Tips For Finding A Good Driving School
Posted on April 19, 2021
If you are a young or new driver who is hoping to master navigating the roads, driving school is an essential step to learning this life skill.
Do you have to do driving school?
While driving school is not mandatory, it certainly helps with the journey to becoming a driver and also assists with insurance rates. In Ontario, going to a Ministry of Transportation-approved driving school can help you save on your insurance rates and will also allow you to take your road test to qualify for the G2 within 12 months, instead of 8 months. For anxious fresh motorists who are eager to learn, an accredited drivers’ ed program also makes it less stressful than learning from a friend, partner, parent or family member- who may lose their cool while teaching you driving skills!
How much do you save on insurance with driving school?
According to RateLab.ca, those who complete an approved driver’s course can save anywhere from 5% to 15% on their car insurance rates.
How long is driving school?
According to MTO, driving schools in Ontario must offer a minimum of 20 hours of classroom instruction, with class sizes that are less than 40 students. Meanwhile, the in-car lessons must be a minimum of 10 hours. Of course, there are plenty of effective, legal and safe driving schools, but also ineffective driving schools. Before you fork over the cash and enroll in a program, we have compiled a few tips for finding a proper and professional Ontario driving school that suits your needs.
How long is truck driving school?
Alternatively, you may be wanting to learn how to drive a truck, with a final goal of becoming a commercial truck driver and obtaining a Class A license. If this is the case, you will need to register for a truck driving school. According to MTO, all Class A applicants need to successfully complete 103.5 hours of truck driving training.
How much is driving school?
On average, a beginner’s driving education course will cost between $600 to $1,000.
A Few Things To Remember
There are a few things you need to remember when looking up for the driving schools.
1. Ensure that they are officially accredited with MTO and not on the list of revoked schools:
If you are looking into beginner driver education in your area, your first step is to be sure that the driving courses are approved by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Fortunately, the MTO website has a number of resources available online to help you check this.
As well, there have been a number of driving schools in the province that have had their licenses revoked. These schools no longer fit the government requirements, and are considered unapproved. If you see any of these schools with revoked licenses secretly in operation, do not sign up, and also consider informing MTO about the breach in rules.
2. Make sure that you are paying for a sufficient amount of in-car lessons, and not solely classroom instruction:
Each driving school is required to offer a minimum of 10 in-car lessons, according to MTO. When you sign up for a beginner’s driver education course, you typically have a classroom component as well as in-car. While classroom or virtual theory lessons are important for mastering the art of driving, you also want to ensure that you are getting the practical experience necessary to completely ace that tricky road test. In-car lessons will get you behind the wheel, on real roads and in authentic situations that you will face as a driver once you’re ready to drive independently.
3. Meet with your driving instructor beforehand to ensure that they are a good fit:
When you are taking driving lessons, you will be in a car by yourself with an unfamiliar but hopefully friendly face- your driving instructor! In order to ease the anxiety of being in a new, unfamiliar situation (behind the wheel) with a relative stranger, it’s important to ensure that you are comfortable with the driving instructors. Have a phone chat, or meet at the school in person and have a sit-down conversation to feel the vibes, energy and sense if there could be a possible personality clash. Once you feel safe that this individual is trustworthy, calm and professional, then you can proceed with your in-car lessons and truly master defensive driving.
4. Research online reviews and ask your networks:
With the power of the Internet today, online reviews can save you a large amount of time in researching a reliable, trusted school. Look at Google and Facebook reviews, and also turn to sources such as your network on social media, online forums or Reddit threads. If a school has turned out a large amount of happy, satisfied and successful students who are praising the instructors, this indicates a solid reputation. You can also ask personal friends, family and colleagues if they have any recommendations, and you may walk away (make that drive away!) with some great leads on the driving academy search.
Once you pass your G2 and you are officially able to drive independently, don’t forget to reach out to us here at CarHub Automotive Group for an appointment with one of our great Product Advisors. We look forward to helping you find the first of many of your CarHub dream cars!