Intensive driving courses in Birmingham can be good, but be careful.
Many of the worst driving instructors specialise in intensive courses because they can make lots of money quickly. Not only do they teach poorly, but they also won’t tell you important things to consider before starting, such as the long waiting times for driving tests.
🚨Important news on intensive courses🚨
Intensive courses are likely to soon be outlawed, with a minimum learning time for driving lessons. These changes could mean you will not be allowed to take a driving test for at least three or six months after starting driving lessons.
Changes starting on May 12, 2026, mean that test cancellation apps and websites will be outlawed. Only learner drivers will be able to book a driving test from then.
Further changes on June 9, 2026, mean you will only be allowed to move your driving test to a test centre local to where you originally booked it. This is because people have been booking tests hundreds of miles away, then moving them to a closer test centre if one comes up. That resulted in test centres being booked with hundreds of people who were highly unlikely to ever take their test there, wasting everyone’s time.
Read more about these changes here.
How an intensive driving course in Birmingham works
The word intensive means different things to different people. I consider intensive driving lessons as taking more than one lesson (two hours) per week.
It usually takes around 40 hours of lessons to be ready to take a driving test. If you took a two-hour driving lesson each Monday and Wednesday, you could be ready in 10 weeks.
If you do a driving lesson each Monday, Wednesday and Frida,y you’d be ready in around 6 weeks. Taking driving lessons more regularly means you might forget less between lessons.
I think this is a great way of learning to drive. I won’t do lessons that are longer than 2 hours. Any more is exhausting and can end up doing more harm than good.
Remember, you’ll have my driving lesson help guide to refer to between lessons.
My intensive courses in Birmingham leave nothing out. They are just as detailed and thorough as my weekly driving lessons.
Is a deposit needed for an intensive driving course in Birmingham?
There’s no need to risk paying ahead before you have even met me. In fact, I won’t take any payment off anyone until I’ve met them. Come and meet me first, talk to me, see if you like my school and discuss your course.
There’s no hard sell in the car. I’ll email you a possible course after the first lesson for you to think about.
See what I’m like before we even meet by watching my driving lessons videos.
Intensive courses are charged at my usual prices.
Can you pass a driving test in 5 days?
Learning how to pass a driving test is one thing. Learning to drive safely is another.
You can pass a driving test without ever going over 30 mph or driving on any large roundabout. The real driving test begins once you start driving alone after passing. Make a mistake then, and it’s more than a mark on a test you’ll have to worry about.
What are you going to do if you get to a large roundabout with 5 lanes and you don’t know what to do because your instructor missed that out, knowing it wouldn’t come up on a test? What about when you’re on a high street and need to park, but you can’t because you skipped over that bit because there wasn’t time?
I don’t do one-week courses because I consider them to be dangerous, and you will not learn how to drive properly. Some schools that do these will only teach you the test routes and all the tricks to make it look as though you know what you are doing.
I’ve taught many people in Birmingham how to drive over the course of 2 to 3 weeks, and just having that extra bit of time makes all the difference.
Take a 5-day course and you could end up as bad at driving as the driver in this video!
How many driving lessons will I need to pass my test?
It takes my pupils around 36 hours to be ready for a driving test.
That’s because of my experience, skill and that I have been teaching people since just after the dinosaurs walked the earth.
Official DVSA figures show that most people passing their driving test have taken at least 46 hours of driving lessons with an instructor and 20 hours with someone else.
Those figures are just averages though. I know from experience that very few pupils take less than 30 hours of driving lessons before they pass.
Why choose me for an intensive driving course in Birmingham?
I live in Birmingham, grew up here and have been doing intensive driving courses in Birmingham since 2006.
There are many companies offering intensive courses that are really just agencies. The school you apply to sometimes doesn’t exist, as odd as that may sound. They just contract out work to instructors and charge them an introduction fee.
I’ve taught hundreds of intensive driving courses in Birmingham since 2006, so many I’ve lost count. I know the driving test centres, examiners and the test routes. I know how to do an intensive driving lesson course safely as well as quickly.
Does a crash course include the theory test?
No. The theory test and practical test are totally separate from my crash courses so you must pay for them as well as the course.
This is fairer because some instructors rip you off by adding the cost of the test into a package which ends up costing you more.
Do I have to have my theory test passed to start a crash course?
You can start an intensive course with me without having your theory test passed but we won’t be able to book a practical driving test until you have passed the theory test.
I recommend you have your theory test passed before starting an intensive driving course. That allows us to do your driving lessons without the worry that you may not pass the theory test.
The waiting time for driving tests can vary. I update this page frequently and in 2019 you can get tests in Birmingham as little as a week away thanks to extra driving test centres and examiners.
Even if driving test centres are fully booked there is always the chance of a cancellation. Many pupils move driving tests every week so spaces are always popping up. Be quick though – driving test cancellations can be booked within minutes of appearing.
Prices for intensive driving courses in Birmingham
Intensive courses are charged at the same prices as usual weekly lessons. The only difference between my intensive lessons and weekly lessons is the length of time it takes to complete the course.
Below are some rough ideas of how many hours you may need based on your situation.
10 hours – For those with a lot of previous experience and a test coming up soon.
20 hours – For those with some experience who aren’t ready for a test yet.
30 hours – For people that know the basics such as turning left and right.
40 hours – For complete beginners wanting a full course.
Your test fee is not included. Driving schools will often include a test but charge you a massive premium.
To book an intensive driving course I need a deposit of at least 10 hours after your first lesson. Once you have paid the deposit then I can reserve the times you want. You can pay the rest after you’ve started.
Does a crash course guarantee a pass?
Nobody can guarantee a pass.
A “guaranteed pass” course just means a school will charge you lots extra for a course. If you fail they take the money for the next test out of the extra money you paid. If you pass the first time they keep the extra money.
I’ve had pupils come to me from other schools that guaranteed a pass and guess what? They failed multiple times and never passed.
After 3 tests they were refused another and directed to the terms and conditions which stated in tiny print that you have a maximum of 3 attempts before the guaranteed pass no longer applies. The terms also stated, “A guaranteed pass course does not guarantee you will pass.”.
Other catches I’ve known include it saying in the small print that you must take another 10 hours of driving lessons between driving tests. If you were ready for the test in the first place then you don’t need 10 more hours of lessons. If you weren’t ready for the test then why did they take you?
There is no such thing as a guaranteed pass.
Read this case from the Advertising Standards Authority where they upheld a complaint against a driving school offering a guaranteed pass. The catch was you had to pass within 60 hours which must be taken within 6 months. The ASA upheld that does not guarantee a pass even if customers agree to those terms.
Are intensive courses worth it?
Yes, intensive courses are a great way of learning to drive.
There are plans to introduce a minimum learning time for driving lessons. The suggestion is that all learners have a minimum of 120 hours of driving lessons spread over one year before they can take a driving test.
These plans have been around for around 10 years and would mean the end of intensive courses but there’s no sign of it happening any time soon.
Book your intensive driving course in Birmingham
I recommend passing your theory test first or at least book one. It’s not essential and you can start before passing the theory but it makes things easier if that’s done first.
Contact me now to book your intensive driving course.