Some driving instructors have started increasing their prices, blaming, they say, a spike in the petrol costs since the start of the Middle East war
Learner drivers are the latest to be hit by “Trumpflation”, with instructors upping their rates to recoup a surge in petrol prices.
Some have already increased the hourly rates they charge students after being stung by sharply rising costs. They are among an army of drivers who rely on vehicles for work and who have seen their fuel costs jump since US President Donald Trump along with Israel launched a war on Iran at the end of February.
There are reports of some instructors adding £3 to the cost of a two-hour lesson, arguing it was necessary to cover their increased fuel bill. The BBC recently cited Rachael Hutson-Lumb, who has been a driving instructor for four years, and who said she has had to raise lesson prices by 50p to £37.50 per hour.
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According to the latest RAC figures, average petrol prices reached 158.16p per litre, while diesel climbed to 191.31p per litre.
“The impact is immediate,” said the Driving Instructors Association, the largest professional membership body for driver and rider trainers in the United Kingdom. It went on: “Higher fuel costs can affect lesson pricing, route planning, operating margins and overall business resilience, particularly for those covering larger rural areas or working long hours on the road.
“For trainers already operating electric vehicles, the picture is different. While wider business costs still matter, EV users are not currently seeing the same sharp rise in day to day energy costs as petrol and diesel drivers.”
Ms Hutson-Lumb told the BBC: “My prices are going up a bit, not a lot, because I appreciate lessons are already not cheap for learners. I don’t want to put prices up but at the end of the day, if it’s a cost that’s increasing, it’s going to have to be reflected. Changes are going to have to be made just because that’s my income stream.”
Drivers have suffered the longest run of pump price hikes in more than a decade because of the Iran war. The RAC says the average price of petrol and diesel has now increased every day for past the 40 days. The nationwide average for unleaded has jumped from 132.83p before the conflict began. Diesel prices have rocketed even more, up from 142.38p.
The RAC says it amounts to the worst run of diesel price rises since 2015. Despite falling new sales, there are still around 11 million diesel cars on UK roads. The 40 day run of daily price rises is also the longest for petrol since 2022, it added.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams explained: “A full tank of diesel for a 55-litre family car is now £105.22, up £27 since the end of February. The cost for a similar petrol car is now £87, £14 more than it was before the conflict began.”
This week’s ceasefire between the US and Iran – unstable though it seems – has led to a fall in wholesale oil prices, which could begin to be passed on to motorists.
The DIA said: “For now, instructors and trainers are likely to be more focused on managing day to day costs than on the wider factors behind them. With fuel remaining a major overhead for many training businesses, this latest rise is another reminder of how quickly external pressures can impact the profession.”
