Driving instructors near you

Get matched with a local driving instructor instantly!

Find the best instructor

You want to learn with a patient instructor who builds your confidence. That’s why we work with the very best instructors based on learner ratings.

And that’s not all! Your Midrive instructor will help you learn the easy way, with support from the learner app. You’ll enjoy:

  • Easy lesson booking
  • Tips, lesson route maps and progress tracking
  • Handy lesson alerts

Enter your postcode to start your journey to freedom!

How do I find a driving instructor near me?

Wherever you are, it's likely that one of our instructors will be right around the corner. Simply enter your postcode on our real time booking system.

Where do your driving instructors operate?

We have over 2,000 instructors in locations across the UK, so pretty much wherever you are in the country we’ll have a top-rated driving instructor for you!

Our popular locations include Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, Manchester, and Sheffield.

When it comes to local knowledge, our instructors will know your area like the back of their hand. They’ll be able to guide you to the best practice spots for new learners as well as the test routes you'll need to learn before the big day! So, whatever stage you're at in your learning and wherever you are, they'll have you covered.

Do you have automatic driving instructors?

We get that everyone’s different, so we offer automatic driving instructors as well as manual. Bear in mind that there are fewer automatic instructors across the UK, so the demand for them is often higher. We’ll still aim to get you on the road within seven days - just make sure that you enter some weekday daytime options as our instructors tend to be busier on weekends and evenings.

It’s also worth noting that if you learn to drive in an automatic car, you’ll only be able to drive automatics once you get your licence. With a manual licence, though, you’re qualified to drive both types of cars. Driving lessons with automatic instructors also tend to be more expensive.

Don’t let that put you off! There are certainly perks when it comes to driving an automatic car. There’s less to get your head around, so many learners find that they end up learning faster and passing quicker as a result. Plus, it’s said that automatics are the cars of the future. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

Do you have manual driving instructors?

While we offer both manual and automatic driving lessons, choosing manual has many benefits! For starters, there are more manual instructors in the profession. This means matching you to an excellent Midrive instructor is easy. On top of that, manual lessons tend to be cheaper.

With a manual licence, you’ll be able to drive both manual and automatic cars - lucky you! The slight downfall is there’ll be more to remember which could make studying for your test a bit more difficult.

Do your instructors teach on weekends?

We have instructors available on both weekends and weekdays. Plus, unlike many other driving schools, we won’t charge you more on weekends or evenings!

There are pros and cons to having your driving lessons at the weekend. One perk is that roads tend to be less busy compared to weekdays. On the other hand, you may have to wait slightly longer to be matched with an instructor if you’re only available at weekends. The shortest wait times would be during the day mid-week as that’s when the most instructors are available.

We will do our best to work around your schedule! Just keep in mind that the more flexible you are with availability the easier it will be to get you matched.

Can I learn with a female driving instructor?

We realise that some people would prefer to have a female instructor.

While we’ll be sure to take note of your preference there are fewer female instructors around, so they tend to be in greater demand. If you’re really keen on learning with a female instructor we’ll try our best to make that happen, but it could take us a bit longer to get you matched.

That said, we believe genders are irrelevant when it comes to finding an excellent instructor!

How it works

1

Match

Get matched with driving instructors instantly.

2

Book

Choose your lesson package, then select a date and time.

3

Learn

Confirm your slot and start your driving lessons.

Common questions

How do I choose a driving instructor?

You need to choose a driving instructor near you that encourages you, helps you to enjoy learning and won’t cost the earth!

That’s why we recommend doing 3 simple things when you’re comparing local driving schools and instructors:

  • Ask about waiting times. You don’t want to splash out on lessons with a driving instructor who then makes you wait weeks before you can get started - so make sure you ask about waiting times.

  • Read the terms and conditions. Some driving instructors will be stricter than others about how far in advance you need to cancel lessons in order to get a refund. Reading the terms and conditions will give you a clearer idea of which local driving instructor best suits you.

  • Find out what happens if you don’t get on. Hopefully you’ll get on with your driving instructor like a house on fire, but it’s important to find out what happens if you don’t. At Midrive, we let you switch driving instructors free of charge, but if you go straight to a driving instructor, they won’t have that option - check whether they’d be happy to give you a refund.

How many driving instructors are there in the UK?

There are 39,710 driving instructors in the UK, based on the DVSA’s statistics for 2018-19. The numbers have reduced over recent years - there were 46,569 driving instructors back in 2011-2012.

How long does it take to become a driving instructor?

It takes most people at least six months to become a fully qualified driving instructor, although there isn’t a set timeframe. Instructors in training have to take a three-part exam made up of a theory test, a driving ability test and a teaching ability test. Depending on how much time an instructor has to train, they could take more or less time to become qualified. More info can be found here.

What is a grade A driving instructor?

Driving instructors get assessed on their ability regularly. Each time they’re assessed, they get given one of three grades - grade A, grade B and fail. Grade A is the highest grade. Some driving instructors still have a grade from the old system, in which case they’ll have a number from 1 to 6. In this system, 6 is the highest grade, while 1 is the lowest.

How much do driving instructors make?

Driving instructors all charge differently, and there can be large differences in price even between driving instructors who cover the same postcode! However, the important thing to bear in mind is that a driving instructor won’t be pocketing the full cost of your driving lessons as they have many other costs they’ll need to cover. These costs will include hiring a dual control car, forking out for insurance, paying for petrol and keeping their car serviced as well as any potential driving school franchise fees.

That’s why it’s important not to choose a driving instructor who’s far cheaper than average in your area - you don’t know where they’re saving money! The last thing you want is to learn in an unsafe vehicle or two spend your lessons static in the car to save on fuel costs!

What’s an ADI number?

An ADI number is an individual code that’s allocated to a driving instructor once they’re registered (‘ADI’ stands for ‘approved driving instructor’). You can use your instructor’s ADI number to check that they are qualified to teach you, through the DVSA. You’ll also be asked to enter your instructor’s ADI number when you book your practical driving test. This is so you can avoid booking your test at the same time as somebody else who has the same instructor.

Do driving instructors need to have dual control cars?

It’s not a legal requirement for driving instructors to have dual controls, but it’s very rare that a driving instructor doesn’t have them. It’s safest to learn with dual controls so that your driving instructor can easily take over the controls if you make a mistake. All Midrive instructors teach in dual control cars.

Are female driving instructors better?

Many learners, particularly female learners, wish to learn with a female driving instructor. Female driving instructors aren’t necessarily better than male driving instructors - your instructor’s gender shouldn’t affect their teaching ability. That said, being relaxed during your driving lessons is important. So if you feel more comfortable with one gender over another, you’re likely to progress quicker with an instructor of that gender.

What should I ask my driving instructor?

There are two primary questions you should ask your driving instructor regularly:

  1. What am I doing well?
  2. What do I need to improve at?

This way, you can then spend time between lessons honing the skills that need some work.

Check out more questions you should ask your driving instructor.

How many driving lessons does it take to pass a driving test?

The average amount of driving lessons needed to pass a driving test is 47 hours, according to the DVSA. However, no two learners are the same. You may be able to pass to take fewer driving lessons to pass by:

How many hours do you get with a driving instructor each week?

There is no set answer to how often you should have driving lessons with your driving instructor. While some learners who are under time constraints choose to take intensive driving courses, the most effective way to learn how to drive is to take regular driving lessons once or twice a week. This will give you time to absorb what you’ve learnt in lessons and to experience different road and weather conditions.

How can I pass my driving test first time?

Your instructor won’t usually recommend you book your driving test unless you’re driving at test standard in lessons. So, if anything holds you back from passing your driving test, it’ll probably be nerves. To give yourself the best chance of passing your driving test first time, follow this advice:

  1. Keep yourself busy on the day of your test
  2. Take a driving lesson directly before your test
  3. Put on a calming playlist while you wait for your test to start

To find out more, read our post on how to beat driving lesson nerves.

See prices near you