Learning to drive is one of the most important skills you will learn during your life. Getting the right instructor is an important decision and has a significant impact on your personal and financial investment.

Cheap driving lessons can come at a price! The lessons can be of poor quality resulting in you having to take more lessons and, therefore, it will take you longer to pass your test. It could be quicker and cheaper to pass your test with an instructor or driving school with a good reputation. It is worth doing some research before committing to lessons based on price alone.

Before choosing your instructor, consider:

• How safe is the instructor’s car? All European cars are given a NCAP Safety Rating, 5 stars being the highest awarded, older models of cars can have an NCAP Safety Rating as low as 2!

• How reliable is the instructor’s car? Beware of personalised registration plates on driving school cars, these can hide the age of the car. A Driving Instructor’s can expect to do 25-30,000 miles per year and, as you would expect, a higher than usual level of wear and tear on the car.

• Along with the car safety, you would want to know how people rated their driving instructor. Are they patient, (an Instructor should NEVER shout), friendly, reliable, punctual and professional? Do they record your progress? Will they help you with your Theory Test?

• Do they smoke in the car or answer their mobile – both of these are illegal.