Driving Lessons in Essex

From £22/hr·Average £37/hr

Essex's Top Picks

Best Value

High Pass Driving

Cheapest manual driving school in Essex.

1.0
£22/hr
Top Rated

Innov8 Driving School

Highest-rated manual driving school in Essex.

5.0(25 reviews)
£40/hr
Best Automatic

Smooth Pass Driver Training

Top-rated for automatic driving lessons in Essex.

5.0(92 reviews)
£55/hr

Driving Schools in Essex

132 schools

Tendring School of Motoring

Tendring School of Motoring

5.0

Family-run school with 20 years' experience offering one-to-one tuition in modern dual-controlled cars with air conditioning. Free theory test practice online...

ManualAutomaticFemale Instructors
145 Thorpe Rd, Clacton-on-Sea CO15 4PS
Lacey's Driving School

Lacey's Driving School

From £36/hr·Block bookings available
5.0

Independent instructor specializing in nervous learners, offering a calm, one-to-one approach where lessons are kept enjoyable rather than stressful. Daytime...

ManualTest car availableEvenings & Weekends
243 Great Knightleys, Basildon SS15 5EE
Earl Drive

Earl Drive

From £38/hr·10hrs for £370Save 3%
5.0

£38/hour or £370 for a 10-hour block, with intensive courses ranging from 20 to 50 hours (£800–£2,000). All intensive courses include full mock tests on actual...

AutomaticIntensive
The Bryn, Basildon SS14 2NB
Smartway Driving School

Smartway Driving School

From £37/hr·10hrs for £720

Smartway Driving School offers 2-hour lessons at £74 or £37 per hour, with block deals starting at £370 for five 2-hour sessions. Test car hire is available for...

ManualAutomaticIntensiveTest car available
Southend-on-Sea SS2 6NF
A&H Driving School

A&H Driving School

From £35/hr·10hrs for £340Save 3%
5.0

£35 per hour for 2-hour lessons, or save with block bookings from £340 for 10 hours up to £1,360 for 40 hours. This school covers motorway tuition, Pass Plus...

ManualAutomaticIntensiveFemale Instructors
Feryby Rd, Grays RM16 4SS
SD Driving School

SD Driving School

From £38/hr
5.0

Former AA Driving School instructor with a high first-time pass rate and 100% five-star reviews. Flexible lesson lengths from 1 hour to 2 hours at £38-£76 on...

AutomaticEvenings & Weekends
Chignal Rd, Chelmsford CM1 4UN
Coggeshall Driving School

Coggeshall Driving School

From £35/hr·Block bookings available
5.0

Grade A instructor and Vice Chairman of the Institute of Advanced Motorists with 20+ years' experience since 2001. Beyond test preparation, you'll learn...

ManualIntensive
42 Robinsbridge Rd, Coggeshall, Colchester CO6 1UL
A1 National

A1 National

From £35/hr·10hrs for £340Save 3%
4.9

Family-run school specialising in nervous beginners, with Grade A 51/51 instructors and consistently high first-time pass rates across intensive courses....

ManualAutomaticIntensive
71 Boston Ave, Westcliff-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea SS2 6JH
Ignite Driving School

Ignite Driving School

From £34/hr·40hrs for £1240Save 9%
4.9

Established for over 15 years with a registered limited company status, this school undercuts major chains like BSM, RED, and AA with competitive pricing....

ManualAutomaticIntensiveFemale InstructorsTest car availableEvenings & Weekends
King Edward Dr, Grays RM16 2GD
Thurrock Driving School

Thurrock Driving School

From £40/hr

£40 per hour with no current block deals due to waiting lists. Mock tests with an independent instructor help you practice the full practical test scenario, and...

ManualAutomaticIntensiveFemale InstructorsEvenings & Weekends
Foyle Drive, South Ockendon RM15 5HE
Road Ready Driving School

Road Ready Driving School

Block bookings available
5.0

Founded on a mission to support nervous drivers and those returning to the road, Road Ready specialises in automatic driving lessons and refresher tuition led...

ManualAutomaticIntensiveFemale InstructorsEvenings & Weekends
Spinning Wheel Mead, Harlow CM18 7AA
Compass Automatic Driving School

Compass Automatic Driving School

4.8
Manual
4 Ruthven Cl, Wickford SS12 9AA
Blessed School of Motoring

Blessed School of Motoring

5.0
Manual
Blessed School Of Motoring, The Old Courthouse, Orsett Rd, Grays RM17 5DD
Sudbury Driving School

Sudbury Driving School

From £24/hr·10hrs for £220Save 8%
5.0

Family-run school established over 20 years, now run by Darren Weavers with a focus on friendly, patient tuition in modern air-conditioned Volkswagens....

ManualIntensiveTest car available
19 Mallard Way, Great Cornard, Sudbury CO10 0YG
Hambling Driving School

Hambling Driving School

5.0

No specific pricing, credentials, or lesson details are available on this website. Contact them directly to discuss lesson rates, instructor qualifications, and...

Manual
23 Park Side, Basildon SS13 1NL
Smooth Pass Driver Training

Smooth Pass Driver Training

From £55/hr·10hrs for £495Save 10%
5.0(92)

Specialist in helping nervous and anxious learners pass their test, with 32 years' experience as a trainer. £55/hour or £495 for a 10-hour block. Daljit works...

AutomaticTest car available
Speaks Hindi, Punjabi
48 Chelmsford Rd, Shenfield, Brentwood CM15 8RJ
Khaled's Driving School

Khaled's Driving School

From £37.5/hr·10hrs for £370Save 1%
5.0·80% pass rate

An 80% pass rate instructor offering £37.50/hour lessons or 10-hour blocks at £370 and 20-hour packages at £730. Khaled's students consistently praise his...

ManualAutomaticIntensiveEvenings & Weekends
47, George Crooks House, New Rd, Grays RM17 6PS
Carters Driving Tuition

Carters Driving Tuition

From £36/hr·10hrs for £320Save 11%
5.0

Manual lessons from £36/hour or 10 hours for £320 with Michelle Carter, a fully qualified ADI with over 10 years' experience teaching in Basildon, Pitsea,...

ManualIntensiveFemale Instructors
Basildon SS14 3SP
Kosova Driving School

Kosova Driving School

5.0

Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars across 125+ reviews, Kosova Driving School has built a strong reputation for consistent quality instruction. The school focuses on...

Manual
Francisco Cl, Chafford Hundred, Grays RM16 6YD
Roseco Driving School

Roseco Driving School

From £43/hr·10hrs for £400Save 7%
5.0

Over 20 years' experience with instructors covering Chelmsford, Braintree, Witham, North London, Harrow, Gravesend, Gillingham, and Nottingham. Both manual...

ManualAutomaticFemale InstructorsEvenings & Weekends
Speaks Turkish
33 Elgar Dr, Witham CM8 1DS

Block Booking Deals in Essex

71 schools offer block deals — book in bulk and save.

Best deal — save 17%

Mutlows

10hrs for £299

£29.90/hr

Save 14%

High Pass Driving

10hrs for £190

£19.00/hr

Save 14%

Keen Drivers

10hrs for £300

£30.00/hr

Save 14%

Nayland Driving School

10hrs for £300

£30.00/hr

Save 12%

RS Driving School

10hrs for £220

£22.00/hr

Save 8%

Sudbury Driving School

10hrs for £220

£22.00/hr

Intensive Courses in Essex

Pass in 1–2 weeks

From£37/hr
55 schools5.0best rated

Essex Test Centres and Pass Rates

Based on the latest DVSA data, 2024–25 | 6 nearby test centres

Hornchurch achieved the highest pass rate at 48.3% while Basildon proved most challenging at 45.6%, with 36,397 tests handled across six centres between 2024 and 2025. Essex's road network combines the M25 orbital approaches with traditional market town centres and new town developments around Basildon. Automatic drivers saw consistent results around 38-45% across all centres, with the county's mix of roundabouts and dual carriageways providing relatively standard conditions. Men outperformed women most significantly at Southend (51.5% vs 44.7%), where the seafront's wider roads and faster A13 approaches seem to favour more confident drivers, while the differences remained smaller at inland centres like Chelmsford and Brentwood.

49%

Tilbury

4,185 tests taken
Women47.9%
Men50.1%
Automatic44.4%
49%

Brentwood (London)

5,485 tests taken
Women48.3%
Men48.6%
Automatic44.3%
48%

Hornchurch (London)

6,310 tests taken
Women47.3%
Men49.1%
Automatic45.5%
48%

Southend-on-Sea

4,797 tests taken
Women44.7%
Men51.5%
Automatic40.3%
46%

Basildon

4,862 tests taken
Women44.4%
Men46.5%
Automatic38.6%
45%

Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)

10,758 tests taken
Women43.2%
Men46.0%
Automatic40.2%

Areas in Essex