Young Driver Reviews 7,228

Brilliant instructor, told us everything after his lesson had finished and was really good with my son. Booked in for his next one while we was there, all staff very polite and if you have any questions there more than happy to help.

Staff were amazing. Made my daughter feel special. Lesson was Fun, whilst my daughter was educated.

A great experience, my son had a fabulous time and made excellent progress in such a sort time.

We had been having weekly lessons with this company, and my son had built a good rapport with his instructor. We therefore arranged to continue with the same instructor the following week.

However, on arrival we were told there had been an admin error and the instructor had been allocated to someone else. Despite our instructor explaining that this was a first lesson with the other pupil and that our booking had effectively been assigned incorrectly, we were told nothing could be changed.

We were advised this was a head office error, so I sent an email 10 days ago and, after receiving no response, followed up with a feedback form 4 days ago—again with no reply. I also spoke to someone at head office who said they would pass the matter to management, but unfortunately we have still heard nothing.

We have since changed driving schools. A simple courtesy call or email would have gone a long way in resolving this, but the lack of communication has been disappointing.

I suspect this review may prompt a response, but it’s frustrating that something which could have been resolved quickly over the phone has been left unaddressed.

Great tuition tony our sons instructor was patient and thorough and filled him with confidence so much so that we are about to re book and he wants tony again !

Fantastic experience, staff were lovely and very efficient. Patient with my daughter

Great company. My son really enjoys these lessons. They are worth the money. All the instuctors are really friendly. They give you a log to track thier progress.

Incredible experience...from the welcome at the reception desk by a young lady who helped put my daughter at ease, to Kevin, the instructor who was fabulous with her and her growth in confidence.

Today was my 14 year olds 12th lesson in 2 years & his 2nd with pat the instructor who was fantastic & taught my son some new skills & let him make some decisions of his own. I hope we get Pat again.

I think all youngsters should do this, really helps to build confidence and hopefully better drivers.

One star is too much.

We booked a Young Driver experience for our 12-year-old son at Lingfield Racecourse through Virgin Experience Days. Unfortunately it was one of the worst experiences we have ever had. The instructor (Lionel) assigned to my son arrived late and immediately began complaining to a colleague that he thought it was his break and that he now had to do “another one”. This conversation took place directly in front of us, which immediately made my son uncomfortable. He then swore and made a comment about having “another one he can’t swear in front of”. When speaking to my son he was abrupt and aggressive in tone, asking if he had driven before and if he was nervous. When my son said yes, he challenged him with “why”, despite this being his first time driving and him only being 12 years old. Once they got into the car, they spent around 20 minutes just sitting stationary while other children were driving around the course. My son did not complete even a single lap of the track during the entire 30-minute session. By the end of the lesson my son was extremely upset, saying the instructor had repeatedly told him he was a bad driver. This is a child who had never driven before and was there for a confidence-building experience. This was supposed to be a fun introduction to driving, but instead it left my son distressed and humiliated. I would strongly urge the company to review the suitability and behaviour of this instructor, as no child should have their confidence knocked like this on their first experience behind the wheel. Disgusting behaviour.

UPDATE FOLLOWING THE COMPANY RESPONSE:
Following this review, the company is responding publicly on Trustpilot but hasn't yet bothered contact me directly to understand what happened or resolve the issue.

While their reply describes the instructor’s behaviour as “light-hearted humour”, I do not accept that swearing in front of a 12-year-old, openly complaining about having to run his session, and telling a child he is a “bad driver” can be considered appropriate in any context. The in-car video also supports this.

Regardless of intent, the outcome was that my son left the experience in tears after his very first time driving. He also did not complete a single lap of the track.

It is disappointing that the response focuses on defending the situation and my reaction as a parent, rather than acknowledging the impact on a child and taking clear responsibility.

I am also concerned that there was no clear or immediate way to contact instructors during sessions. As a parent, I find this unacceptable and it raises serious concerns around safeguarding and safety procedures.

The handling of the situation onsite was also poor, with staff prioritising other tasks (fixing two metals posts and then rude about me in front of my son which was caught on the in-car video), before attempting to address my concerns.

I am still awaiting a proper resolution. Absolutely appalling - zero stars.

Excellent staff and terriffic with me and my Daughter

I’ve just booked a driving lesson party for my soon to be 12 year old daughter. She has had a number of lessons so far and absolutely loved them! Andrea made the booking experience so easy. It feels like ringing an old friend now when I call to make a booking. Thank you Andrea and ‘Young Driver’. My children are looking forward to their lessons with Ifet and Sally again but we are off to a venue new to us in Bedfordshire. They cannot wait and their friends are super excited at the idea of driving a real ca too! Thank you!

Great driving experience for our 13 year old daughter in a safe environment. Great instructors who settled her nerves and made the experience very enjoyable for her.

Amazing both kids love it

Great experience, this is 5th time my son has been and positive, confidence building experience each time.

Pat was amazing, my son enjoyed his experience at 13 . We can't wait to come back in the future!

Granddaughter loved this, it was a great fun experience. Brilliant instructors. Would recommend.

Easy to book
Friendly staff and the driving instructor made my daughter feel at ease. She cant wait to have another go.