How many driving lessons will you actually need?

The DVSA's often-quoted figure is around 45 hours of professional instruction plus 22 hours of private practice. It is a real average, and it is close to useless for planning, because the spread around it is enormous.

What actually moves the number

Private practice. This is the big one. A learner who gets out with a parent twice a week between lessons will typically need far fewer paid hours than one who does not. If you have access to a car and an insured supervisor, use it.

Your age. Younger learners tend to acquire the physical skills faster. Older learners tend to be better at hazard perception and planning. Both pass; they just struggle with different lessons.

Whether you are learning in the city you will be tested in. Learning in Brighton and testing in Brighton is worth several hours on its own.

Lesson length. Two-hour lessons are more efficient per pound than one-hour ones, because the first fifteen minutes of any lesson is re-warming skills from last week.

A more useful way to think about it

Do not budget for a number of lessons. Budget for a standard: you are ready when you can drive for an hour on unfamiliar roads with no prompt from your instructor. Some people reach that at 25 hours, some at 60. Both are normal.

Any instructor who promises you a fixed number before meeting you is guessing.