My Honest Review of a Driving School
check_circlePros
- I liked that I could choose my own instructor and schedule - it made the whole process feel more personalized.
- The online program was super convenient, and the road map feature was really helpful.
- I appreciated the 1,000 ruble discount for bringing a friend - it was a nice touch.
- The theory portion of the program was well-structured and easy to follow.
- The online exams were a great way to practice and get a feel for the actual test.
cancelCons
- Unfortunately, the instructors just didn't live up to the hype. I felt like I was getting a generic, cookie-cutter experience.
- The practice portion of the program felt really rushed - I felt like I wasn't getting enough time behind the wheel.
- I was really disappointed in the lack of preparation for the actual test. It felt like they were just going through the motions.
- The program didn't quite live up to the expectations - it felt like they were overselling the benefits.
- I was taken aback by the hidden fees - it felt like they were trying to sneak them in.
Editor's Summary
I've gotta say, I was really thorough in my search for a driving school in my area. After reading countless reviews, I was left feeling underwhelmed. The theory portion of the programs seems solid, but the instructors just didn't cut it. I'll give you the lowdown on what I liked and didn't like about this driving school. To be honest, I was expecting a lot more from the instructors - they just seemed like they were going through the motions. But hey, at least the online program was super convenient, and the road map feature was really helpful. I also appreciated the 1,000 ruble discount for bringing a friend - it was a nice touch. And let's be real, the theory portion of the program was well-structured and easy to follow. But the practice portion felt really rushed - I felt like I wasn't getting enough time behind the wheel. And to top it all off, the program didn't quite live up to the expectations - it felt like they were overselling the benefits.
Specifications
I have to say, I was super thorough in my search for a driving school. I read tons of reviews, but unfortunately, I couldn't find any place with a rating above 4 stars. Every review I came across had the same complaint: 'The theory is great, but the instructor was a letdown.' I'll do my best to give you an objective review of this driving school.
The school offers a bunch of different programs:
Online program, which costs 17,800 rubles with the discount, or 21,300 rubles without.THEORY - ONLINE. PRACTICE - 28 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 45 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME. CHOOSE YOUR INSTRUCTOR. ROAD MAP. ONLINE EXAMS. MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, 13% REFUND. BRING A FRIEND, GET A 1,000 RUB DISCOUNT.
Minimum program, which costs 18,800 rubles with the discount, or 22,300 rubles without.THEORY - ONLINE OR IN CLASS. PRACTICE - 28 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 45 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME. ROAD MAP. ONLINE EXAMS. MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, 13% REFUND. BRING A FRIEND, GET A 1,000 RUB DISCOUNT.
Standard program, which costs 23,500 rubles with the discount, or 27,000 rubles without.THEORY - ONLINE OR IN CLASS, PRACTICE - 28 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 60 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME, ROAD MAP. STEERING WHEEL TRAINERS. MEDICAL CERTIFICATE, 13% REFUND. BRING A FRIEND, GET A 1,500 RUB DISCOUNT.
Optimal program, which costs 29,900 rubles with the discount, or 33,400 rubles without.THEORY - ONLINE OR IN CLASS, PRACTICE - 28 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 90 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME, ONLINE EXAMS, CONTRA-VEHICLE TESTING, ROAD MAP. STEERING WHEEL TRAINERS, MEDICAL CERTIFICATE. BRING A FRIEND, GET A 2,000 RUB DISCOUNT.
Individual program, which costs 33,500 rubles with the discount, or 37,000 rubles without.THEORY - ONLINE, IN CLASS, OR WITH AN INSTRUCTOR, PRACTICE - 28 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 90 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME. CHOOSE YOUR INSTRUCTOR, SCHEDULE, MEETING PLACE, ROUTE. PLUS OPTIMAL PROGRAM OPTIONS.
Express program, which costs 37,000 rubles with the discount, or 40,500 rubles without.INTENSIVE THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL TRAINING, REDUCED COURSE DURATION BY TWO, PLUS INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM OPTIONS.
Contra-Vehicle program, which costs 42,700 rubles with the discount, or 46,200 rubles without.PRACTICE - 70 HOURS (35 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 90 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME), 12 STAGES OF PREPARATION WITH WORK ON CONTRA-VEHICLE DRIVING RECEIPTS. SPORTS AUTODROME. PLUS INDIVIDUAL PROGRAM OPTIONS.
Deaf program, which costs 24,400 rubles with the discount, or 27,900 rubles without.THEORY - IN CLASS WITH A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETER, PRACTICE - 28 LESSONS, 2 HOURS EACH, WITH 60 MINUTES OF DRIVING TIME, CHOOSE YOUR INSTRUCTOR, ONLINE EXAMS, ROAD MAP. STEERING WHEEL TRAINERS. MEDICAL CERTIFICATE.
Now, let's get to the programs. You've got the hourly manual transmission program, which costs 1,000 rubles with the 'discount' and 4,500 rubles without. Then there's the hourly automatic transmission program, which costs 1,300 rubles with the 'discount' and 4,800 rubles without.
The theory is free, and you get 60 minutes of driving time. You can decide for yourself how many hours of driving time you need. There's online control over your progress. You'll learn to drive confidently and pass the exam on your first try!
As you can see, they've got a lot of programs - or at least, that's the impression they're trying to give. To be honest, I'm super skeptical about their discounts. I went to driving school in September 2019, chose the standard program, and paid 23,500. When I looked at their prices again on their website, the so-called discounts hadn't changed. Maybe I'm being picky, but it feels like they're ripping me off. I'll explain later why I think their programs are just a show.
But let's get back to order. In the standard program, you could choose how to study theory - online or in class. I chose online, went to the driving school, paid 9,500 for the theory, and they gave me their author's notes:
Here's how distance learning works in the driving school: you get a login and password to access your personal account. In your account, you'll find online lectures based on these notes. I even tried to use it:
Honestly, I think this kind of learning is pointless: everyone prepares for the theory test using any app on their phone. Although, maybe I'm wrong. In any case, 9,500 is not worth it.
Now, let's move on to the most painful part for any driving school - practice. According to the rules of this driving school, the student chooses their instructor in the area where they plan to learn how to drive. I didn't choose an instructor because I didn't know anyone there, so I chose the area - Komsomolsky Prospekt. A couple of days before the start of practical lessons, I received a notification that I had been assigned an instructor. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about the instructor.
Now, I want to explain why their preparation programs don't inspire trust.
I went through the standard training program, just like I mentioned earlier. I paid the instructor 14,000 rubles personally. According to their own rules, the lesson should last 2 hours, with 60 minutes spent driving and 60 minutes dedicated to error analysis and other stuff. But let's be real, I never got those clean 60 minutes of driving time. The instructor would use some of that time to review frequent mistakes and explain different exercises. In the end, I only drove the minimum program, despite paying for the standard one. Plus, the instructor would often let me go 5-10 minutes early. It might not seem like a big deal, but that's a lot of time to repeat something.
After each lesson, I'd get emails saying I'd mastered some new exercise:
But when I logged into my Mustang account to see what I'd learned, the exercise names were super intimidating. To be honest, we didn't even cover most of those exercises. If I'm being blunt, the instructor wasn't a bad teacher. He taught me okay, kept his voice down, and didn't swear much. But he was preparing me for real city driving, not the exam. It would've been nice if he'd combined the two.
Then came the internal exams. The instructor freaked me out, saying I'd fail the first time and that I'd have to pay him extra for the service, since it was his personal time plus the time of the exam commission, which supposedly reviews the video from the dashboard camera (the whole process of taking the exam to him involves him recording my attempt on the dashboard camera and submitting it to the commission). If I didn't take it with him, but with some main instructor instead, I might fail and have to pay for a retake. He asked for a whopping 6,000 rubles for his 'services'. I agreed, and I did pass on the first try. But I still felt like I'd been ripped off.
I took more lessons from him to prepare for the GIBDD exam. Why? I don't know. It was just money down the drain. I failed on the practice track and immediately picked up my documents from the driving school and went solo.
It's hard to give this driving school a rating. They're supposed to teach you, but the end goal wasn't met – getting my license.
I wouldn't recommend this driving school.
