Hi Rhys. I didn't have too many lessons in my mini. I only had a few from my dad ( he is a qualified instructor but never actually worked as one lol) I learnt in a Peugeot 106 with a local instructor for the main part.. God awful cars! I took my test in the mini and passed first time. I found that insurance on a provisional licence was about the same as someone that just passed their test.. This was 2003 though and I know insurance has gone through the roof and into the outer atmosphere since then! I seem to remember about £1200 for the first year on a 998 city e. my mini 30 cost me £103 for a year in 2010!! So it pays being a bit older lol. You'll love driving a mini. They're like nothing else. They're not the most powerful as standard but that really doesn't matter. They handle like a go-kart! Good luck with the lessons mate. Don't forget mirror, signal, manover, turn the radio up lol.
cheers joe, my mates dad's instructing car is a Renault 5 door thing (can't remember which one but i dislike most Renaults any way
)........my dad has an old peugeot 106 
lol. i had a look round at insurance costs before i got my mini, i think it was around £1600 which is cheaper than most cars but still ridiculous, a quote for my dad's 106 was something like six grand 
i've given up looking for insurance quotes at the minute, i was going to go classic car which would have been around £800 but they have stopped insuring under 21's 
i had a little go in my mini on some private land when we first brought it and i couldn't stop grinning the whole time
i really can't wait to get it done and start learning to drive in it, as long as i can afford the extra insurance cost Rhys
