07/10/2026
I see this question come up time and time again on Facebook groups and local forums:
“Can anyone recommend a cheap driving instructor?”
And every time I see it, I find myself asking the same question, Why is “cheap” the thing we’re looking for?
If you’re choosing someone to teach you, or your son or daughter, how to drive safely, surely there are far more important things to consider.
Are they experienced? Are they patient?
Are they properly qualified and professional? Do they have a good reputation?
Are they recommended by previous pupils?
Do they have a proven track record?
Why do they have spaces so readily available, if all the other local instructors are full ?
And, most importantly, are they actually going to teach you to drive safely and independently, rather than simply getting you through a driving test?
I’ve been a driving instructor since 2014 and I’m proud to have been recognised as an award-winning instructor. One thing experience has taught me is that the hourly price of a driving lesson tells you very little about what that lesson will actually cost you in the long run.
A cheaper hourly rate isn’t much of a saving if you need considerably more lessons, make little progress or eventually have to change instructor and effectively start again.
I’ve lost count of the number of pupils who have come to us frustrated after spending a substantial amount of money elsewhere. In many cases, price was one of the main reasons they chose their original instructor.
That doesn’t mean every cheaper instructor is a poor instructor. Far from it.
It means price alone is a terrible way to choose one.
Driving instructors have a much bigger responsibility than simply teaching somebody enough to scrape through a driving test.
We’re helping people develop skills, judgement, awareness and attitudes that they could carry with them for the rest of their driving lives.
Passing the test isn’t the finish line. In many ways, it’s where the real learning begins.
That’s why I believe good driver education should be viewed as an investment rather than something to buy as cheaply as possible.
At Greer’s Gears and through SimulatAyr we don’t try to be the cheapest driving school.
We try to be one of the best.
We invest in our instructors, our vehicles, our training, our facilities and SimulatAyr because I believe pupils deserve proper driver education and genuine value for the money they spend with us.
So perhaps the question shouldn’t be:
“Can anyone recommend a cheap driving instructor?”
Maybe it should be:
“Can anyone recommend a really good one?”
There’s a massive difference.
