Driving Lessons in Canary Wharf

How to choose a driving instructor in Canary Wharf

You deserve a driving instructor in Canary Wharf who:

• Builds your confidence
• Makes it enjoyable to learn
• Won’t cost an arm and a leg!

So, when it comes to choosing a driving school in Canary Wharf, you should follow these 4 simple steps:

1. Compare reviews

Head to an unbiased review site to find out what experiences other learners have had with driving schools and local instructors in Canary Wharf.

2. Beware of terms and conditions

They may be boring, but terms and conditions are vital to keep you fully informed about what you’re signing up to. You’ll want to find out whether your driving school in Canary Wharf expects you to use all your lessons up within a certain timeframe, for example. Make sure to read through them carefully so that you don’t get caught by surprise.

3. Check that you can switch instructors

In an ideal world, you’d learn with just one instructor from your first lesson right through to passing your driving test. However, things don’t always work out how you hope. You need to be sure that, if you need to, you can switch instructors. Not all driving schools in Canary Wharf advertise this as a possibility, so it’s best to check before booking.

4. Avoid long waiting times

The last thing you want is to book a driving lesson package and then have to wait for weeks before you can take your first lesson! Some driving schools in Canary Wharf don’t advertise their waiting times on their website, so make sure that you check availability before booking.

Tips for learning to drive in Canary Wharf

The most important tip we can give you is to put in some practice between driving lessons lessons in Canary Wharf. This will not only allow you to hone the skills you’ve covered in lessons, but it will also give you valuable experience driving in different road and weather conditions - great for becoming a confident driver!

Our driving instructors in Canary Wharf have shared some of their favourite practice spots.

• Strafford Road: This residential road is the perfect haunt to practise your parallel parking. With cars parked on both sides, you’ll need to pay attention to your passing distances and rights of way as well.

• West India Dock Road: Also known as the A1261, West India Dock Road is a great spot to drill your dual carriageway skills, according to our driving instructors in Canary Wharf. Use your time here to practise switching lanes and using slip roads.

• Trafalgar Way: This road features a two-laned roundabout by Billingsgate Market and some large box junctions. It’s usually fairly quiet, so it’s a good spot to get your head around these road systems without pressure from other road users.

• Limehouse Link Tunnel: It might sound strange, but going through a long tunnel on a fairly fast-paced A road can be a bit daunting on your first few tries. So, our driving instructors in Canary Wharf recommend giving the Limehouse Link Tunnel some practice.

Choosing your test centre

After you’ve taken a number of driving lessons in Canary Wharf, your driving instructor will suggest that it’s time to choose a test centre. It’s best to choose a test centre near you so that you can easily practise on the likely test routes both in your own time and during lessons.

DVSA practical car test pass rates, 2018-2019.

Barking (Tanner Street) Test Centre | Pass rate: 34.3%

Sadly, Barking doesn’t have the greatest pass rate - it’s far below the national average of 45.8%. Barking Test Centre is located in a bustling area where you’re likely to encounter busy roads, multi-lane roundabouts and narrow streets lined with parked cars.

Address: 84 Tanner Street, Barking, Essex, Greater London, IG11 8QF

Hither Green Test Centre | Pass rate: 49%

Our driving instructors in Canary Wharf say that Hither Green is a good choice of test centre due to its high pass rate. As far as test centres in London go, this one has fairly straightforward test routes with fewer complex road systems.

Address: 42-44 Ennersdale Road, Hither Green, Greater London, SE13 6JD

Wanstead Test Centre | Pass rate: 35.6%

Wanstead Test Centre is surrounded by both quiet residential roads and busy urban streets. Make sure you polish your hazard perception if you take your test here!

Address: 2 Devon House, Hermon Hill, Wanstead, Greater London, E11 2AW

Enter your postcode on the DVSA website to see a list of test centres near you.

Test tips from driving instructors in Canary Wharf

When it comes to passing the driving test, our instructors in Canary Wharf have got some tips!

1. Research your test centre

It’s important to research your test centre so that you know what you can expect on the day. For example, Barking Test Centre doesn’t have any parking for test candidates, so you might want to arrive early to make sure you can find a parking spot nearby. Wanstead Test Centre, on the other hand, has no toilet facilities, so you’ll need to make sure you go beforehand.

2. Drive defensively

London is known for its aggressive drivers. You’ll need to stay one step ahead of them by anticipating their behaviour and adapting your own driving accordingly. For example, just because it’s your right of way, it doesn’t mean that another car won’t pull out in front of you - be prepared for the unexpected!

3. Bring what you need

Our driving instructors in Canary Wharf have warned that you’ll need to bring both your provisional driver’s licence and your theory test pass certificate with you to your test. Without them, your test could be cancelled.

Choosing between manual and automatic

Choosing between manual and automatic driving lessons isn’t always easy, but it has to be done! Let’s go through both options to see if that makes your decision any simpler.

Automatic driving lessons will prepare you to drive automatic cars once you pass the driving test. Automatic cars have many benefits - most notably, they’re easier on hills and in urban areas where you’re stopping and starting frequently. Since Canary Wharf is an area in which you’ll often encounter buses, traffic lights and stop-start traffic, you might prefer to drive an automatic car here.

Manual driving lessons, on the other hand, will prepare you to pass your driving test with a manual driving licence. That means you’ll be able to drive both manual and automatic cars once you pass. It’s usually cheaper to buy and hire manual cars, so if you have money on the brain you might prefer to go for manual lessons. Plus, manual lessons tend to be cheaper than automatic. That said, you may not pass your test as quickly since learning to drive a manual car is generally accepted to be harder.

We told you it would be a difficult decision! At the end of the day, they’re both great options. It’s up to you!

Driving lessons in Canary Wharf

Some of the most popular locations to learn to drive are:

Barking, Brixton, Bromley, Clapham, Croydon, Dagenham, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Harrow, Hayes, Hendon, Hounslow, Islington, Kingston upon Thames, Lewisham, Putney, Romford, Southall, Stratford, Sutton, Tottenham, Twickenham, Uxbridge, Walthamstow, Wandsworth, Watford, Wembley and Wimbledon.