Driving Lessons in Finsbury Park

View other guides: Driving Lessons in London, Driving Lessons in Birmingham, Driving Lessons in Manchester.

How to choose a driving instructor in Finsbury Park

You deserve a driving instructor in Finsbury Park who:

• Makes you feel supported
• Helps you enjoy learning
• Won’t cost the earth!

So, when it comes to choosing a driving school in Finsbury Park, we suggest following these 4 steps:

1. Compare reviews

Reading about other learners’ experiences with the driving schools in Finsbury Park is a great way to get a good feeling for which school you’d like to learn with.

2. Beware of terms and conditions

Terms and conditions may seem boring, but if you don’t read them you risk getting taken for a ride. For example, some driving schools in Finsbury Park won’t refund you for any unused hours if you pass your driving test before using up all your hours.

3. Check that you can switch instructors

It’s tempting to skip this step because of course everyone hopes they get matched with the perfect driving instructor first time round. However, it’s important to check that you can switch instructors just in case things don’t work out how you hope. Not all driving schools in Finsbury Park have clear policies when it comes to switching, so you’re best off checking before you book.

4. Avoid long waiting times

Many driving schools in Finsbury Park neglect to mention their waiting times on their websites. Often, you won’t find out until you’re midway through booking - or worse, until you’ve already booked! Make sure that you ask beforehand - if a school has long waiting times, you might prefer to learn elsewhere.

Tips for learning to drive in Finsbury Park

If you’re hoping to learn quickly, it’s a great idea to put in some private practice between your driving lessons in Finsbury Park. In fact, the DVSA recommends that you put in 22 hours of private practice before attempting the practical driving test!

Check out some great practice spots shared with us by local driving instructors in Finsbury Park.

• Park Theatre: Many of the residential roads around the Park Theatre are ideal for getting your head around the driving basics, with a 20 mph speed limit and few cars about. There are even some spots where you could practise your bay parking on Lennox Road.

• Corbyn Street: This residential road is lined with parked cars on either side, so it’s a great choice when it’s time to practise your parallel parking or to get your head around passing distances.

• Stroud Green Road: On Stroud Green Road, you’ll find a large box junction which our driving instructors in Finsbury Park say is perfect for getting your head around this tricky road system!

• Crouch Hill: Once you’re confident with clutch control, try heading up Crouch Hill towards Crouch End. You’re likely to come to a stop at some point (perhaps at traffic lights or to let a pedestrian cross the road), so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to practise your hill starts.

• Seven Sisters Road: This busy urban road is lined with shops and teaming with pedestrians - particularly outside Finsbury Park Station! According to our driving instructors in Finsbury Park, it’s a great place to hone your hazard perception skills and to practise responding to road markings.

Choosing your test centre

When you’re getting into the swing of your driving lessons in Finsbury Park, your driving instructor will start to look ahead to your driving test. With your instructor’s help, you’ll need to choose a driving test centre and then get familiar with the routes that could come up in your test.

DVSA practical car test pass rates, 2018-2019.

Wood Green Test Centre | Pass rate: 39.3%

If you’re based in Finsbury Park, Wood Green Test Centre will probably be your nearest. It’s located near busy urban roads with a variety of road systems, so you’ll need to be confident with city driving.

Address: Wood Green Crown Court, Woodhall House, Lordship Lane, Wood Green, Greater London, N22 5LF

Tottenham Test Centre | Pass rate: 37.8%

Tottenham Test Centre is situated on a fairly quiet road, but near to some busy urban streets. Brush up on your hazard perception skills and your observations if you take a test here!

Address: Annex Building, Selby Centre, Selby Road, Tottenham, Greater London, N17 8JL

Wanstead Test Centre | Pass rate: 35.6%

You’ll find Wanstead Test Centre in an area that incorporates both narrow residential streets full of parked cars, and busy urban roads. There are no toilets available here, so make sure you plan that into your journey!

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

Enter your postcode on the DVSA website to see more test centres near you.

Test tips from driving instructors in Finsbury Park

Local driving instructors in Finsbury Park have given us their tips for passing the driving test in the area.

1. Check on the parking

Some test centres near Finsbury Park have specific parking instructions to pay attention to when you arrive for your driving test. If you take your test at Tottenham Test Centre, for example, you’ll need to park in the allocated spaces near the annex building, but you shouldn’t arrive any earlier than 10 minutes before your test and you’re forbidden to practise on site.

2. Drive defensively

The test centres near Finsbury Park are located in busy urban areas where you’ll have buses, cyclists, taxis and aggressive drivers to contend with. So, make sure that you expect the unexpected from other road users and tailor your driving accordingly.

3. Take a driving lesson beforehand

Local driving instructors in Finsbury Park advise that you take a driving lesson straight before your driving test. It’ll get you back in the swing of being in the driver’s seat, and should boost your confidence ready for the test.

Choosing between manual and automatic

Choosing between manual and automatic driving lessons can be tricky, but you’ll need to make the decision before you book your driving lessons.

Automatic lessons are becoming increasingly popular in cities because it’s more relaxing not having to press the clutch pedal each time you come to a stop at traffic lights or pedestrian crossings. For that reason, you might prefer to drive an automatic in Finsbury Park, which is a notoriously bustling part of North London. You’re also likely to learn quicker in an automatic and to need less driving lessons as a result.

That said, manual driving lessons tend to be cheaper and manual cars are also cheaper to buy and hire for the most part. So, if you’re on a budget, you might decide that manual driving lessons are best for you.

On top of that, a manual driving licence qualifies you to drive both manual and automatic cars, whereas an automatic licence only qualifies you to drive automatics. So by opting for manual driving lessons, you’ll have the freedom to drive whichever you want in the future.

There are pros and cons to learning either transmission, but ultimately, the choice is yours!

Driving lessons in Finsbury Park

Popular locations include:

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