Buying your first car is a big milestone. But long before you’re cruising off on a weekend road trip or becoming the designated driver for your friends, there’s a lot that goes into getting behind the wheel. From driving lessons and tests to saving for the car itself, the financial commitment can quickly rev up. For many young people, it’s one of their first major savings goals – and an early lesson in money management.
This report takes a closer look at the full picture, exploring the real cost of learning to drive and buying a first car, as well as the trends, habits and quirks that define this big moment.
We surveyed 1,000 young drivers to discover:
The cost of a first car
The most popular first cars
The cost of learning to drive
We also gathered insights from 368k Monzo users to see how people save up for cars, and what that tells us about their budgeting and spending behaviour.
The cost of a first car
The average first car in the UK costs £4,867, but where you live can make a big difference to what you pay. While drivers in the East of England spend an average of £3,792 on their new motor, those in Scotland pay over £2,000 more.
The most popular pet car names
For lots of people, a first car is more than just a way to get from A to B – it’s a trusted sidekick for newfound freedom. So it’s no surprise that 30% of people gave their first car a pet name.
How people pay for their first car
Learning to drive is a big step towards independence – both personally and financially. Most people (59%) pay for their first car using their own savings, making it one of the first major financial goals they work towards. But not everyone gets there the same way, with 39% saying they relied on financial support from parents or family to help get on the road.
The price of being on the road
The spending doesn’t stop after you’ve got the keys in hand. The costs can ramp up to £1,132 per month once you’re on the move:
Car insurance (£283)
Repairs (£189)
Servicing and maintenance (£166)
Fuel/charging (£163)
Road tax (£108)
Parking permits (£93)
The cost of learning to drive
There’s a pretty big hurdle that young people have to cross before they get to take their first car for a spin: the driving test.
People spend over £1.2K on driving lessons
85% of people pay for professional driving lessons, which cost them £1,218 on average. And since people take an average of 6 months to learn to drive, that means they’re spending £203 per month on lessons.
East of England: £1,352
South West: £1,290
North East: £1,258
Greater London: £1,250
South East: £1,244
West Midlands: £1,233
Yorkshire and The Humber: £1,232
North West: £1,231
East Midlands: £1,153
Wales: £1,131
Scotland: £1,040
Northern Ireland: £994
However, professional lessons aren’t the only option. 47% of people say they chose to learn to drive either partly or entirely with friends and family to save money. And 91% are turning to technology for support, using YouTube tutorials and online driving simulators to build confidence behind the wheel.
Half of learners don’t pass the first time
It’s a battle to book a test, but it’s also a struggle to get that pink license: over 50% of learners need more than one attempt to pass their practical driving test.
Across the UK, learners in the North West are most likely to pass their test first time, so whatever they’re teaching in lessons up there, it’s working. Drivers in Scotland are the most likely to have to repeat the test, and 1 in 3 drivers in Northern Ireland take 3 or more attempts. So, if you’re on your second (or fifth) attempt, you’re not alone!
Monzo insights: the road to a first car
Our analysis of more than 368k Monzo users found that 75% of them had a Savings Pot related to cars. These were some insights about their saving journey:
The typical ‘car’ Pot saver reaches £600, although the top 25% exceed £1,650
Most users save for 4 months and empty their Pot within 14 days of hitting their target, suggesting that the journey is driven less by years of saving and more by short-term financial momentum
Monthly spend increases by £179 on average after buying a car, as people spend on regular costs like insurance and fuel
Saving for a car can improve financial discipline
Our data suggests that working towards a car purchase can have benefits beyond getting behind the wheel. Regardless of age or income, people saving for a car tend to manage their money more consistently than those who aren’t. Savers are 14% more consistent in their spending, and after buying their car, that difference grows to 26%. In other words, having a clear goal to work towards can help build positive money habits that stick around long after you’ve passed your test.
For young people working towards their own big goals, Monzo for 16-17s makes it easy to set money aside and track progress as you go. You can enjoy many of the features of a full Monzo current account, including instant spending notifications, budgeting tools and 24/7 in-app support.
16–17 year olds only. UK residents only. Ts&Cs apply
Research methodology:
The research was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,000 17-21-year-olds who have passed their driving test and are actively driving (we can define this as at least once a month). The data was collected between 30.03.2026 - 09.04.2026. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society (MRS) and the British Polling Council (BPC), and a signatory of the Global Data Quality Pledge. We adhere to the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles.
Findings are based on aggregated and anonymised user data from Monzo customers between Jan 2023 and May 2025. The analysis was conducted in strict accordance with UK GDPR requirements to ensure individual privacy; no identifiable customer data was accessed or used for this study.
Sources and research
*variations of e.g. Bet