I learned to drive in central London, where after about a thousand lessons and three attempts, I finally passed my test.

Some of my family and friends maintain I never really got the hang of it but that’s a different story.

Looking at how the cost of lessons has sky-rocketed since then, I am genuinely amazed anyone under 25 manages to afford it.

The average cost of a driving lesson is now £24-30 an hour and since the Driving Standards Agency recommends at least 47 of them with a professional instructor, that adds up to a bank-busting £1,1200-£1,400.

Add in the £140 to sit the theory exam and road test plus £1,200-1,500 on insurance and you’re looking at a total that is nearer £2,400 before you’ve even mirrored, signalled and manoeuvred.

No wonder the number of 17 to 20-year-olds with a provisional driving licence has fallen from just under half to a third because they’re put off by the cost, according to the latest National Travel Survey.

So, I was surprised to see new research from The Co-operative Insurance which shows young drivers in Oxford are steering away from old bangers and going for smarter, more up-to-date cars.

Apparently, tastes are far more sophisticated than those of previous generations with the most popular first set of wheels in Oxford now a blue Mini costing just over £2,000.

The survey found it’s down to supportive parents paying for their children’s first cars with 21 per cent of young drivers in Oxford admitting they were helped by Bank of Mum and/or Dad.

Another interesting finding is that for the first time, mums have over-taken dads as the parent responsible for teaching their children how to drive.

But it’s not all bad news, as the cost of motoring has fallen for some youngsters thanks to the introduction of ‘smart boxes’, or telematics, which bases premiums on how that person rather than their general age group, drives.

Steve Kerrigan, of The Co-operative Insurance, says: “Parents want peace of mind that their child will be as safe as possible on the roads.

“Our telematics product enables both the driver and their parents to monitor how that person is driving and perhaps more importantly, it helps educate them on mistakes they make behind the wheel and gives them guidance on how they can drive more safely.”

It does seem to work, because not only are premiums cheaper but drivers with a smart box are also 20 per cent less likely to be involved in an accident.

Both my sons, aged 18 and 21, are learning to drive at the moment, so when the time comes, I’ll be steering them in the direction of smart boxes, both to cut costs and get that valuable feedback on their driving.

One thing I won’t be doing is offering to take them out on practice drives.

Although, come to think of it, neither of them has ever asked me to, so I can’t help wondering if that is my very own ‘smart box’ feedback.