The costs of driving lessons, buying a car and insurance for youngsters could go up to £10,200 if Government proposals for extended tests are brought in.

So for example, if an 18-year-old male buys a Ford Fiesta he would be faced with costs for 150 hours of lessons and paying for more lengthy tests. Despite the driving tests now being made more comprehensive, insurers have warned there will be no cut in premiums for new drivers unless there is a significant fall in accidents on the road. Nowadays the estimated annual premium for an 18-year old male driver in a 1.2litre car costs around £3,000, whereas for a female driver of the same age and driver of the same car would cost around £1,800. The new driving test's aim is to cut the number of road accidents caused by the young and newly qualified drivers. Statistics show that those who are aged from seventeen to twenty years are ten times more likely to have a crash than a driver who is ten years older. Also eight out of ten of all accidental deaths for 15 to 19-year-old boys occur out on the roads, and four people are seriously injured or killed by young drivers every day.

Because of these grim statistics collected, the Government now wants the test system to be reviewed. The Association of British Insurers (also known as ABI) has even called for new drivers to have at least one year's worth of lessons. Statistics collected by the Driving Standards Agency show learners generally have 45 hours of lessons before passing their test. The average cost of a lesson with the AA driving school is around £24, that’s a cost of £1,080 if you just have lessons with registered instructors. However experts fear that with more than 150 hours needed to complete the new tests that costs could rocket to more than £3,600 for those that are unfortunate and don't have a parent or friend who can instruct them.

And even though the new proposals are supposed to help push down the accident rate amongst new drivers, the introduction of a longer test may not help. There already exists a voluntary extended course called Pass Plus, which costs around £171. The purpose of the course is to get qualified drivers a discount of up to 20% off their on their car insurance premiums.

But one in four insurers does not recognise the pass plus course and there is scarce evidence to suggest that the accident rate of those that have passed the course actually have fewer accidents out on the road. There are also worries that added segments of the test could push up the cost of this too. At present learners must pay £30 to sit a theory test, which includes a hazard awareness section and lasts around one hour. They then pay either £56.50 for a weekday practical test or £67 for an evening or a Saturday test. The new test proposals include an extended one-hour theory test, plus a separate 30-minute hazard perception test.

There will then be a practical test which is similar to the current test, followed by a general driving examination where the examiner will not shout out instructions and just watch the driver's general ability. Before they are even allowed to get this far they will have to complete a workbook of road achievements and be given a Test Readiness Certificate.

The need to have the extended assessments is likely to push up the costs of driving tests further, and increase the need for more lessons. And despite all this being an attempt to get better younger drivers on the road, there will be no actual immediate cut in their premiums.