Choosing a Driving Instructor

Only Approved Driving Instructors and Driving Instructors who are under training and licensed by the DSA can give driving tuition in return for payment. Whilst anyone with a full driving licence over the age of 21 can accompany you whilst you learn to drive, it is illegal for anyone other than a DSA Licensed Driving Instructor or part trained and licensed Instructor to charge for driving lessons in the UK. Research shows that 90% of people who pass the driving test on their first attempt had lessons from a DSA approved Driving Instructor rather than a friend or relative.

Your Driving Instructor should display a badge inside the car. A green octagonal shaped badge indicates that your instructor is fully qualified and an "Approved Driving Instructor" whilst a triangular pink badge indicates that the instructor is a licensed trainee Driving Instructor who hasn't yet completed training. If your instructor doesn't display a badge then ask to see it. If they can't produce one then you should consider reporting the Driving Instructor to the DSA

DSA Driving Instructor badges

A lot of Driving Schools in the North West use these "Pink Badge" Instructors, it is usually these Driving Schools that offer the cheap lessons. Use your own judgement but for the sake of a few pounds per hour difference it may be wiser to go with a Driving School that uses Fully Qualified ADIs.

Some Driving Schools in the North West offer trial driving lessons. These are a great idea as they allow you to try the car and see what you think about the Driving Instructor before committing to taking Driving Lessons with them. Here are some Driving Schools in the North West UK who offer a trial driving lesson for £10:

Trial Driving Lessons in Warrington
Trial Driving Lessons in Wigan
Trial Driving Lessons in St Helens
Trial Driving Lessons in Liverpool

Don't be afraid to ask questions when you first phone a Driving School. Some of the questions you may want to ask are.

• Do you have more than one pupil in the car at the same time or will it be one to one tuition?
• Are your Driving Instructors all Green Badge holders?
• Do you offer discounts for 2 hour driving lessons?
• What is your pass rate?
• Do you offer reduced rate trial Driving Lessons?
• How old and what make are your Driving School cars?

The best way to find a Driving Instructor is to have one recommended to you. Second to that is to find a company that displays their recent driving test successes on their websites. Some North West Driving Schools have a Driving School Facebook page that often shows recent passes and sometimes also exclusive offers. 

Pass Rates Statistics for North West Driving Test Centres:

Liverpool (Garston) 46.05%

St Helens                 43.15%

Wigan                      46.88%

Warrington              45.72%

Driving School Warrington | Driving School Wigan | Driving School St Helens | Driving School Liverpool