The Ultimate Guide to Driving Lesson Costs in Australia

Learning to drive should feel exciting—not overwhelming. But with the rising cost of living, we know that affordability matters more than ever. In this guide, we’ll explore where you can find the best value driving lessons - where in Australia can learners find the most affordable lessons, and how have prices changed over time? 

We analysed driving lesson costs across every state and major city, comparing data from April 2024 to March 2025 with the same period in 2023–24, to uncover the biggest price jumps and the most affordable places to learn how to drive.

 

How much does a driving lesson cost in Australia in 2025?

 

Since 2023-24, the cost of driving lessons has risen across every Australian state, with the national average now sitting at $81.02 per hour in 2024-25. Prices vary depending on the type of transmission, with automatic lessons averaging $80.61 per hour and manual lessons coming in slightly higher at $83.87. 

South Australia continues to hold the title of the most expensive state, with a driving lesson costing $113.30 per hour on average. This state has also seen the largest increase in the past year, with lesson costs rising by 11%.  

In contrast, Tasmania has the cheapest driving lessons, averaging $76.17 per hour, despite experiencing the second-largest price jump at 7%. 

When comparing transmission types, manual lessons remain more expensive than automatic, and the gap is the widest in Adelaide. In 2024–25, manual lessons in Adelaide averaged $271.20 per hour, more than double the $112.90 cost of an automatic lesson. Even in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, manual prices continue to outpace automatic, driven by limited instructor availability.

 

The most expensive cities to book a driving lesson in Australia

 

Adelaide tops the list as Australia’s most expensive city for driving lessons, with prices surging to $113.30 an hour – up from $102.40 just a year ago. Rounding out the top three were Canberra ($85.05) and Geelong ($84.48). 

Several cities in New South Wales are also becoming notably more expensive. Wollongong, Newcastle, and Coffs Harbour have all climbed into the top 10, with lesson prices ranging between $81 to $83 per hour.

 

The most affordable cities to book a driving lesson in Australia

 

Bendigo, in Victoria, is the most affordable place for driving lessons, with prices rising by just $2.03 over the past year, from $72.82 per hour to $74.85. This is followed by Hobart in Tasmania, with driving lessons priced at $76.17 per hour. 

 

The cities in Australia with the biggest percentage increase in driving lesson costs

 

Not only has Adelaide topped the list as Australia’s most expensive city to learn to drive, but the cost of a driving lesson has jumped 10.6% (from $102.40 to $113.30) in the past year. 

Several regions within Adelaide have seen a rise in driving lesson costs, which have contributed to the city ranking at the top of the list. Since 2023-24, lesson costs have increased by 15% in Adelaide’s western suburbs, 13% in Port Adelaide, and 12.9% in the north eastern region. 

 

The cost of manual driving lessons in 2025

 

Following the overarching trend on pricing, Adelaide is by far the most expensive city to learn manual, with lessons averaging $271.20 per hour, a full $178.30 per hour higher than second-place Canberra, where hourly manual lessons cost $92.90

In comparison, Wollongong is the cheapest city for learning manual, with learners paying $75.90 for every hour. 

 

The cost of automatic driving lessons in 2025

 

At $112.93 per hour, Adelaide also tops the list for the most expensive automatic driving lessons. Similar to the manual data, Canberra places second at $84.32, but trails Adelaide by a considerable $28.61 per hour. 

In comparison, Bendigo is the cheapest city for learning manual, with learners paying $74.79 per hour. 

 

Where are the most affordable suburbs for driving lessons in Australia in 2025?

 

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Sydney

As of this year, Ellis Lane offers the most affordable driving lessons in Sydney, averaging $59.41 per hour, while Eastern Creek and Orchard Hills round out the top three at $62.36 and $63.37. Prices in both Eastern Creek and Orchard Hills have lowered since 2023-24, down 13.9% and 18.9% respectively.

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Melbourne

In Melbourne, New Gisborne tops the list for affordability, with lessons averaging $70 per hour, with lesson prices remaining unchanged over the past year. Second place goes to Woodstock at $71 per hour, followed by Burnside at $71.63. 

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Brisbane

The most affordable suburbs to book a driving lesson in Brisbane are those that have experienced notable price drops over the past year. Flagstone leads the way, with learners now paying $66.94 an hour, 9.0% less than prior years. Learners in Moggill are now paying $70.87, a 9.1% decrease from the prior year.

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Perth

O’Connor tops the list as Perth’s most affordable suburb to book a driving lesson ($71), with prices down 8.4%.  Welshpool follows closely at $71.72 an hour, with a 5.4% decrease in price over the past year. 

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Adelaide

While Adelaide is the most expensive city for driving lessons, several suburbs do offer relatively lower-cost options.  Lessons in Taperoo will cost learners $96.15 an hour, and lessons in Somerton Park cost $97.19 an hour. 

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Canberra

Rivett tops the list as the most affordable suburb in Canberra for driving lessons, with lessons costing learners $72.55 an hour. This is an astounding 11.7% price decrease since 2023-24. Reid ($72.88) and Harrison ($73.55) round out the top three most affordable suburbs, with lesson prices in Harrison decreasing a significant 12.4%. 

The most affordable suburbs to book driving lessons in Hobart

Hobart’s most affordable suburbs for driving lessons have maintained steady prices over the past year, with Glenorchy at $75 and Lindisfarne at $70. 

 

Where are the most expensive suburbs for driving lessons in Australia in 2025?

 

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Sydney

At $97.75/hour, Point Piper ranked as Sydney’s most expensive suburb for booking a driving lesson, with prices increasing by an astounding 22.2% since 2023-24. 

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Melbourne

Prices in Flemington have increased by 10.6%, with learners now paying $88.11 per hour. Learners in Croydon South will pay slightly less at $87.54, but lesson costs here have also increased by 13.5%. 

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Brisbane

Some of the most expensive suburbs to book a driving lesson in Brisbane are nearing the $100 mark. The most expensive is Sandstone Point, where learners are paying $91.05 per hour, followed by Toorbul ($91), Bongaree ($90.64), and Banksia Beach ($90.25).

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Perth

Ashby is Perth’s most expensive suburb to book a driving lesson, costing learners $85.47, which is a 7.6% price jump from 2023-24. This is followed by Craigie ($84.79) and West Leederville ($84.35). 

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Adelaide

As previously noted, Adelaide’s suburbs stand out for having the highest hourly lesson rates and the sharpest price increases since 2023-24. Leading the way is Stonyfell, where lessons now cost $185.93 - an increase of 40%. This is followed by Urrbrae, with an hourly price of $166.36 (+18.8%), and Rosslyn Park with an hourly price of $152.65 (+52.7%).

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Canberra

Similar to Brisbane, several suburbs in Canberra are getting close to exceeding $100/hour, including Strathnairn (Canberra’s most expensive suburb) at $94.69, Hawker at $93.08, and Richardson at $92.37. 

The most expensive suburbs to book driving lessons in Hobart

Even Hobart’s most expensive suburbs offer a lower average driving lesson price compared to those in other Australian cities.  In Hobart, Mornington and Geilston Bay are the most expensive, costing learners $81 and $80.17 respectively.

 

About the Data

This EzLicence analysis evaluates and compares the average hourly rates paid by learner drivers per completed booking hour on the EzLicence platform. The primary analysis evaluates pricing data from April 2024 to March 2025 with comparison across the same date range year on year. The research captures overall pricing trends, as well as detailed insights into automatic and manual transmission lessons.

The dataset comprises first-party data from the EzLicence platform, including completed bookings from suburbs and cities across New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory. Note that data from the Northern Territory was not included as EzLicence does not operate in that region.

All prices are expressed in Australian Dollars (AUD), inclusive of GST. Please note that prices and percentages have been rounded.

To ensure reliability and consistency in reporting, there have been minimum thresholds applied to city and regional level data.

Comparisons to external sources, such as government data, may yield differences due to varying methodologies and collection standards.

Total booking hours vary per location - this data is marked sensitive and has not been made available. The presence of limited samples, particularly for suburban categorisation, may slightly skew results for price averages, therefore, this data may limit the exact representation of pricing.