Pulaski

This is very true, and while people often focus on how easy the driving test is in the US, the issue for the OP is that the quality and rigor of the tuition probably has a similar difference. So even if the OP doesn't reach the point in the UK where they have passed their test, I would argue that there is significant value in the process of learning to drive in the UK.

As others have said above, it would also be handy to have passed the test if there is ever any chance that the OP might return to the UK to live later in life.

mrken30

One thing to note, is that if you want to learn to drive a manual , do that in the UK because there are very few people who teach in manual cars in the US. Also the manual tuition is not very good from my experience.
Driving a manual will also give you some idea of how gear changes work. However from a purely financial and passing the test perspective, training and take the test where you will eventually be driving. That way you learn the rules of the road once, and create less confusion.

md95065

The financial perspective needs to include an estimate of the additional expenses the OP may incur in the US, between the time that he arrives and the time that he gets a license, as a result of his not being able to drive.

yellowroom

Yes, the OP has asked about learning to drive, while many of the responses have been about passing the driving test.

IMHO, these are two different, albeit connected, issues. In both the UK and the US, you learn to drive after you pass the test! By which I mean all the things I mentioned upthread about reading the road, hazards, anticipating the actions of other drivers, being able to handle your vehicle in all sorts of weather conditions and generally being a competent and confident driver. And these skills are, by and large, universal and not country dependent.

If time and money weren't a consideration, I think driving lessons and passing the test in the UK means you are further ahead of the game when moving to the US as the UK test is more rigorous on more difficult road conditions and gives you a better place to start. However, as the OP said they had never driven, we have no idea what kind of driver he/she is, and whether they would be able to transfer skills from London to LA easily, or whether it would hinder them to move mid-learning.

Having a few introductory lessons in the UK would at least give them an idea of what would be good for them, particularly if they found an instructor who has experience in teaching international people and/or an understanding of what US driving is like and could advise them appropriately on how they are progressing and what skills they need to focus on. I would have thought London would be a good place to find such an instructor!

NYer

A good friend, neighbor or relative could teach you to drive for free. That's how I learned. You'll need to pick up a handbook for the written test, of course. I failed on the first try! Also, you'll be using an automatic here in the USA, not a "stick shift."

NYer

I drive in NJ and there are plenty of driving schools - it's hell being behind a driver with the sign "Student Driver"! But, yes, high schools generally have driving classes.

Pulaski

If you have never driven before this may not be the best idea for most people for several reasons, not least unless you want to start out by learning their bad habits.

petitefrancaise

we basically taught our daughter. She took her first test and failed it because she failed to come to a complete stop at a right turn junction. Guess where she learned that????

NYer

Well, I wouldn't learn to drive from a friend who had a lot of points or a DUI conviction! And who is to say that some professional driving instructor doesn't have bad habits of his own?!

I've never had a ticket in 30 years of driving.

RoadWarriorFromLP

Yes. Unfortunately, both of them have since died due to suicide.

It is possible to survive on public transit with careful planning and if both job and home are centrally located. But that will limit your options and your housing costs will likely be on the high side. So you should expect to drive, then feel fortunate if you don't have to.

Pulaski

There are probably hundreds of things that could lead to you failing your test but would never get you a ticket.

And the other reasons getting a friend or relative to teach you would be a bad idea include: insurance, suitability of their vehicle, the risk to their vehicle and therefore to your relationship, their patience and suitability as a teacher, mutual availability of time, etc. Most of those reasons are why I would never have got my father to teach me. I only very rarely ever drove his car even after I passed my test, and on one occasion he criticized me for doing something I wasn't doing and knew to not do (tailgating IIRC).

lizzyq

We taught younger son over here and he passed second time. The first time he struggled with the parallel parking, but a week of intensive after school practice in the bowling alley car park sorted that out! That was the only tricky maneouvre on the whole test, and they make you do it first so as not to waste time on the rest of the skills test if you can't do it. A smaller vehicle would have helped.

Wintersong

Can't imagine teaching a brand new driver in a car without dual controls...

civilservant

I never had a license in the UK, although I had had about 20 hours of lessons about 5 years before I moved. The test was easy, but that didn't mean that I didn't make a mistake.

I tapped the gas rather than the break, and the car travelled probably 2 feet before I stopped it.... I still passed with a 92. That's Georgia for now.

Now in the 2 years since I have actually 'learnt' to drive rather than how to pass the test. It's very different. You really have to have eyes like an eagle most of the time to avoid accidents. People flip in/out, run red lights and stop signs, drive at 90mph on 65mph roads - it's crazy.

I'm just glad I drive something that weight 2.5ton because anything smaller I'd be worried about getting into a wreck.

My advice? Pass the test, then learn to drive. A few hours will get you passing the test without too much trouble.

lizzyq

It requires some faith! It is easier in an automatic than a manual though. Younger son had his first experience driving stick last weekend, off-road in the woods in a series Land Rover with typically ineffective brakes and a dodgy carburettor! He was even allowed to take it on the night trail drive with just his 21yo co-driver (necessary to comply with junior licence laws) I owe the owner a drink