Driving lessons in Motherwell
On the hunt for a driving instructor in Motherwell? Some popular areas are:
Airbles, Carfin, Cleland, Ferniegair, Forgewood, Hamilton, Holytown, Newarthill, New Stevenson and Wishaw.
Enter your postcode above to find prices in your local area of Motherwell.
View other guides: Driving Lessons in London, Driving Lessons in Birmingham, Driving Lessons in Manchester.
Learn to drive in Motherwell
Ask anyone what they know about Motherwell, and they’ll probably mention the football club or the steel industry. We bet they don’t know that Motherwell is also a great place to learn to drive! Motherwell’s mix of urban, suburban and rural roads will give you all the experience you need to gain your confidence behind the wheel.
If you’re new to the driver’s seat and you want to get the hang of moving off, stopping and steering, you won’t be short of places to practise. Our personal favourite is Netherton Industrial Estate, which will be almost empty at weekends. Or, if it’s weekday practice you’re after, try Watling Street and the surrounding residential roads on the edge of Strathclyde Country Park. Perfect for getting your head around the basics, they’ll also be great to return to when you’re looking to perfect your manoeuvres, like pulling up on the right and reversing two car lengths.
But don’t be deceived! Motherwell has plenty of challenges when you’re ready for them. There are a fair few roundabouts near the town centre, plus you’ve got the A723 right on your doorstep for dual carriageway practice. If you really want to stretch yourself, the M74 is just begging for a motorway driving lesson. Just remember that you won’t be able to drive on the motorway as a learner unless you’re with your instructor in a dual control car.
Your biggest challenge, however, will probably be the narrow, rural lanes surrounding the town, like Cleland Road. Gauging the appropriate speed to drive at on these can be tricky - while you’re usually allowed to drive at the national speed limit, that doesn’t always make it the best choice of speed.
Taking your test in Motherwell
There are a few test centres within easy driving distance of Motherwell. You might choose to head to Airdrie, or even Glasgow for your test. However, the chances are that if you’re Motherwell-based, you’ll be taking your driving test at Hamilton Test Centre.
Because Hamilton Test Centre is located on the outskirts of Hamilton, you can expect to encounter both rural and urban roads during your test. The DVSA doesn’t publish test routes, but driving instructors have got plenty of experience and will introduce you to the routes that are likely to come up.
As the test centre is located in a residential part of town, the first part of your test will be at 30 mph, and there shouldn’t be much traffic. But don’t get too complacent! Just around the corner is the A723, where there are lots road signs and markings to pay attention to, and an increased volume of traffic. If you’re asked to take this road into town, you could also have box junctions and one-way systems to contend with.
Just remember, you’ll have covered these roads with your driving instructor during your lessons, so there’s nothing to worry about! Just take a deep breath, and show the examiner how you drive.
Driving test centre locations
There's one driving test centre in Motherwell, and more nearby. To view a full list of driving test centres near you, head over to gov.uk.
- Hamilton: 30 Selkirk Street, South Hamilton, Lanarkshire, ML3 6RQ
- Airdrie: 7 Aitchison Street, Sword Street, Airdrie, Lanarkshire, ML6 0DA
- Glasgow (Baillieston): 341 Springhill Parkway, Business Park, Glasgow, City of Glasgow, G69 6GA
Manual vs Automatic
Whether it’s manual or automatic driving lessons you’re after, there is an instructor for you.
A manual licence allows you to drive both manual and automatic cars, whereas an automatic licence restricts you to automatics. Manual lessons also tend to be cheaper. However, there’s less to learn in an automatic, so you could end up passing quicker and therefore spending less.
You should think about when and where you’ll be driving in Hackney. If you’re going to be travelling during rush hour then you might prefer an automatic, so you don’t have to change gear all the time in slow-moving traffic. If you’ll be taking longer journies, you might prefer a manual, for the added sense of control. In the end, the choice is yours!