Name: The AA Driving School
Address: Fanum House, Basing View,, RG21 4EA
Rating: 4.00

“Avoid Karen Begley, at least if you’re a foreigner driver who wants to learn how to drive on the UK. Karen made me feel judge as soon as I entered the car, even before switching seats — by asking inappropriate questions on how many hours of lesson I had with a professional instructor before passing my test, even after telling her about my driving routine in my home country AFTER obtaining my license. She would complain more than once that weekends are busier, making sure she would repeat that in different ways because by then she already decided I was the foreigner who didn’t speak English well and didn’t know how to drive, to the point that I had to justify myself by telling her that I work full time and can’t do other days. In general, she would repeat things several times with different wording because of her assumptions. I really value an empathetic approach, which she clearly didn’t have, so I’ll admit I didn’t give my 100% in what was a new situation to me, but she made sure to make it worse despite her apparent polite manners by asking even more inappropriate questions. Specifically, she asked me if I passed my test at the first attempt and asked if I used to drive on my own and had my own car back in my country (which I already told her I did). After the lesson, she asked me again if I used to drive in my country because to her I looked like a learner. Not satisfied by an affirmative answer, she had the nerve to ask me if everything went well when I used to drive back home. Again, not satisfied by an affirmative answer, she went to her lowest pint by telling me:”Don’t blame it on driving the opposite way you’re used to, I did that too and I didn’t have your problems.” After that she heavily implied it’s easy to pass the test in my country by saying she doesn’t know the standards there because she’s never driven there. Icing on the cake, when I politely told her that although I expected I wouldn’t be ready to drive on my own in the UK after just one lesson, I was taken aback by the rest of her general comments, she got annoyed and defensive and told me:”so you think it went well today?”. She cut the conversation short because she thought I would break down in front of her instead of voicing a different opinion, poor frustrated woman.”

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Posted 5 hours ago

“After completing 5 lessons (10 hours) with Kijann, I was very pleased to finally start driving. He’s an absolutely lovely instructor — great conversations and a genuinely nice person. However, for £300, I felt that only learning how to move off, stop, and turn left or right wasn’t quite worth it. I completely understand that Kijann is new to the trade, and that’s perfectly fine, but friends and family did mention that I wasn’t getting much for the amount I was paying. Because of that, I decided to switch to a different driving school — and after just one lesson, I was already driving in third gear, tackling busy junctions, and going around roundabouts. Honestly, Kijann is a great guy, but the progress just wasn’t there. Being told I was a “hard student to teach” and then hearing from my new instructor that I’m an “easy learner” really showed me the difference. Now I genuinely feel confident that I’ll pass my test by January.”

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Posted 4 days ago

“Audrina Daniel-Prince, AVOID THIS INSTRUCTOR!! She is dishonest, rude and unreliable. Taking smoking breaks within paid lessons. After months of lessons and arranged driving test day, she changed her mind and said I was not ready for the test. After charging for the car, for the test day. Audrina is a time waster and has no respect! DO NOT USE THIS INSTRUCTOR UNLESS YOU WANT TO WASTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY!!!”

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Posted 1 week ago

“Elvis Tait was driving instructor for my child…he had 4-5 lessons with her.. I didn’t know you wasn’t allowed to answer the phone whilst teaching driving…I was surprised because Elvis answered his phone EVERYTIME telling people he would call them back or if they can call him back. He also was very complimentary to my 17 year old daughter, telling her her hair looks really nice as he said he recognized she did her hair differently on the the 3rd or 4th lesson.. this made me very uncomfortable but we thought maybe he was trying to make her comfortable.. weird but he is old so I pushed it aside .. the next lesson-last lesson because I cancelled him was the moment when my child was on a main road at traffic lights and the car was silent and Elvis said to my child from nothing something like ‘did you know there are 50 states in the USA and 30 out of 50 of them states it’s legal for 11 year olds to get married’… i intervened in the conversation as I didn’t think it appropriate to have that conversation with my child and asked him of his thoughts in which he stated he thought it was too young for an 11 year old to get married, he stated that it’s even too young for 19 or 21 or 25 year olds to get married.. which I found very weird considering he is putting an 11 year old In the same bracket as an adult.. it just felt like grooming behavior and I am very glad I was there to protect my child from this disgusting conversation and any future inappropriate conversations. I told him at the end of the lesson that the conversation was inappropriate, I didn’t need to tell him what part, he knew already and he apologized..although Elvis introduced himself using Good To Go driving school, I had actually booked him via AA DRIVING SCHOOL. we changed driving instructor to another AA instructor.”

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Posted 1 month ago

“Danielle Devshi in Birmingham is hands down the most appalling driving instructor I have ever encountered or heard of. Quite how she is allowed to teach I'm not sure. I went for a refresher lesson with her after several years not driving, and I told her I was nervous. She was playing with the pedals constantly even when I was driving very slowly. She would break for us coming up to junctions so that I was stopped several feet behind the line and then asked me to do my observations and pull off. She absolutely freaked out and shouted at me when I tried to change down from third to second gear - admittedly I didn't need to and the car probably would have jerked slightly but this was not dangerous. I have no idea how she manages with beginners in the car when inevitably they do make mistakes. She has completely shattered my already low confidence and I am still working up the courage to find a new instructor.”

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Posted 1 month ago

“They advertise £25/hour driving lessons if we log in with our driving lessons account, but apparently I live in an area that doesn't qualify, so I can't even register to get one of these awesome accounts. When chatting to a consultant the robot first asked me for my full name, email, postal code and even my birthdate! Enough information to identify whether or not I qualify for a good rate or not. So obviously my English name or overpriced rental region doesn't do me any favours.”

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Posted 1 month ago

“Second lesson did not stop to explain. Over steered hit curb. 2 tyres blown instructor took eye of road and left it to late to break. Left me in a industrial estate to get home. Refused refund as she lost work while waiting. She instructor she became rude and raised voice making me panic even more. Kelly harris not good.”

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Posted 1 month ago

“I have booked a lesson with an automatic instructor, I have had past instructors but due to personal circumstances I’ve had to look for a new one. Hearing good things about AA I booked with this automatic instructor. He was awful! He spent the whole lesson throwing sexist, hurtful comments at me about my appearance and where I lived. He made me feel so uncomfortable the whole lesson and was so unprofessional. When I called AA to make a formal complaint they said there was nothing they could do about it and the woman on the phone was dismissive and rude. DO NOT RECOMMEND!”

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Posted 2 months ago

“* This driving school is terrible. I had an unprofessional and aggressive instructor who didn't respond to my calls and messages all day. When he finally showed up 15 minutes late, he told me he was cutting 30 minutes from our lesson. When I explained that I had been trying to contact him to resolve an issue, he told me he didn't care and it was "my problem." When I complained to the company, they refused to help, saying they have no control over their drivers and don't verify who they hire. I absolutely do not recommend this school.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“awful m driving instructor takes money ends early doesnt show up on time acts like he knows it all and i know i should be ready for test now but he just doesnt want me to do it so he can earn more and more money”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Dreadful experience Do not use Recommended Driving instructorcancelled within minutes of lesson 4 out of 5 times We had to beg for money back Another instructor suddenly stopped unreliable poor teacher Do not use”

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Posted 2 months ago

“Useless company. My daughter booked 6hrs of Lessons in may. Was ready for her first lesson with a Paul Waterhouse, he never showed up. You cant speak to anyone at the AA. Daughter is supposed to have her second lesson tomorrow. Who knows if he will show up. Disgusting service, shame on you AA.”

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Posted 2 months ago

“I had a very disappointing experience with my instructor Terry Leslie Harris from AA Driving School. From the beginning, he was unprofessional and lazy. He would use his phone while I was driving, which is not only distracting but incredibly unsafe. During my paid lesson time, he often stopped to buy coffee, wasting time that should have been spent teaching me—not on his personal errands. His teaching style was poor and unstructured. He didn’t give proper guidance or feedback, and I often felt like I was teaching myself. It seemed like he was more interested in passing the time than actually helping me improve. The worst part came just 10 days before my driving test, when he started canceling my sessions. Then, out of nowhere, he informed me that he wouldn't take me to the test at all. I had been preparing for this test for months, and finding a new date was nearly impossible. After contacting AA, they admitted that he should have informed me sooner and that he would have to cover the test fees—but honestly, this isn’t just about money. It’s about the stress, wasted time, and lost opportunity after months of preparation. Extremely disappointed with both the instructor and the situation. I would not recommend Terry Leslie Harris to anyone. If you're considering lessons with AA, make sure to request an instructor with a proven track record of professionalism and commitment—this was the opposite of that.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“I haven't drove in 6 years and passed my test 15 years ago in a rural area. I took my first refresher lesson with Danielle in Birmingham today. Within 10 minutes behind the wheel she was shouting at me for making a mistake, when I'd told her she literally needed to start from scratch with me and treat me like a beginner, and that I had significant anxiety around driving. The mistake was around a gear change - I was trying to change down while on a residential road and she said I needed to slow down more before I did it. I imagine this is a common mistake so her reaction seemed quite disproportionate. Would not recommend for anxious drivers at all.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“I haven't drove in 6 years and passed my test 15 years ago in a rural area. I took my first refresher lesson with Danielle in Birmingham today. Within 10 minutes behind the wheel she was shouting at me for making a mistake, when I'd told her she literally needed to start from scratch with me and treat me like a beginner, and that I had significant anxiety around driving. The mistake was around a gear change - I was trying to change down while on a residential road and she said I needed to slow down more before I did it. I imagine this is a common mistake so her reaction seemed quite disproportionate. Would not recommend for anxious drivers at all.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“Unreliable and unprofessional – do not recommend. Messaged Jordan Lillie two weeks before my test, and he confirmed booking and availability. As the test approached, he stopped replying to calls or texts, and then failed to show on test day, offering no reason or apology. I was left stranded, stressed, and with no support. If you want someone consistent and communicative, look elsewhere.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“I started learning to drive with the AA a few years ago and while I figured out how to control the car at a basic level, I struggled to drive independently due to my instructor lacking in sufficient support. He would often tell me what to do instead of letting me figure things out, and never even considered going through a mock test with me before my test date. I therefore had to change instructors and join a different driving school who could meet my needs. After contacting customer support to find another instructor within the AA to replace them, they didn’t come back to me at all. Unfortunately I haven’t had the best experience learning with the AA as my instructor wasn’t able to teach me the necessary information to drive like my new instructor did and they failed to find me someone who could within the organisation. Needless to say I’ve now thankfully passed my test with another driving school but not sure I’d be able to recommend the AA for learning to drive for me personally - they should probably stick with breakdown recovery service in my opinion.”

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Posted 3 months ago

“I spoke to a lady from AA DRIVING SCHOOL who was putting my 17 year old child down for lessons.. she asked if my daughter has any thing she requires.. my daughter said just for her mum or uncle to sit in the back so she felt safe with a stranger.. the AA worker stated this could only happen on a couple of occasions but driving instructors don’t feel comfortable doing this so maybe no one will offer her any driving lessons. So we asked for a female instructor instead, we were told this wasn’t possible as it’s only 20% driving instructors. The lady spoke to me and my daughter in an aggravated manner because we were adamant for the safety of my child, there will always be a family member in the car. The woman made clear we most likely won’t get any driving instructors offering there service to my child. This will be taken further as that was an appalling service from someone who has to only answer a phone.”

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Posted 4 months ago

“The login portal stopped working after my son had had 2 lessons; to set up an account we needed to put in an email to which a verification code would be sent....except the code never arrived. We tried a couple of email addresses time and time again with no luck. Our driving instructor (lovely) could not do anything about login issues and we were directed to the aa online chatbot. This just said repeatedly that it didn't understand, couldn't help etc but did not transfer us to an actual human. I tried phoning a helpline number I found online but all the telephone services have been withdrawn. It seems the aa is fine if the online stuff is working but if there's a problem you have no support whatsoever.”

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Posted 5 months ago

“If I could give zero stars, I would. AA Driving School is not fit for purpose—the quality of instructors is poor and unreliable. They pick and choose students and seem to misunderstand the very idea of teaching. I wouldn’t waste my time or money on them. Look elsewhere”

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Posted 5 months ago

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Postal Service
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour

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