Our Dawlish instructors offer a range of services including manual and automatic lessons, intensive courses, and flexible scheduling to fit around your commitments. Compare prices, read genuine student reviews, and find an instructor who matches your needs and budget.
Best Driving Instructors in Dawlish
Compare verified, top-rated instructors with genuine reviews from real students
Christine
Christine's School of Motoring is a friendly, local driving school in South Devon. It's run by Christine, an experienced instructor who loves helping…
Kevin
Kevin is a driving instructor and trainer with Training Wheelz, a friendly local driving school covering Exeter, East Devon, Bridgwater and Taunton. …
Phil
Ice Driving School has been helping people learn to drive across South Devon since 1998. Lessons are with a friendly team of DVSA registered, DABS ch…
Passmore
Passmore runs Passmore School of Motoring, based in Exmouth and covering Exmouth, Weymouth, Dorchester, Bridport and the surrounding villages. The ai…
Adam Horrell
Adam Horrell is a Grade A DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) who's known for making lessons relaxed, fun and still very focused. He uses modern t…
Maxine
Maxine is a Grade A ADI with a Fleet/Car qualification and years of solid teaching experience. She offers all sorts of driving lessons to suit you, w…
Learning to Drive in Dawlish
Dawlish is a small coastal town on the South West coast, known for its seafront and the A379 running through the town. Driving here mixes quiet residential streets with busy summer traffic near the seafront and Dawlish Warren. Lessons often include handling narrow town centre roads and coastal visibility changes. Local instructors know the tourist hotspots and the stretch along the sea wall well.
Nearest Test Centre: Newton Abbot
The nearest DVSA test centre is in Newton Abbot, about 6.9 miles from Dawlish by road. You can expect a busy centre that handles around 6,028 tests a year, so wait times vary. Newton Abbot's location means many tests use the A380 and nearby urban routes, so practise dual carriageway and town junction work.
Data source: DVSA (2024-2025)
Pass Rate Analysis
Newton Abbot test centre has a pass rate of 53.3%. Data source: DVSA 2024-2025. That compares to the national average pass rate of 47.3%. Data source: DVSA 2024-2025. Male candidates at Newton Abbot pass at 57.6% and female candidates at 49.6%. Data source: DVSA 2024-2025.
Local Driving Tips
Practise on the A379 and the seafront road to get used to crosswinds, spray and pedestrians near the promenade. Town centre streets are narrow, so tidy steering and slow, controlled turns help, especially around Fore Street and the junctions by the station. Expect busy car parks and tourist traffic at Dawlish Warren in summer, so plan quieter lesson times if you can. Work on roundabout entry and exit on the approaches towards Starcross and Dawlish, and get comfortable merging onto faster A-roads for Newton Abbot tests.
Choosing an Instructor in Dawlish
There are six local instructors listed for Dawlish, so availability can be limited at peak times. Choose someone who teaches to the Newton Abbot test routes and who offers both town and A-road experience. Ask about lesson structure, pass-rate history and whether they provide mock driving tests. Expect prices to vary by instructor experience and lesson length.
Lesson Costs in Dawlish
No local average price is provided, so lesson costs vary across instructors and booking types. Block bookings, intensive courses and weekend lessons usually change the hourly rate, as does choosing automatic or manual lessons.
Getting Started
Apply for your provisional licence, then start lessons with a local instructor who knows Dawlish roads. Book and pass the theory test before your practical. When ready, book your practical at Newton Abbot, which is the closest test centre to Dawlish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Last reviewed: February 2026