ask family members and friends to take you out driving. The more practice you get prior to the test, the better driver you’ll be. So take every opportunity you can get to practice driving and have your family members and friends take you out so you can improve your skills and become a good driver.
Conclusion
Learning the art of driving can be very expensive as you certainly see. But you can keep your expenses low if you use the tips we’ve shared today, so please do so to your ultimate benefit.