Driving Lessons in Sunderland

Sunderland's 18 driving schools offer competitive pricing from £30 to £41 per hour alongside 40 independent driving instructors, creating plenty of choice for learners. Quality is consistently high with a 4.8-star average rating, while 5 schools offer female driving instructors and there are 8 independent female driving instructors. Seven schools provide automatic driving lessons and 4 offer intensive courses, though the local test centre has a 47.1% pass rate compared to Gateshead's more challenging 37.4%.

From £30/hr·Average £37/hr

Sunderland's Top Picks

Best Value

Clickdriving

Cheapest manual driving school in Sunderland.

3.8
£30/hr
Top Rated

Teendrive

Highest-rated manual driving school in Sunderland.

5.0(695 reviews)
£38/hr
Best Automatic

Teendrive

Top-rated for automatic driving lessons in Sunderland.

5.0(695 reviews)
£38/hr
Female Instructors

Chris Elwick Driver Training

Top-rated manual driving school with female instructors in Sunderland.

5.0(110 reviews)
£41/hr

Driving Schools in Sunderland

18 schools

Sunderland Driving

Sunderland Driving

From £37/hr·10hrs for £360Save 3%
5.0(25)

Calm, friendly instructors with local knowledge of test routes and tricky spots across the region. Single lessons from £37/hour, or save with a 10-hour block at...

Manual
Handley Wy, Ryhope, Sunderland SR2 0SZ
A Roarin' Success Driving School

A Roarin' Success Driving School

Block bookings available

Single-instructor school known for some of the highest first-time pass rates in the area, offering a personal touch that larger chains don't provide. Lessons...

Automatic
Dwyer Cres, Ryhope Colliery, Sunderland SR2 0HS
Doxford Driving School

Doxford Driving School

From £40/hr·10hrs for £380Save 5%
5.0(5)

5.0-star rated school with 41+ reviews praising instructors for building confidence in nervous learners and first-time test passes. £40/hour for single lessons,...

ManualAutomaticFemale Instructors
12 Berryfield Cl, Sunderland SR3 2XU
Pattersons Driving School

Pattersons Driving School

5.0(111)
Manual
Calshot Rd, Castletown, Sunderland SR5 3FA
Robredz IN GEAR Driving School

Robredz IN GEAR Driving School

From £35/hr·10hrs for £350
4.8(24)

Known for helping nervous learners regain confidence after bad experiences, with multiple reviews praising patience and thoroughness. £35/hour or £350 for a...

Manual
143 Durham Rd, Sunderland SR3 4AL
Chris Elwick Driver Training

Chris Elwick Driver Training

From £41/hr·10hrs for £400Save 2%
5.0(110)

Officially rated the Best Driving School in Sunderland for 2024 and 2025, with over 350 five-star reviews. Standard 2-hour lessons at £41/hour or £400 for a...

ManualFemale InstructorsEvenings & Weekends
Scholars Road, Cricketers Hill, Sunderland SR5 2FE
Teendrive

Teendrive

From £38/hr·10hrs for £360Save 5%
5.0(695)

Over 600 five-star Google reviews back this long-standing school's impressive pass rate and effective lesson structures. Lessons start from £38/hour with block...

ManualAutomaticIntensive
4 Polperro Cl, Sunderland SR2 0YN
Fulwell School of Motoring

Fulwell School of Motoring

From £35/hr·10hrs for £370
3.9(7)

15+ years trading with over 10,000 driving hours delivered and 5,000+ licenses issued. Lessons start at £35 per hour, with block deals from £190 for 5 hours up...

ManualFemale InstructorsEvenings & Weekends
9 Donnington Cl, Castletown, Sunderland SR5 3DN
Elite Drive

Elite Drive

Block bookings available
5.0(158)

Award-winning school that won the 2025 Global Recognition Award for exceptional driver education, backed by 350+ five-star reviews. Instructor Gareth is praised...

ManualAutomaticIntensive
300 Leechmere Rd, Sunderland SR2 9DF
Only Automatic Driving School

Only Automatic Driving School

Automatic-only lessons using new Toyota Hybrid Mark 4, Renault Clio, and Mercedes A Class vehicles. Seven instructors including female instructor Mandy...

AutomaticFemale InstructorsEvenings & Weekends
73 Ferryboat Ln, Sunderland SR5 3RQ
Grindon School of Motoring

Grindon School of Motoring

Block bookings available

Established driving school with an excellent first-time pass rate and a focus on patient, one-to-one tuition tailored to individual needs. Intensive courses...

ManualIntensive
50 Goodwood Rd, Grindon, Sunderland SR4 9QA
LRD School of Motoring

LRD School of Motoring

From £37/hr·10hrs for £350Save 5%
5.0(3)

Patient instructors focused on building confidence in nervous learners through a supportive teaching approach. Lessons are tailored to all experience levels,...

Manual
Alnwick Rd, Sunderland SR3 3BU
Chris Chambers School of Motoring

Chris Chambers School of Motoring

From £38/hr·10hrs for £380
5.0(8)

Two-hour lessons as standard, with no premium for evening or weekend availability. £380 for a 10-hour block (5 x 2-hour sessions) on a Wednesday-Friday...

ManualEvenings & Weekends
17 Cumberland Rd, Sunderland SR3 1JZ
Alexandra Driving Academy

Alexandra Driving Academy

From £40/hr·6hrs for £240
5.0(4)

Founded by Alexandra Cunha, a nutritionist and 2021 American Pool 9-ball European Champion with 15 years' driving instruction experience and a master's degree...

ManualAutomaticIntensiveFemale Instructors
Speaks Spanish, Portuguese
Caspian Rd, Sunderland SR5 3SE
Clickdriving

Clickdriving

From £30/hr
3.8

Run by Ian and Neil, who between them bring over 60 years of instructor experience and have trained many of the region's driving instructors themselves. They...

Manual
31 Bridge St, Sunderland SR1 1TQ
YOLO Motoring Academy

YOLO Motoring Academy

From £37/hr·10hrs for £350Save 5%
4.7(59)

Block booking discounts available with manual lessons from £37/hour or £350 for 10 hours, and automatic lessons from £40/hour. Motorway training, Pass Plus...

ManualAutomatic
27 Runnymede, Ryhope Colliery, Sunderland SR2 0BJ
Elliott's School of Motoring

Elliott's School of Motoring

Block bookings available

Former secondary school teacher with 10 years' classroom experience, bringing patience and adaptability to one-to-one tuition. Flexible lesson lengths from 60...

Manual
4 Gainsborough Square, Grindon, Sunderland SR4 8HZ
Passtime Driving School

Passtime Driving School

From £32/hr·10hrs for £300Save 6%
5.0(1)

Will brings 10+ years of instruction experience and a calm, patient approach to every lesson, backed by an outstanding first-time pass rate and consistent...

Manual
1, Sunderland SR3 2NE

Block Booking Deals in Sunderland

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

Best deal — save 6%

Passtime Driving School

10hrs for £300

£30.00/hr

Save 5%

LRD School of Motoring

10hrs for £350

£35.00/hr

Save 5%

YOLO Motoring Academy

10hrs for £350

£35.00/hr

Save 5%

Teendrive

10hrs for £360

£36.00/hr

Save 3%

Sunderland Driving

10hrs for £360

£36.00/hr

Robredz IN GEAR Driving School

10hrs for £350

£35.00/hr

Intensive Courses in Sunderland

Pass in 1–2 weeks

From£38/hr
4 schools5.0best rated

Sunderland Test Centres and Pass Rates

Based on the latest DVSA data, 2024–25 | 2 nearby test centres

These 2 centres split 17,193 tests from 2024 to 2025, with Sunderland significantly outperforming Gateshead at 47.1% versus 37.4% respectively. Sunderland's routes include the challenging city centre bridges and steep hills around the Stadium of Light area, but Gateshead faces even tougher conditions with the notorious Team Valley area and difficult approaches to Newcastle via the A1. Pass rates show little gender difference - women achieved 46.4% in Sunderland and men 47.8%, while Gateshead sees virtual parity around 37%. Automatic pass rates of 37.6% in Sunderland drop to just 31% in Gateshead, reflecting how the area's steep gradients and heavy industrial traffic create particularly demanding conditions for all drivers.

47%

Sunderland

9,084 tests taken
Women46.4%
Men47.8%
Automatic37.6%
37%

Gateshead

8,109 tests taken
Women37.6%
Men37.2%
Automatic31.0%

Nearby areas