1. Driving Licence & Fitness to Drive
- Licence Check: You must hold a valid UK provisional (or full) driving licence. You must provide your instructor with your driving licence before your first lesson.
- Eyesight: You must be able to read a standard UK number plate from a distance of 20.5 metres. If you wear glasses or contact lenses for this, you must wear them for every lesson.
- Health & Fitness: You must inform your instructor of any medical conditions or prescription medications that may affect your ability to drive.
- Sobriety: If your instructor suspects you are under the influence of alcohol, illegal drugs, or any substance that impairs your driving, the lesson will be cancelled immediately. You will be charged the full lesson fee.
2. Payments & Block Bookings
- Advance Payment: All individual lessons must be paid for at least 48 hours in advance. Failure to do this will result in your booked lesson being potentially reallocated. Repeat offences could result in lesson being cancelled and being charged a full lesson fee.
- Block Bookings: Block booking discounts are offered on the condition that the hours are paid for in full upfront. Discount to be agreed at instructors discretion.
- Refund Policy: Pay as you go bookings will only be refunded if instructor is unable to provide the lesson. Block booking funds are non-refundable after 6 months from the date of purchase. Any refunds granted before this period will be calculated by charging any used hours at the standard individual hourly rate.
3. Cancellations & Punctuality
- 48-Hour Notice: You must give at least 48 hours notice to cancel or reschedule a lesson. If you cancel with less than 48 hours notice, you will be charged the full fee for that lesson.
- Instructor Cancellations: Your instructor reserves the right to cancel lessons at short notice due to vehicle breakdown, extreme weather conditions, examiner strikes, or illness. In these events, your lesson(s) will be rescheduled at no extra cost, but the instructor is not liable for any personal expenses incurred.
- Lateness: Your instructor will wait at the agreed pick-up point for 10 minutes. If you do not arrive within this time, it will be cancelled and you will be charged for the whole lesson. If you are late, the lesson will still end at the original scheduled time.
4. Practical Driving Tests
- Instructor Approval: Booking a practical test does not automatically guarantee the use of the instructor’s car. The tuition vehicle will only be provided if the instructor agrees you have reached a safe, DVSA test-ready standard. A pupil must complete a mock test at least 30 days prior to a booked test, this is to allow the instructor to give the pupil ample time to make changes to the test if necessary.
- Test Day Bookings: A standard test day requires a minimum booking of 2 hours. This covers a pre-test warm-up drive, the duration of the test and the journey home.
- Test Cancellations: If the DVSA cancels your test at short notice (e.g. due to examiner illness or bad weather), you are still responsible for paying the instructor's vehicle hire fee for that time slot. You can usually reclaim this cost back directly from the DVSA.
5. Liability & Property
- Fines & Points: You are legally responsible for any motoring offences, speeding fines or parking tickets committed while you are driving the vehicle.
- Accidents: The tuition vehicle is fully insured for driving instruction and practical tests. However, if an accident is caused by your deliberate refusal to follow the instructor’s direct instructions, you may be held liable for the insurance excess.
- Personal Belongings: The instructor accepts no responsibility for any personal property left in the tuition vehicle.
