How old were you the first time you drove a car,and what was your first car?
October 1, 2025
Did you find it difficult to learn to drive?
Did you have a lot of driving lessons? Are they compulsory in your country before doing the driving test?
41 comments
I first drove a car when I was 18 and took lessons to get my licence in Germany. I did find it difficult. Driving makes me nervous because I keep thinking how even if its not technically my fault, if there is an accident and I’m in the car and the other person is not, I’ll probably hurt someone. I still don’t like driving to this day, even though it has gotten better with experience.
I think I had like an average+ number of lessons. Lessons are compulsory in Germany.
I do not own a car and never have. First car I drove regularly was my mums tiny red Peugeot.
Define “drive”. I was six when steered my grandfathers car while he managed the throttle and brake.
First time I drove car was when I was around 11 or 12 years old. My father worked in a building that had a very big yard and they always had a bunch of old cars there, so one summer around that age I learnt how to drive and drove around the building for weeks. I didn’t really find it difficult to learn, not even at that age.
Then at 16 I got my A1 licence and at 18 I got my B licence. There was theory lessons, driving lessons both during the day and in the dark, and special car control lessons on a wet skid pad. You have to do them all before the test, but if you already have an A1 licence you don’t have to do as much theory lessons for the B.
My first car was a 1983 Mercedes-Benz W123 230E.
i was 5 or 6 when my grandpa was at a family reunion and i stole his car to “go get him” and i drove 2 meters into a wall
but really, my first “real time” driving was at 17.
In Romania you have mandatory driving lessons that you can start 3 months before you turn 18, but you must be at least 18 to take the theoretical test, then take the practical test.
i didn’t find it difficult, but it’s frustrating, that’s why i don’t like driving and i don’t do it very often
My dad taught me when I was 13 in an old military jeep on an open military training ground. I got my license with 18, and drove friends’ cars till I bought my first one with 26.
I didn’t really do any lessons. They weren’t terribly comprehensive when I did my test 😅 I didn’t even have to drive in traffic. In Turkey, driving is something you learn on your own after you get your license.
I drove once for maybe a minute with an uncle when I was around 12, 20 years ago. Have never had any desire to ever do it again since
I drove for the first time when I was 16, which is illegal.
Took driving lessons at 19, about 25 hours worth (which is pretty common in NL). Driving lessons are technically not mandatory, but no way you’d pass if you didn’t take them, and driving without a license is illegal. We don’t have learner’s permits or something like that. The exam agency’s requirements are different from what any normal person does, so unless you know their specific procedures, you’re not going to pass. First time pass rate is 45%.
I was 14-15 when my dad started letting me drive on the small village roads (with him obviously). That was in a Fiat Cincuecento (not 500!). A bit later I started doing the same with my grandfather’s Lada 21013 (Zhiguli). I’m glad to have had the chance to learn on such primitive vehicles.
I was 36. It’s a bit cheaper now, but getting a license used to be really pricey in Finland, like over 2000€. When I was younger that kind of money in my bank account meant I was going somewhere with sun and cheap beer.
17, in driving school. It was a ten tonne lorry, cannot recall whether it was a Sisu or Scania.
I was probably six and, it was an MTZ-50 3-ton tractor with a plow under my grandfather’s supervision.
My grandpa got ticketed for it, but the sweet memory of this drive outlived him and the policeman too.
Driving Legally… I was 17 when I got my licence.
I passed at 17, mix of instructor lessons and drivinbg with my mum in her fiat panda.
Mostly drove that now and then when I passed, didn’t actually buy a car until I was 26 and then got a renault clio.
Now I have the classic dutch 3 bikes at different stations set up, occasinally drive my partners i20
Legally on the open road, 18 as that was the minimum age back then. First time I drove a car, properly, clutch and all was in my grandparents’ field, I must have been between 10-12.
To get a license you definitely need lessons, although there is no compulsory amount of lessons you have to take. I think the average is around 30 hours.
My first car was an old MG I fixed up together with my dad. Still own it.
I was 17 exactly. Had my first lesson on my birthday. 17 is the minimum age in the UK.
My first car was a nine year old Ford Fiesta (1990), called Fifi 😆🤦🏻♂️
Around 14-15 when my dad taught me to drive on abandoned rural dead-end roads in the middle of a field.
Then took the official lessons when I was 17, the test when I was 18.
As for your question, OP, I am now worried – is there a country where they give you a driver’s license without actually, you know, any driving?
First time on empty parking lot with my mom when I was 17 just to try it out, did my licence at 18. We had several lessons both in simulator and in car with instructor before the final test. Lessons with instructor are mandatory by law, simulator isn’t and some driving schools don’t even have them.
It was stresfull at first, especially since my instructor was like one of those army drill sergants in American movies – lot of shouting, swearing and insults. But at least I learned it properly, and after getting the licence it got easier and easier with each drive.
Got my first car as 31 years old. It’s kind of ironic that for some time before that I worked as driver for a living, but had no car of my own.
Around 10 at my mates farm. Learned to drive in cars his Dad bought for £50 from junkyards. Great fun! Very easy to learn. Was doing competitive go karting at the time. Still managed to fail my 1st driving test because I made an error. First car was a 1.6 Ford Escort. Great fun. I had maybe 3 driving lessons to learn how to do the correct legal things on the road. Compulsory written/computer and practical tests in the UK.
18, never owned my own car, always borrowed from family or partner. So far I have come across VW Passat, VW Bora, VW Polo, Renault Clio and currently it’s mostly a VW Golf.
Learning to drive wasn’t that difficult but I also don’t like it very much. Driving in my own town is ok, but driving in an unknown area causes me stress.
Some special driving lessons like driving at night or on the autobahn are mandatory. Besides that I maybe took 3-4 extra lessons.
>How old were you the first time you drove a car?
* At 14 in my father’s car on a parking lot.
* At 15 with a friend’s grandmother’s car in the woods.
* At 15 with a car without license plates and battery also in the woods.
>what was your first car?
* Citroën AX from the early 1990s
* VW Polo Mk2 from the late 1980s
* VW Jetta Mk2 from the early 1990s
>Did you find it difficult to learn to drive?
No.
>Did you have a lot of driving lessons?
* Countless hours with various cars, motorcycles, mopeds and microcars.
* 20 hours at the driving school back in 2000; it’s 18 hours nowadays.
>Are they compulsory in your country before doing the driving test?
Yes.
Either 18 hours at the driving school, or 1000 km with accompanying person that already has the license, followed by an examination drive at a driving school before the actual test.
I was 21 when I started taking driving lessons. I did find it difficult! It took me two tries and about 50 hours worth of lessons to pass the exam. I did have to stop my lessons twice for a couple of months due to Covid though. So I think that also impacted my learning curve.
I have no car, but I drive a VW Up a couple of times a year. Big cars still sort of scare me, especially when parking.
12-13 YO the first times, but not on public roads.
At 17 I could drive with a capable person in the side seat.
Did not have to have lots of hours to get my certificate, but there are a lot of coerces we have to go through in this country, so it was not cheap anyway.
Luckily many people fail their test, but not enough 😀
First time driving (alone in the driver side seat) I was 14, it was a Citroën 2CV. My first car was a Ford Cortina 1.6L. Difficult, I had been driving a moped for 2 years then so no, not difficult. Not a lot of lessons, but we lived out in the country so driving a car outside of public roads was done a lot. When I took my license back in 84 lessons was not compulsory, but you saved a lot of money having the basic down before paying to learn.
Learning the mechanics to drive (clutch/stick/gas etc) – easy once you know what is what.
Learning to drive with other people around you – extremely hard.
and of course, the instructor went to cities that are ‘not easy’ to navigate / busy/ full of roadworks.. and the idiots..
When you are used to live in a smaller town / city – and then the capital is daunting.
Driving lessons – i think i had 30 to 35 .. not certain. and the test was in 3 steps (1st one, car broke down before – postponed. 2nd – too much snow, postponed – 3rd – got it in one)
Took driving lessons at 18 years old and got my licence.
Drove my dad’s car when I needed to the first years. But still prefer to go most places by bike.
I steered from the middle seat (there were middle seats back then) when I was 10 or 11, and probably drove for the first time when I was 13 or 14. Drivers’ training at 15, graduated license at 16, and first car at 16: a 1984 Ford Escort.
I drove tractor and forestry harvestor as a kid. But first car was dad’s pick up at field when I was like 17. My first actual car was VW Golf mk3.
First time driving a car by myself: 9 year old driving Maluch/Fiat 126p
First time driving a car after exam: 18 year old driving Renault scenic II 1.6 petrol engine
My first car: Ford mondeo mk3 with 1.8 125 km petrol engine
I passed state exam at 3 try and had total 36 hours of practical lessons and 20 hours of theory.
17 and a Triumph Dolomite. Not a Sprint. 1300cc in “Russet Brown”.
I was the first in my school year with a car. Oddly, I became more popular with the girls 🙂
How old were you the first time you drove a car?
I don’t know exactly but the first time I was alone at the steering wheel I must have been around 14.
What was your first car?
A Toyota Corolla from 1995.
Did you find it difficult to learn to drive?
I don’t know if it was difficult, but I had a lot of anxiety about it in the beginning.
Did you have a lot of driving lessons?
I had the mandatory amount of driving lessons plus 2 extra because I failed the driving test the first time.
Are they compulsory in your country before doing the driving test?
Yes, you need driving lessons with an instructor and theorical lessons and test as well.
It depends. I was 5-ish when I steered my grandparents neighbours car while sitting in her lap.
I drove by myself when I was 13-14.
First car was a 1969 Volvo 142.
I think I was around 25 or so. Never needed a car in Moscow, but my fiancée wanted me to learn to drive.
I learned to “handle a car” when I was 11 or 12. A friend of mine back then came from a farm with a small network of private roads. We both were allowed to cruise around those roads in the “farm car”, an old Citroen Visa.
I learned to properly drive in traffic when I was 16 when beeing trained for a 50ccm moped license in a driving school. With 18 I passed the exams for my car and motorbike license.
My first car was a VW Polo 1 from 1979.
18 and one month. Never had s car of my own. I drove a daewoo matiz from a family friend, then a Fabia, and then Opel Corsa. Was easy to learn to drive as I learned during winter, in the mountains. It was 100 euros school and taxes in 2003. Mandatory driving 40 hours I guess and school 2 times per week for s month ( i could be wrong as it happen quite a while ago) all in all, I became a very god and non agressive driver. And I am like that to this day. We have an audi and a ford and of course a dacia
Had my first lesson last week. I’m 35.
I’m learning to drive manual because that’s what we have, but I’m tempted to switch to automatic. We’ll probably buy a new car within a year anyway.
I started learning to drive when I was about twenty, but didn’t get too far with it. Then when I was mid-30s we moved to somewhere I needed to be able to drive, so I took proper lessons then. Maybe about 10 lessons? I don’t recall
I was nervous at first, but now I drive confidently and(I like to think) well
Never drove or owned a car. I’m in my late forties.
I was 18 when one Sunday morning my father took me to an empty parking lot and taught me the basics – how to turn on the engine, how to start moving without stalling and how to shift – so I could start driving as soon as I sign up for the driving school.
Opel Corsa 1.2 45 HP. Ultra safe option compared to modern ones 😅
Once we were about two or three yo, my dad would drive with us in his lap and it didn’t take long before we were steering.
I learned to drive on an old stick shift pickup, in a pineapple field.
I started driving lessons a few months before turning 17 and got my license by the time I was 17. The first few lessons were difficult as I had trouble with letting go of the clutch too quickly but I quickly got used to driving a manual car and still do. In Germany you have to be 18 to drive a car on your own but you can get your license earlier and drive with a designated adult who is over 25 and has had their license for more than five years, which is what I did. This way I was able to get more practice and could always rely on my copilot in uncertain situations. My first car was a VW Golf VII that I shared with my brother.
Quite late I suppose. I was 24. My parents never let me drive in an empty parking lot or anything nor was I particularly curious about driving. I learned because I had to, as I needed a car if I hoped to find a job where I live.
41 comments
I first drove a car when I was 18 and took lessons to get my licence in Germany. I did find it difficult. Driving makes me nervous because I keep thinking how even if its not technically my fault, if there is an accident and I’m in the car and the other person is not, I’ll probably hurt someone. I still don’t like driving to this day, even though it has gotten better with experience.
I think I had like an average+ number of lessons. Lessons are compulsory in Germany.
I do not own a car and never have. First car I drove regularly was my mums tiny red Peugeot.
Define “drive”. I was six when steered my grandfathers car while he managed the throttle and brake.
First time I drove car was when I was around 11 or 12 years old. My father worked in a building that had a very big yard and they always had a bunch of old cars there, so one summer around that age I learnt how to drive and drove around the building for weeks. I didn’t really find it difficult to learn, not even at that age.
Then at 16 I got my A1 licence and at 18 I got my B licence. There was theory lessons, driving lessons both during the day and in the dark, and special car control lessons on a wet skid pad. You have to do them all before the test, but if you already have an A1 licence you don’t have to do as much theory lessons for the B.
My first car was a 1983 Mercedes-Benz W123 230E.
i was 5 or 6 when my grandpa was at a family reunion and i stole his car to “go get him” and i drove 2 meters into a wall
but really, my first “real time” driving was at 17.
In Romania you have mandatory driving lessons that you can start 3 months before you turn 18, but you must be at least 18 to take the theoretical test, then take the practical test.
i didn’t find it difficult, but it’s frustrating, that’s why i don’t like driving and i don’t do it very often
My dad taught me when I was 13 in an old military jeep on an open military training ground. I got my license with 18, and drove friends’ cars till I bought my first one with 26.
I didn’t really do any lessons. They weren’t terribly comprehensive when I did my test 😅 I didn’t even have to drive in traffic. In Turkey, driving is something you learn on your own after you get your license.
I drove once for maybe a minute with an uncle when I was around 12, 20 years ago. Have never had any desire to ever do it again since
I drove for the first time when I was 16, which is illegal.
Took driving lessons at 19, about 25 hours worth (which is pretty common in NL). Driving lessons are technically not mandatory, but no way you’d pass if you didn’t take them, and driving without a license is illegal. We don’t have learner’s permits or something like that. The exam agency’s requirements are different from what any normal person does, so unless you know their specific procedures, you’re not going to pass. First time pass rate is 45%.
I was 14-15 when my dad started letting me drive on the small village roads (with him obviously). That was in a Fiat Cincuecento (not 500!). A bit later I started doing the same with my grandfather’s Lada 21013 (Zhiguli). I’m glad to have had the chance to learn on such primitive vehicles.
I was 36. It’s a bit cheaper now, but getting a license used to be really pricey in Finland, like over 2000€. When I was younger that kind of money in my bank account meant I was going somewhere with sun and cheap beer.
17, in driving school. It was a ten tonne lorry, cannot recall whether it was a Sisu or Scania.
I was probably six and, it was an MTZ-50 3-ton tractor with a plow under my grandfather’s supervision.
My grandpa got ticketed for it, but the sweet memory of this drive outlived him and the policeman too.
Driving Legally… I was 17 when I got my licence.
I passed at 17, mix of instructor lessons and drivinbg with my mum in her fiat panda.
Mostly drove that now and then when I passed, didn’t actually buy a car until I was 26 and then got a renault clio.
Now I have the classic dutch 3 bikes at different stations set up, occasinally drive my partners i20
Legally on the open road, 18 as that was the minimum age back then. First time I drove a car, properly, clutch and all was in my grandparents’ field, I must have been between 10-12.
To get a license you definitely need lessons, although there is no compulsory amount of lessons you have to take. I think the average is around 30 hours.
My first car was an old MG I fixed up together with my dad. Still own it.
I was 17 exactly. Had my first lesson on my birthday. 17 is the minimum age in the UK.
My first car was a nine year old Ford Fiesta (1990), called Fifi 😆🤦🏻♂️
Around 14-15 when my dad taught me to drive on abandoned rural dead-end roads in the middle of a field.
Then took the official lessons when I was 17, the test when I was 18.
As for your question, OP, I am now worried – is there a country where they give you a driver’s license without actually, you know, any driving?
First time on empty parking lot with my mom when I was 17 just to try it out, did my licence at 18. We had several lessons both in simulator and in car with instructor before the final test. Lessons with instructor are mandatory by law, simulator isn’t and some driving schools don’t even have them.
It was stresfull at first, especially since my instructor was like one of those army drill sergants in American movies – lot of shouting, swearing and insults. But at least I learned it properly, and after getting the licence it got easier and easier with each drive.
Got my first car as 31 years old. It’s kind of ironic that for some time before that I worked as driver for a living, but had no car of my own.
Around 10 at my mates farm. Learned to drive in cars his Dad bought for £50 from junkyards. Great fun! Very easy to learn. Was doing competitive go karting at the time. Still managed to fail my 1st driving test because I made an error. First car was a 1.6 Ford Escort. Great fun. I had maybe 3 driving lessons to learn how to do the correct legal things on the road. Compulsory written/computer and practical tests in the UK.
18, never owned my own car, always borrowed from family or partner. So far I have come across VW Passat, VW Bora, VW Polo, Renault Clio and currently it’s mostly a VW Golf.
Learning to drive wasn’t that difficult but I also don’t like it very much. Driving in my own town is ok, but driving in an unknown area causes me stress.
Some special driving lessons like driving at night or on the autobahn are mandatory. Besides that I maybe took 3-4 extra lessons.
>How old were you the first time you drove a car?
* At 14 in my father’s car on a parking lot.
* At 15 with a friend’s grandmother’s car in the woods.
* At 15 with a car without license plates and battery also in the woods.
>what was your first car?
* Citroën AX from the early 1990s
* VW Polo Mk2 from the late 1980s
* VW Jetta Mk2 from the early 1990s
>Did you find it difficult to learn to drive?
No.
>Did you have a lot of driving lessons?
* Countless hours with various cars, motorcycles, mopeds and microcars.
* 20 hours at the driving school back in 2000; it’s 18 hours nowadays.
>Are they compulsory in your country before doing the driving test?
Yes.
Either 18 hours at the driving school, or 1000 km with accompanying person that already has the license, followed by an examination drive at a driving school before the actual test.
I was 21 when I started taking driving lessons. I did find it difficult! It took me two tries and about 50 hours worth of lessons to pass the exam. I did have to stop my lessons twice for a couple of months due to Covid though. So I think that also impacted my learning curve.
I have no car, but I drive a VW Up a couple of times a year. Big cars still sort of scare me, especially when parking.
12-13 YO the first times, but not on public roads.
At 17 I could drive with a capable person in the side seat.
Did not have to have lots of hours to get my certificate, but there are a lot of coerces we have to go through in this country, so it was not cheap anyway.
Luckily many people fail their test, but not enough 😀
First time driving (alone in the driver side seat) I was 14, it was a Citroën 2CV. My first car was a Ford Cortina 1.6L. Difficult, I had been driving a moped for 2 years then so no, not difficult. Not a lot of lessons, but we lived out in the country so driving a car outside of public roads was done a lot. When I took my license back in 84 lessons was not compulsory, but you saved a lot of money having the basic down before paying to learn.
Learning the mechanics to drive (clutch/stick/gas etc) – easy once you know what is what.
Learning to drive with other people around you – extremely hard.
and of course, the instructor went to cities that are ‘not easy’ to navigate / busy/ full of roadworks.. and the idiots..
When you are used to live in a smaller town / city – and then the capital is daunting.
Driving lessons – i think i had 30 to 35 .. not certain. and the test was in 3 steps (1st one, car broke down before – postponed. 2nd – too much snow, postponed – 3rd – got it in one)
Took driving lessons at 18 years old and got my licence.
Drove my dad’s car when I needed to the first years. But still prefer to go most places by bike.
I steered from the middle seat (there were middle seats back then) when I was 10 or 11, and probably drove for the first time when I was 13 or 14. Drivers’ training at 15, graduated license at 16, and first car at 16: a 1984 Ford Escort.
I drove tractor and forestry harvestor as a kid. But first car was dad’s pick up at field when I was like 17. My first actual car was VW Golf mk3.
First time driving a car by myself: 9 year old driving Maluch/Fiat 126p
First time driving a car after exam: 18 year old driving Renault scenic II 1.6 petrol engine
My first car: Ford mondeo mk3 with 1.8 125 km petrol engine
I passed state exam at 3 try and had total 36 hours of practical lessons and 20 hours of theory.
17 and a Triumph Dolomite. Not a Sprint. 1300cc in “Russet Brown”.
I was the first in my school year with a car. Oddly, I became more popular with the girls 🙂
How old were you the first time you drove a car?
I don’t know exactly but the first time I was alone at the steering wheel I must have been around 14.
What was your first car?
A Toyota Corolla from 1995.
Did you find it difficult to learn to drive?
I don’t know if it was difficult, but I had a lot of anxiety about it in the beginning.
Did you have a lot of driving lessons?
I had the mandatory amount of driving lessons plus 2 extra because I failed the driving test the first time.
Are they compulsory in your country before doing the driving test?
Yes, you need driving lessons with an instructor and theorical lessons and test as well.
It depends. I was 5-ish when I steered my grandparents neighbours car while sitting in her lap.
I drove by myself when I was 13-14.
First car was a 1969 Volvo 142.
I think I was around 25 or so. Never needed a car in Moscow, but my fiancée wanted me to learn to drive.
I learned to “handle a car” when I was 11 or 12. A friend of mine back then came from a farm with a small network of private roads. We both were allowed to cruise around those roads in the “farm car”, an old Citroen Visa.
I learned to properly drive in traffic when I was 16 when beeing trained for a 50ccm moped license in a driving school. With 18 I passed the exams for my car and motorbike license.
My first car was a VW Polo 1 from 1979.
18 and one month. Never had s car of my own. I drove a daewoo matiz from a family friend, then a Fabia, and then Opel Corsa. Was easy to learn to drive as I learned during winter, in the mountains. It was 100 euros school and taxes in 2003. Mandatory driving 40 hours I guess and school 2 times per week for s month ( i could be wrong as it happen quite a while ago) all in all, I became a very god and non agressive driver. And I am like that to this day. We have an audi and a ford and of course a dacia
Had my first lesson last week. I’m 35.
I’m learning to drive manual because that’s what we have, but I’m tempted to switch to automatic. We’ll probably buy a new car within a year anyway.
I started learning to drive when I was about twenty, but didn’t get too far with it. Then when I was mid-30s we moved to somewhere I needed to be able to drive, so I took proper lessons then. Maybe about 10 lessons? I don’t recall
I was nervous at first, but now I drive confidently and(I like to think) well
Never drove or owned a car. I’m in my late forties.
I was 18 when one Sunday morning my father took me to an empty parking lot and taught me the basics – how to turn on the engine, how to start moving without stalling and how to shift – so I could start driving as soon as I sign up for the driving school.
Opel Corsa 1.2 45 HP. Ultra safe option compared to modern ones 😅
Once we were about two or three yo, my dad would drive with us in his lap and it didn’t take long before we were steering.
I learned to drive on an old stick shift pickup, in a pineapple field.
I started driving lessons a few months before turning 17 and got my license by the time I was 17. The first few lessons were difficult as I had trouble with letting go of the clutch too quickly but I quickly got used to driving a manual car and still do. In Germany you have to be 18 to drive a car on your own but you can get your license earlier and drive with a designated adult who is over 25 and has had their license for more than five years, which is what I did. This way I was able to get more practice and could always rely on my copilot in uncertain situations. My first car was a VW Golf VII that I shared with my brother.
Quite late I suppose. I was 24. My parents never let me drive in an empty parking lot or anything nor was I particularly curious about driving. I learned because I had to, as I needed a car if I hoped to find a job where I live.