Driving Lessons in High Wycombe

Choosing driving schools in High Wycombe

It’s important that you learn with a driving instructor in High Wycombe who:

• Encourages you
• Makes learning fun
• Won’t cost an arm and a leg!

So when you come to look for a driving school in High Wycombe, make sure that you do these 4 things:

1. Compare reviews

You want to choose a driving school in High Wycombe that other learners have enjoyed learning with.

2. Beware of terms and conditions

It’s important that you know what you’re signing up for when you book driving lessons. Some driving schools in High Wycombe require you to use up your whole lesson package within a short space of time, whereas others won’t refund you for unused hours. Make sure that you pick a school whose terms work for you.

3. Check that you can switch instructors

It’s important that you get on with your driving instructor - after all, you’re going to be spending a lot of time in the car with them! Not all driving schools in High Wycombe state whether or not they’ll let you switch instructors for free. So, make sure you ask before committing yourself.

4. Avoid long waiting times

If you’re in a hurry to get your driving licence, you don’t want to be waiting weeks before your first lesson. Some driving schools in High Wycombe don’t reveal their waiting times until you’re already part of the way through booking your lessons, so it’s best to ask before you get too far along in the process.

Tips for learning to drive in High Wycombe

We’d recommend putting in plenty of practice between your driving lessons in High Wycombe. This is the best way to build your confidence, give you experience driving in different weather conditions, and pass your driving test faster. In fact, the DVSA recommends 22 hours of private practice before taking the practical driving test.

Here are some of our favourite areas to practise in High Wycombe.

• Chiltern Avenue: Chiltern Avenue and the residential roads surrounding it are made narrow by parked cars on both sides. According to our driving instructors in High Wycombe, they’re ideal for brushing up on your passing distances and parallel parking.

• Bottom Road: Since High Wycombe is surrounded by the Chilterns AONB, there are many spots to perfect your country road driving - Bottom Road is just one. Our driving instructors in High Wycombe recommend spending some time getting used to appropriate speeds on country roads, as the national speed limit isn’t always the most sensible speed to drive at.

• High Street: Only a small part of High Wycombe High Street is accessible to cars, but it’s a great spot to get used to urban driving. It’s lined with parked cars and teeming with taxis, buses and pedestrians. There’s even a box junction where the High Street becomes Easton Street!

• Oxford Road roundabout: The roundabout on Oxford Road is recommended by our driving instructors in High Wycombe. If you’re really looking to brush up on your roundabout driving, make a loop of Oxford Road, Archway, Parker Knoll Way and Bellfield Road, so that you can fit in a couple of mini-roundabouts too!

• The A404: You’re likely to encounter dual carriageways in your practical test, so have a drive on the A404 to practise changing lanes and using slip roads.

Choosing your test centre

When you’ve taken a good number of driving lessons in High Wycombe, your instructor will start to think ahead to the practical driving test. There’s only one test centre in the area.

Test centre pass rates

DVSA practical car test pass rates, 2018-2019

High Wycombe Test Centre | Pass rate: 50.7%

On a test here, you’re likely to encounter rural country roads and dual carriageway driving, as well as some urban and suburban roads. Luckily for you, High Wycombe has a very high pass rate, far over the national average of 45.7%.

Address: Trenchard House, Wellington Road, Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP12 3PS.

To find more test centres near you, enter your postcode on the DVSA website.

Test tips from driving instructors in High Wycombe

Some driving instructors in High Wycombe have given us their tuppence on taking the practical driving test in the area.

1. Plan in a loo trip!

According to our driving instructors in High Wycombe, the test centre doesn’t have any toilets available. So, make sure that you plan a loo trip into your journey. You don’t want to be crossing your legs for the duration of your test!

2. Bring everything you need

You’ll need to bring your provisional driving licence and your theory test pass certificate with you to your driving test. If you don’t, you risk your test being cancelled without a refund!

3. Hone your observations

Our driving instructors in High Wycombe warn that failing to observe adequately is where many learners pick up faults on their driving test - whether that’s before changing lanes on a dual carriageway, during a manoeuvre or anything in between. So, when in doubt check your mirrors!

Choosing between manual and automatic

One tricky decision you’ll need to make sooner rather than later is whether to take manual or automatic driving lessons.

Automatic driving lessons aren’t particularly popular in rural areas like High Wycombe. This may be because automatic cars really come into their own in urban areas where you’ll be stopping and starting constantly. In these situations, automatic cars are more relaxing to drive since they take away the need to press and depress the clutch pedal. That said, this also makes automatic cars easier for hill starts, and there are a lot of hills if you head out into the Chilterns!

There is a little more to get your head around if you choose to take manual driving lessons, as you’ll have to get to grips with clutch control. However, a manual car gives you an added sense of control, allowing you to change down a gear in anticipation of a hill for an extra boost of power. Manual lessons also tend to be cheaper and manual cars are cheaper to buy.

It’s important to note that an automatic licence will only qualify you to drive an automatic car, whereas a manual licence will allow you to drive manual and automatic cars. So, manual driving lessons are probably the better option if you’re after flexibility in the long run.

Where we provide driving lessons in High Wycombe

Wherever you’re based in the area, our driving instructors in High Wycombe have got you covered. Some of our popular areas are:

Holmer Green, Kingswood Park, Micklefield, Plomer’s Hill, Totteridge and West Wycombe.