A recent survey shows that today's learner drivers will be able to afford only the cheapest young driver car insurance when they pass.
The survey, carried out by Churchill Car Insurance, shows that the average learner spends £924 - that's 42 lessons at £22 a time - on tuition alone. That amount of money leaves most young drivers with precious little to spend on a first car and motor insurance.
There's also the escalating cost of theory and practical tests to consider, and with the average young driver requiring several attempts to pass this can bring the total cost of learning well over £1,100.
Multiply that by the number of people applying for provisional licences every year in the UK - some 900,000 - and you have a figure of over £1bn being spent on learning to drive in this country.
There is some recompense for hard-up learners who fail their first practical driving test, however. The Churchill survey found they are much less likely to have an accident in the first five years of driving than people who pass at the first attempt - and that could get them a better cheap car insurance quote.
Frances Browning, speaking on behalf of Churchill Car Insurance, said "Learner drivers face financial pressure to pass their test first time and with as few lessons as possible. But, as our findings show, that doesn't necessarily help with their future driving ability."
So, pass first time or the fifteenth time, finding cheap young driver car insurance is a must for any new driver.