The AA Driving School Reviews

Name: The AA Driving School
Address: Fanum House, Basing View,, RG21 4EA
Rating: 3.94

3.9 Rating 860 Reviews

74 %

of reviewers recommend The AA Driving School

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

3.9

Based on 860 reviews

Shipping & Delivery
Delivery Methods	Postal Service
Customer Service
Communication Channels	Telephone, Email, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour

Visit Website

Phone:

0330 100 7470

Email:

customer.services@theaa.com

Location:

Fanum House, Basing View,
RG21 4EA
Basingstoke

Write Your review

Tell us how The AA Driving School made you happy

Minimum 10 characters

Would you like to add a photos or videos?

Strengthen your review by uploading photos & videos.

Drag files here or browse

(Supported files: jpg, png, mpeg, ogg, mp4 & webm)

What's your name?

Leave this blank if you'd like to publish your review anonymously.

(Optional)

What's your email?

We need your email address to verify that your review is genuine

Please note that we may share your email with the company to verify your order.

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 12th November 2024

164

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Sort by: Most Recent Most Recent Highest Rated Filter: None None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“My daughter’s instructor wasn’t fully trained (no part 3) but daughter was NOT made aware which is illegal. He then had an exam whilst she was in the car (after SIX MONTHS of lessons with him being unqualified) and he failed - apparently for the third time, so then he could no longer teach - at this point, she had a test booked in two weeks time! Now she has no car or instructor to take her test. No one has bothered contacting her and we have emailed and messaged on Facebook messenger several times with no response whatsoever. They have removed their phone line for driving school issues and they ignore you online . They owe her money that she paid up front in a block but they ignore us to get it back. They gave her an unqualified person, kept it quiet, left her in the lurch and now ignoring us. She spent over £900 with them! STAY AWAY FROM THIS EXTREMELY UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNSCRUPULOUS OUTFIT”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Driving instructor did not turn up for 30 minutes past allocated time. Could not do lesson as had appointment after so would’ve had to be cut short. AA driving school continues to say the instructor was sitting outside my property waiting but they were not as I was standing outside on the street. When asked for details on her satnav location, I am now being ignored!! Daylight robbery at £89 for 2 hr lesson I never had. Do not use”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Dear Kajanraj Thavayogan, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for all your guidance, patience, and support throughout my driving lessons. I’m so excited to share that I’ve passed my driving test! This wouldn’t have been possible without your expert instruction and encouragement. You made the learning process enjoyable and gave me the confidence I needed to succeed. I truly appreciate all the time and effort you invested in helping me become a safe and confident driver. Thank you so much!”

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 31st August 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I recently had a disappointing and distressing experience with AA Driving School, and I feel it’s important to share it to help others make informed decisions about their driving lessons. From the very beginning, my experience with the driving instructor was negative. Before my first lesson, I spoke with the instructor on the phone and found their tone to be extremely rude and confrontational. I expressed my discomfort about this, and although the instructor apologized, the lesson itself was even worse. The lesson was originally booked for two hours, but I had to end it after just 45 minutes due to the instructor's aggressive behavior. Throughout the lesson, they shouted instructions at me in an aggressive tone, frequently contradicting themselves by telling me to drive faster and then slower without clear guidance. This erratic behavior made me feel anxious, uncomfortable, and unsafe. The most concerning moment occurred at a roundabout, where the instructor directed me to proceed when it was clearly unsafe. Had I followed their instruction, a collision would have been unavoidable. When I pointed out the danger, the instructor responded rudely and dismissively, which led me to terminate the lesson early for my own safety. To add to this, I was unable to cancel my next lesson within the 48-hour window because of the timing of the incident, resulting in a financial loss for a lesson I couldn't take. I also lost my driving test slot due to this situation, leaving me without an instructor and without a scheduled test. When I contacted AA Driving School’s customer support, I received no meaningful assistance or resolution. Despite explaining the distress and inconvenience caused, their response was dismissive and unhelpful. As a result, I have lost not only money and time but also confidence in my driving abilities due to this experience. I am sharing this review to warn others considering AA Driving School. My experience was deeply unsettling, and I hope this feedback encourages the company to take more responsibility for their instructors' conduct and to provide better support to their customers. If you are looking for a driving school that values professionalism, safety, and customer satisfaction, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I'll make this short but to the point. Driving instructor cancelled on me without anything being said, I was waiting outside like a lemon then when you put in a complaint on the Monday because you can't access their chat until the Thursday to say cancel all my lessons they tell you it's too close to your next one so can't cancel that. Read the complaint I made on Monday!!”

The AA Driving School 1 star review on 22nd August 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“AA Driving school made happy when they gave me Jesuthasan Rajkumal ( Raj) the driving instructor who helped me my driving text after failing twice. He his a patient, kind but what he is doing. He built my confidence and I was able to pass due to his excellent skills of teaching. I recommend anybody there who wants to pass the driving test to book him because you will not regret.”

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 22nd August 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I can’t express how grateful I anm to Ion Dobrica from AA Driving School (Oxford/Bicester Area). As someone who started with zero driving experience, I was quite nervous about getting behind the wheel. However, Ion’s calm and skilled approach gave me the confidence I needed to drive independently. Ion is an incredibly knowledgeable and patient instructor who really takes the time to make sure you feel comfortable and safe on the road. His excellent communication and supportive guidance helped me not only learn the technical aspects of driving but also develop the confidence to handle any situation on the road. Thanks to Ion, I’ve gone from having no experience to feeling fully confident driving on my own. i highly recommend him to anyone in Oxford/Bicester looking to learn or improve their driving skills! Best instructor ever ☺️”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Majid is the WORST!! Cancels all lessons and test booking with less than 3 days to your test to scam more lessons out of you. All the previous lessons he has no concerns with your driving but suddenly on the week of the test he has concerns and wants you to cancel and rebook for next year. A driver with over 27 plus years driving experience just needing to get a UK license because my current one doesn't transfer over. I still took lessons and still had lessons booked. Woke up to a text that he has canceled my lessons because I did not wish to cancel my test which I already had to wait months to reschedule for next year. What a terrible experience!!!!! Whatever you do do not book lessons with this scammer.”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I strongly recommend Freddie Asare as a driving instructor! I passed my driving test on my first attempt thanks to Freddie's excellent guidance and patient teaching style. He made the entire learning experience less stressful by taking the time to explain everything thoroughly and helping me build more confidence as time went on. I couldn't recommend him enough to anyone wanting to learn for the first time.”

The AA Driving School 5 star review on 17th August 2024

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“I had Hade as my instructor and can't thank him enough. Was on my new years resolution and helped managed to pass on August 6th. Getting my very first car next week. Thank you:)”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“did lessons with florian sejfulahi who did nothing but comment on the fact my hands were sweaty and he thought it was a weight problem , took £80 for 2 hours to use an hour of it driving around the downs shouting at me and doing nothing but turns for an hour. stopped doing lessons with him as he very kindly ignored my messages so changed instructors to a much better one now would avoid florian!”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“They support their instructor alot that they’re very confident to say we’re allowed to take money and give lesson our own self. He cancelled my lesson and said she is too short to reach the clutch while it was all ok i showed him plenty of times that it’s alright but he kept insisting on cancelling. When i ask him if i do privately with you which car would you use he said it’s the same car, i asked am i not short enough he said no it’s fine we can still do it. So why he wasted my time then?”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Just an awful experience training to be an instructor with the AA. They only tell you the positives then take £1500 for less than mediocre training, the 6 day in class VR and in car training for part 3 is an absolute joke. I haven't been living in the UK for very long so I had no idea it could take months to get a booking for the ADI part 2 and at no point did anyone from AA tell me about this, they are only interested in getting the training money, and the franchise money later down the line. Furthermore after I complained I received three separate phone calls but no compensation whatsoever! Such a corporate attitude and an utter waste of time”

Helpful Report

Posted 2 months ago

“Professional instructor. I passed first time, Zahid taught me everything I needed to pass the test and even after. Definitely recommend. 5/5⭐️”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“So I’m in the West Midlands area and had an instructor called John from AA. Booked a lot of lessons upfront. Big mistake. Issue 1) Progression- not sure if it’s the teaching style but it’s very slow. You’re guaranteed at least 30 lessons if you want a pass. 2) If it was an hour lesson I’d be driven home 20 mins before my lesson finished. This happened so often and i never got that time back. 3) The policy for booking lessons was not explained to me. So when I had to cancel I was not informed that I wouldn’t be refunded. Since then all my other instructors, not from AA, have actually explained their policy for booking lessons. To summarise, if you like wasting money and time and on top of that want to pass after 3 years go for AA”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“I passed my driving test with only one minor. David Meredith is a brilliant instructor. He is so patient and calm. I would recommend him to anyone that’s wanting to learn and get on the road asap. I am so grateful for his support and knowledge throughout my lessons.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Booked these guys for my 17 year old son, wish I hadn’t, Charlie Brown really should give up being an instructor and just concentrate on his peanuts.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“Hi all, a little update: I just want to reiterate how much I recommend my instructor Faisal Anwar, who had helped me a lot not only to prepare for the exam which I successfully passed in June, but also in developing a driver’s decision making mindset and becoming independent in driving in a very short time. Faisal is a very sincere person who genuinely cares about the pupils, and people I have met in my neighbourhood who Faisal taught say the same. Many thanks and totally recommend learning to drive with Faisal!”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“If you’re looking to do a driving instructor training course, AVOID, choose another company. I paid £1800 for the instructor training course. Unfortunately they did not have a training instructor in my area to teach me. I tried to contact Dave Harvey and my appointed account manager Stu Buckley, only to be ghosted. I passed part one, then when I was looking to start training for my part two and three, they could not provide me with a training instructor, saying that the instructor in my area no longer wanted to do it and they did not have an adequate replacement. Promising me that as soon as they could train another instructor up they would get back in contact with me, that was nearly 2 years ago. I’ve since asked for a refund, only to be Ghosted yet again. Very cowardly and unprofessional way to handle the situation. They don’t even have the common decency to answer any of my emails or messages. Avoid like the plague.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

“When I did my first lesson, the instructor was lovely. But subsequently stopped taking lessons for personal reasons. Was told that lessons would remain on the account (it's was recorded as hours of lessons that I could take). Couple of years later, turns out my lessons aren't there anymore due to a system change. I would have also had to pay extra to account for the change in the driving lessons going up. They couldn't not transfer the lessons to a new account either. Not accommodating at all after speaking to multiple people. Would not recommend.”

Helpful Report

Posted 3 months ago

The AA Driving School is rated 3.9 based on 860 reviews