The £12,000 cost of learning to drive

The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) reckons it costs £12,000 for a teenage learner to put a car on the road – and that's before he or she has even driven the thing.

Obviously that amount is a lot of dough to most people, but given that the average salary for a 17-year-old is around £9,300 per year (2009 figure), it's even more unsettling. That's usually where the parents come in.