What Our Students Say About Us

Absolutely could not fault 1st Driving School and especially Dan Evans (my instructor) for helping me gain the skills and knowledge to ensure that I drive to a safe and high standard. It was incredibly easy to start learning, just by applying on the website and they allocated an instructor based on my location - they were friendly on the phone and told me how to go about applying quickly and efficiently. Dan was excellent at teaching and is very patient and friendly - helping me by correcting any issues I had quickly and effectively. Dan allowed me to be more confident when behind the wheel and scheduled our times for lessons based on my busy work schedule and was able to adapt and change times if/when needed. The app (TotalDrive) that was used meant I was able to see my progress and understand the points that I needed to improve on and also allowed me to see when my next lessons were, how many hours I had completed and how many credits I had. This combined allowed me to pass my driving test first time with only 3 minor faults and will aid me in driving to a high standard for the foreseeable future. Thanks again to 1st Driving School and Dan Evans!

I took lessons with Libby for just over a year. She took me from an incredibly nervous first-time manual driver to a more confident driver who passed first time. I couldn't have done it without her! I will definitely be recommending Libby and 1st Driving School.

Excellent service, Stuart Nelson really helped me gain my confidence and worked with me to get through the test, many thanks.

Around this time last year I started doing my driving lessons with Rif. He is very calm and patient, very professional & also fun to have on my driving lessons. I have learned a lot on my driving lessons with him filling my gaps to the best of my knowledge preparing for my test. I'm glad that I had Rif as my driving instructor & honesty couldn't have asked for anybody else. It has been a great journey with him & if anybody is looking for a driving instructor i would highly recommend taking lessons with Rif.

Amazing driving lessons with Rif. He was really patient which I found calming as a new driver and also very encouraging. Couldn’t have asked for a better instructor or driving school.

Brilliant instructor and helped me with everything I needed.

If it wasn’t for Michael Harmer at 1st Driving School I wouldn’t have passed so confidently. Michael is a great teacher and has thorough understanding of how to pass a practical test. He was very flexible and accommodating when it came to booking lessons as I wanted to pass as soon as I could. I only got 3 minors in my practical test, this is no doubt attributes to Michael’s calm and excellent driving lessons.

Best driving instructor I’ve had. Helped me a lot and pushed me.

I have recently passed first time with Roger Fleming as my instructor. He was very helpful both in and out of lessons, as he would always reply to any messages or queries I may have. He always explained things in a way I could understand and was always really honest with his guidance. Overall, a great experience and a big thank you to Roger and 1st Driving School

I had my lessons with Christine and I’m genuinely grateful for her patience in teaching me from the start. I learned a lot from her on how to do manoeuvres, clutch control and overall how to be a safe driver! Her guidance was very helpful and made me confident to drive.

My instructor was Michael Harmer, I genuinely couldn't have imagined finding a better instructor he's got to be the best there is. Thank you so much for your help and endless support in getting my licence. With your guidance and patience you taught me the skills to become a safe driver. Thank you for giving me the confidence to drive and for helping me to overcome my nervousness.

I had driving lessons from Rif before I passed my test first time with him. He is a really good instructor, he quickly taught me what I needed to know for the test. He takes his time to explain how to make certain manoeuvres, etc. He's helped a lot. He's always on time, reliable and patient. As soon as we navigated the basics of driving, he made me practice mock tests by taking me on test routes, which was very useful to me. I highly recommend you take lessons from Rif.

Stuart the man, the myth, the legend! Couldn't have done this without Stuart. I would have quit a long time ago if it wasnt for his composure and encouragement. Took me awhile, but his perseverance and belief in me made me eventually love driving and I'm incredibly thankful.

Very helpful past first time thank you

Could I firstly take the opportunity to say a massive thank you for this driving school and particularly to Tony for taking me on board at a very tricky time. I had such a bad experience with my previous instructor from a different driving school and did not have confidence in my driving although I’ve been taking lessons for months. He cancelled on me few days prior to my driving test with no remorse. Whilst Tony has been such an exceptional instructor. He has always been honest and thorough. If there was a particular aspect of driving I struggled, he will ensure I understood it and got it right. I will never forget how he used to explain certain concepts with drawings, ensuring I truly grasped them which helped a lot. He did not just teach me but prepared me to become a confident, attentive and safe driver. I couldn’t have honestly passed without him and I really wish him the best for the rest of his career. He is such an amazing guy and truly cares for his students.

PASSED FIRST TIME! Would like to thanks Ashard for his amazing support never could of made it happen without him xx

My instructor Libby was always helpful and friendly. We worked through all the situations that could come up on the test, working on the routes around the test centre. There was always the opportunity to ask to redo or learn anything specific I wanted to.

Started my driving lessons in April 2021 and passed 1st time in February this year! My instructor Christine Parker was very reliable and helpful, and made me feel at ease when driving on the roads. She is very chatty which made the lessons a lot more enjoyable. I would highly recommend if you are looking for an instructor.

I am a student and was hoping to pass whilst in Nottingham and had a test booked 3 weeks in advance of meeting my instructor. Although the lessons were expensive, my instructor Rafhat was great. He provided loads of availability for me and helped me get to know the busier roads I’m not used to and identified my weaknesses quickly so I could improve them in time. I passed first time at Chilwell with around 8/9 hours but had previous driving before.

I went into my lessons with Mark with a lot of anxiety but there I met a very professional instructor who tried and managed with great patience to teach me everything I needed to learn to drive and finally I passed 1st time with 3 minor faults. I highly recommend Mark, it is the best! Thanks Mark, thanks 1st Driving school!

Very professional and very helpful instructors, I highly recommend using them to pass your test.

I passed my practical driving test this morning. My instructor (Tony) really helped me to gain more knowledge which gave me more confidence during my lessons leading up to my test.

I had lessons with Rif who I can’t recommend more. He put me at ease and was always punctual. I also felt like he had great communication with teaching me harder manoeuvres, which resulted in me passing first time. Overall a great experience with 1st Driving and Rif.

When I first contacted 1st Driving School, I had already done my test in a manual and failed on the parallel park. It had been over year since driving (covid didn't help) and I was such a nervous driver- I hated it! When I started my lessons with Tim, I was so much more relaxed and became a confident driver! He was always so calm helped me learn to love driving. I recently passed my test and I am do grateful! Thank you!

Kev is the one! Having had bad experiences with previous instructors I went into my lessons with Kev with a lot of anxiety. After the first few minutes of the first lesson all my nerves had disappeared. Kev is a fantastic mentor and should definitely be your first choice when booking with this school! His teaching style is thorough and fair, he takes the time to explain everything in detail, both what you could do better, what you did well and where to go from there. He goes above and beyond what is expected of a driving instructor, and makes driving a fun and enjoyable experience constantly. On top of this he is always on point with his sense of humour and his taste in music is also brilliant. I will be recommending Kev to everyone I know that wants to pass their test and I strongly recommend him to whoever might be reading this review. Great guy and an even better teacher. Book your lessons with him and you won’t be disappointed.

I passed 1st time with one minor fault. Stuart Nelson was my instructor and he made learning so simple, hes got patience and we had a good laugh on lessons. He kept me at ease on my test day as I was so nervous, highly recommend.