Find a Driving Instructor in Dawlish

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Instructors
12
Avg Price
£47/hr
Nearest Test Centre
Newton Abbot (6.9 mi)
Test Centre Pass Rate
53.3%
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There are 12 driving instructors in Dawlish. Prices range from £45.00 to £48.00 per hour. The average rating is 5 stars from 4 reviews.

12
Instructors
£47/hr
Avg Price
5 / 5
4 Reviews
DVSA
Approved ADIs
Welcome to our Dawlish driving instructor directory. Whether you're a complete beginner or looking to brush up on your skills, we can help you find the right instructor.

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.
Local Instructor Proof

Some instructors covering Dawlish

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Fiona
3.5 mi

Fiona

Exmouth
5.0
4 reviews
Manual & Auto 60 min

Fiona's an experienced automatic driving instructor based in Exmouth, Devon. She's been teaching for over 14 years and has a really calm, patient app…

Nervous Drivers Refresher Motorway
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MR
3.5 mi

Mark

Exmouth
Manual 90 min
Kia Ceed

Mark Rhodes is a friendly, patient driving instructor based in Exmouth, Devon. He's an Approved Driving Instructor with a ROSPA Gold award in advance…

Nervous Drivers Refresher
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Kevin Williams
3.5 mi

Kevin

Exmouth
Manual 60 min

Kevin Williams is a friendly, reliable driving instructor based in Exmouth. He's been teaching for over a decade, since at least 2012, and his studen…

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Steve
3.5 mi

Steve

Exmouth
Manual 60 min

Steve is a friendly, reliable driving instructor who runs Scorpio Driving School. He's an experienced DVSA Approved Driving Instructor, offering prof…

Nervous Drivers Refresher Motorway Pass Plus
£48 /hour
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Carol Fellows
6.2 mi

Carol

Chudleigh
Manual 60 min Evenings + Weekends

Carol Fellows is a friendly, down-to-earth driving instructor based in Devon. She's an Approved Driving Instructor who's been teaching for years, and…

Nervous Drivers Refresher Intensive Motorway +1
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SM
7.2 mi

Simon

Budleigh Salterton
Manual 60 min

Hi, I'm Simon Manning. I'm an independent driving instructor based in Budleigh Salterton, East Devon. I've been teaching people to drive around here …

Refresher Motorway Pass Plus
£48 /hour
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Adam Horrell
7.3 mi

Adam

Newton Abbot
Manual 60 min Evenings + Weekends

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…

Nervous Drivers Refresher Motorway Pass Plus
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Bill
7.3 mi

Bill

Newton Abbot
Manual 90 min

Bill runs A1 School of Motoring, based in Newton Abbot. He's been teaching learners in the area for a good while, and he's the kind of instructor who…

Pass Plus
£48 /hour
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JC
9.7 mi

Julie

Devon
Manual 60 min

Hi, I'm Julie Coldwell. I've been a fully qualified driving instructor for over 17 years now, and I teach people to drive around Torbay, Newton Abbot…

Nervous Drivers
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SB
9.7 mi

Stacey

Devon
Manual 60 min
Peugeot 208 Style

Stacey Bale runs Correct Driving School, offering manual driving lessons in a Peugeot 208 Style. She's an Approved Driving Instructor with a backgrou…

Nervous Drivers
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Wendy Howell
10 mi

Wendy

Exeter
Manual 60 min

Wendy Howell is a friendly, patient driving instructor based in Exeter and East Devon. She's been teaching for many years and specialises in helping …

Nervous Drivers Pass Plus
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Helen Matthews
10 mi

Helen

Exeter
Manual 60 min Weekends

Helen Matthews is a fully qualified female driving instructor running her own independent LDC driving school in Exeter. She's been specially trained …

Intensive
£45 /hour
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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.

53.3%
Overall Pass Rate
57.6%
Male Pass Rate
49.6%
Female Pass Rate
6.9 mi
Distance

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

Newton Abbot test centre has a pass rate of 53.3%.
The nearest centre at Newton Abbot has a higher pass rate than the national average, 53.3% versus 47.3%.
There are six instructors listed in Dawlish.
Newton Abbot test centre is about 6.9 miles from Dawlish by road.
Yes.
No local average price is provided for Dawlish.
Learning time varies with individual progress and lesson frequency.
Newton Abbot handles around 6,028 tests a year, so slots are reasonably frequent but can fill up.
Yes, practising on the seafront helps with coastal conditions such as wind and spray, and with managing pedestrians and parked cars.
Driving lesson prices vary by location and instructor, typically ranging from £30 to £45 per hour.
Most learners need between 40 to 50 hours of professional tuition, plus around 20 hours of private practice.
If you pass in an automatic, you can only drive automatic cars.
You can book your practical driving test online through the DVSA website or by calling their booking line.
Look for a fully qualified ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) with good reviews.
Most instructors prefer to use their own dual-controlled vehicles for safety reasons.

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