How many hours will it take?

In the UK people usually take between 25 and 40 hours to learn to drive. How many lessons you need will depend upon your motivation and aptitude for driving.

What is the best way to learn to drive?

The best way to learn to drive is to take regular lessons spread over a few weeks on a semi-intensive basis (depends on your own schedule of course). Pupils using the "one-lesson-a-week" approach often take many months to learn to drive. While this helps to spread out the cost you do end up paying more in the long run. This is because you often forget what you have learnt from one week to the next. You end up taking two steps forward and one step back. Consequently, you take many more lessons to pass the test.