FAQs

Details to Get Started

It’s easy: hand us your permit, and we hand you the keys.

1. How much does each lesson cost?
ANSWER: Each 2-hour lesson is $145.

2. How many lessons do I need?
ANSWER: Teens under age 17 ½ will need 3 lessons to total 6 hours required by the DMV. Adults will need the amount of lessons necessary to build skills and confidence to pass the drive test, which could be from 1 to 15 lessons, depending on your opportunities to practice with family or friends between lessons.

3. How and when do I pay?

ANSWER: If you’re paying by cash or check, payment is received at the beginning of each lesson. (We prefer “pay per lesson” rather than receiving the total in advance.) If you are using your credit/debit card, you must use paypal.com at least two hours before the lesson, so the notification is received before the lesson.

4. Do I need a permit to take lessons?

ANSWER: Yes, knowledge of the Rules of the Road is required before anyone can drive a car on the streets of California. You may study the Driver Handbook from the DMV or read it online at dmv.ca.com to earn your California learners permit.

5. What can I expect from a driving lesson?

ANSWER: You will be instructed with each new skill before you do it. We expect you to know nothing about driving, so our patience level is comfortably high! You will begin in the neighborhood with the simplest maneuvers, for about an hour. Then if you are ready, you will do some lane changes on a larger street. Then we will add traffic if you are ready. Usually by the end of the first lesson, our students are surprised and pleased that they have confidently learned to drive in traffic beyond their expectations. Some students will get on the freeway by the end of their first lesson, if they feel ready. See more in the Skills Learned page.

6. What are your cars like?

ANSWER: We have normal-looking cars that are 5-7 years old, and reliable–right now they are Hondas. We put on a magnetic sign with our driving school name on the back of the car, usually just for the first lesson. Our cars are equipped with dual controls so the instructor can stop the car if necessary.

7. Do I need proof of insurance?

ANSWER: No. Anytime you are driving with a learners permit, you are covered under the insurance of the other adult that is supervising you. And we’ve got you covered.

8. What if I miss my scheduled driving lesson?

ANSWER: While we are not as strict as other schools, which would charge you for the missed lesson, we do require that if you miss a lesson or cancel within 24 hours of your lesson, you must prepay your next scheduled lesson. We understand that people get sick, or things happen, but we appreciate the respect of an early, timely text message notification to cancel, because it significantly affects our budget when we have no time to put another student into your time slot.

9. Why should I take behind-the-wheel lessons if I’m already 18?

ANSWER: What you learn in driving lessons with our school will save you LOTS of money over the course of your life, from damages due to poor choices, citations, and vehicle loss due to uneducated insurance decisions. We are constantly giving tips that will help you to be a skilled driver. The peace and confidence you will gain with instruction will give you a love of driving. You will be blown away by stuff you learn that you just didn’t know existed. And, the California Road Test is not a piece of cake. Many people without lessons fail three and four times before passing. The knowledge you gain will be a help to others as you share what you learned.

10. Where will we meet for the lesson?

ANSWER: We come to you, at home, school, work or wherever you choose.

11. Can you teach the lesson in the student’s car?

ANSWER: No, sorry. We must teach each student in our car, with dual control.

Busy Teens…

Did you know that your California drivers permit is valid to take your driving test for a one-year period? This begins the first day you pay the fees and take your permit test, even if you don’t pass. You must hold the permit for 6 months, while practicing what you learned on your lessons, then you can test between 6 months to a year. But it expires after 1 year. If you don’t pass the first time, retest soon. If you wait six months plus one day, to pass the “written” test, you will not be “holding your permit 6 months before the drive test.” Therefore, your permit will expire before you can test, and you will need to take the written test all over again. There is no “renewing your permit.”

If this does happen, don’t get upset, retesting is only slightly painful. And you will not need to take lessons all over again, because they count for your second permit as well. But have the driving instructor sign the new permit as well.

 Also, when the driving instructor signs the permit, it is not a dated signature, therefore the six months of holding your permit before testing begins the day you pass your test, not the day you have your first driving lesson.