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Renting a car for the driving test

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  1. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Tyresmoke:
    Yup, it's difficult to work out how hiring the instructor's car for half an hour, for the test, costs more than a regular one-hour lesson... but it's quite normal here in HK.

    I asked around but there's no obvious alternative. You've also, presumably, got familiar with driving the instructor's car so using a different car for your test might not be the best idea anyway.
    Yeah, it's a noodle-scratcher for sure. It's just opportunism really. They have the chance to rip you off knowing there's little alternative, and they take it.

    I'm planning to ring around 20 instructors on the (frankly massive) list of driving instructors on the government website. If I can find one that is prepared to offer a more reasonable rate than HK$1,875, I'll take it.

    You make a good point about being used to the car and all, but I'm horribly stubborn and I won't give the previous instructor the satisfaction at this point.

    I would say HK$1,000 is more than reasonable on the learner's part for hiring an instructor's car for 30 minutes. Would you agree? Also, it won't even be anything like a full 30 minutes. The maneuvering part of the test literally took about three minutes when I did it the first time. Granted, that could be half the reason why I failed it ...

  2. #12

    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Manchester, UK
    Posts
    7,789

    Just because the test is 30mins doesnt mean ur renting his car and the instructor for 30 MINS only.

    1. he has to drive it there and wait
    2. he has to wait there god knows how long for your name to be called up for your test to begin
    3. once you have driven back then you all wait for the examiner to access and give you the results and paper work

    ur only looking at the 30 mins of the actual test but not the front and back part. If you dont like paying then do what you said ull do and find a cheaper one and good luck with that as they tend to stick to the same or similar rate, dont think you will find someone for 1K lol

    UK/HKboy and emx like this.

  3. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by chuckster007:
    Just because the test is 30mins doesnt mean ur renting his car and the instructor for 30 MINS only.

    1. he has to drive it there and wait
    2. he has to wait there god knows how long for your name to be called up for your test to begin
    3. once you have driven back then you all wait for the examiner to access and give you the results and paper work

    ur only looking at the 30 mins of the actual test but not the front and back part. If you dont like paying then do what you said ull do and find a cheaper one and good luck with that as they tend to stick to the same or similar rate, dont think you will find someone for 1K lol
    I don't like paying. Thanks for the advice.

    1. I guess he could always invent a teleport device to arrive there - otherwise he just has to get to work like anyone else. He didn't have to wait.
    2. God might not know, but I definitely do: I arrived at the test centre at 11.45am for a scheduled start time of 12.10pm. The examiner decided to begin as soon as I walked into the test centre (11.50am) saying, 'we might as well start now that you're here and your instructor just arrived'. That part of the test was completed by 11.54am.
    3. The examiner took all of four minutes to deliver my big old fail.

    If I don't find someone more reasonable, then I will pay the going rate even though it's highway robbery. I only decided to post this thread to see if anyone had had a similar experience and had discovered a cheaper alternative as the $1,875 is not small change for me.

  4. #14

    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Hong Kong
    Posts
    2,260

    I think it seems fair considering the circumstances. Chuckster explained the time may not be the 30 minutes you account for. There is the opportunity cost as well where he could have spent the hour giving someone else a lesson and making HK$500-700. The risk to the vehicle for an unlicensed driver (remember the instructor isn't there to stop you making mistakes, the examiner waits for your mistakes to happen then fails you). Your lack of options since you don't have a license.

    If you take away these costs, then he's probably only making a few hundred on this. instead of getting annoyed with it, you should focus on the test, using the car you are familiar with, rather than risk failing and having to pay another $2,000...

    Andy SNK and emx like this.

  5. #15

    Join Date
    May 2010
    Posts
    4,713
    Quote Originally Posted by Bertstandards:
    HK1,875 for a 30 minute rental - max!? Fair enough? A fool and his money ...
    just wait until you own a car in hong kong.
    emx, MandM! and chuckster007 like this.

  6. #16

    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Tin Shui Wai
    Posts
    337

    Your instructor is charging you a much higher than market rate. It is normally about $1200 - $1400


  7. #17

    Hi Michael,

    Would you happen to know an instructor who charges something closer to the market rate?

    Cheers