How to choose a driving instructor in South Dublin
Looking for a driving instructor in South Dublin? These are the things I’d check before booking anyone, me included: the RSA register, the car, the price, pickup, your test centre and how the EDT lessons are run.
By Vlastislav Obsil, RSA-approved instructor · 9 November 2026
Start with the RSA register
Every driving instructor you’ll find in South Dublin should be an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). The RSA’s advice is short: only use an ADI to learn to drive. It also says it’s an offence for any driving instructor to teach someone to drive unless they’re on its register of Approved Driving Instructors.
Checking takes a minute. The RSA has a search tool on rsa.ie where you can look up an instructor by first name, surname, company name or ADI number. Pick category B for cars.
If an instructor can’t give you their ADI number, or it doesn’t show up, keep looking. My ADI number is 42951, and I’m also an approved IBT instructor for motorcycles. You’re welcome to check me before you book.
One instructor or a driving school with a team?
Search for a driving school in South Dublin and you’ll find both: bigger schools with several instructors, and instructors who work on their own. Either can work. What matters is knowing who will actually sit beside you.
Ask two things: will I have the same instructor every lesson, and who signs my EDT logbook?
I work alone. Every lesson is with me, from EDT lesson 1 to the test car on the day, so I know how you drive and you never have to start again with someone new.
If it isn’t working with an instructor, you’re not stuck. The RSA says you can change ADI at any point in the EDT programme, once your current instructor has signed your logbook and uploaded the session.
Manual or automatic: check the car first
Some driving instructors in South Dublin teach only automatic, some only manual. Decide which licence you want before you ring around.
If you pass in a manual, your licence covers manual and automatic cars. If you pass in an automatic, you’re limited to automatics. I explain this in more detail in manual or automatic: which licence should you get.
I teach in a manual car with dual controls. I don’t offer automatic lessons, so if automatic is what you want, I’m not the right instructor for you, and I’d rather say that up front.
Ask how driving lessons are priced and booked
The RSA points out that ADIs are self-employed and set their own fees, so prices for driving lessons in South Dublin vary. Comparing the hourly price on its own can mislead you. Ask:
- How much per hour?
- What’s the shortest lesson you’ll book?
- What happens if I cancel or need to move a lesson?
- Do I pay up front or lesson by lesson?
- What does the car for the test cost, and does that include a warm-up?
Here are my prices so you can compare like for like. Car lessons are €45 an hour, with a minimum of 2 hours (€90) and a maximum of 4 hours (€180). I don’t do 90-minute lessons. EDT is booked in 2-hour sessions at the same rate. Test car hire is €120, or €150 with a one-hour warm-up.
You pay in full or leave a €50 deposit. With 7 or more days’ notice you get one reschedule. A late cancellation or a no-show loses the money. Everything is on my pricing page.
Does the instructor know your test centre?
Most learners in South Dublin sit their test at one of two centres:
- Tallaght: Premier Business Park, 52 Broomhill Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24.
- Dún Laoghaire: Highline Building, Baker’s Point, Pottery Road, Kill of the Grange.
They feel quite different to drive around. Tallaght is mostly wide, busy suburban roads with plenty of roundabouts and the Luas Red line near the town centre. Around Dún Laoghaire you get more hills, narrower residential roads and busy junctions closer to the coast.
An instructor who teaches around your centre regularly can get you ready for the kind of roads you’ll meet. Nobody can hand you the exact test route, so be wary of anyone who promises that.
I’m based at Nutgrove Way in Rathfarnham and I cover both centres, with pre-test lessons and test car hire for each. If you’re testing soon, my guides to the Dún Laoghaire test and common Tallaght mistakes are worth a read.
Check pickup and the areas they cover
Most instructors pick you up from home, college or work, but not everyone covers every part of South Dublin, and some charge for the distance. Ask where they’ll collect you and whether there’s a cost, before you pay anything.
My pickup is free within about 10 minutes’ drive of the test centres in Tallaght, Dún Laoghaire, Naas and Carlow. If you live farther away, send me your location on WhatsApp and I’ll tell you the cost before you book. You can see the areas I cover here.
How will the EDT lessons be run?
If this is your first learner permit for a car, you need 12 EDT sessions before your test. The RSA sets the order: session 1 comes first, sessions 2 to 8 can be taken in any order, and sessions 9 to 12 come once 2 to 8 are done.
After each session the ADI signs, stamps and dates your logbook, and gives you feedback. The RSA recommends leaving two weeks between EDT sessions and doing at least three hours of practice on what you covered last time.
Your sponsor needs to have held a full licence for at least two years, and your sponsor can be your ADI.
So ask the instructor:
- Will you sign and upload each session on the day?
- What should I practise with my sponsor before the next one?
A good instructor will have clear answers. You can see how I run them on my EDT lessons page, and what happens in lesson 1 in your first driving lesson.
Read the reviews properly
When every driving school in Dublin shows five stars, the stars don’t tell you much. Read the words instead.
- Do reviews name the instructor you’d actually get?
- Do they mention a test centre, nerves or a specific problem that got fixed?
- Are some of them recent?
Pass rates are worth a question too. Any school’s pass rate is its own figure. Mine is 95%, from my own records. If someone quotes you a number, ask how they count it.
I’m rated 5.0 on Google, and you can read what students say on my reviews page.
Questions to ask a driving instructor before you book
Keep this list on your phone when you ring around:
- What’s your ADI number?
- Will every lesson be with you?
- Manual or automatic, and does the car have dual controls?
- How much per hour, what’s the minimum lesson, and what’s your cancellation policy?
- Do you pick up from my area, and is there a charge?
- Which test centre do you teach around most?
- Can you provide the car for my test, and is there a warm-up?
- What happens after each EDT session?
How someone answers tells you a lot. Quick, clear answers are a good sign.
Red flags to watch for
- No ADI number, or a reluctance to give it.
- Vague prices, or a price that changes after you’ve booked.
- Promises of a guaranteed pass or a “known” test route.
- Your EDT logbook left unsigned after a session.
- Lessons that keep finishing early.
Want a motorbike licence too?
Some learners want both a car and a motorbike licence. If that’s you, check whether the instructor is also approved for IBT. I am. IBT is €650 for categories A1, A2 and A, and runs at Kinnegad Plaza or Tullamore, with free transport from the Red Cow Luas stop, Naas town and Sallins town.
Questions
How do I check if a driving instructor is RSA approved?
Use the RSA’s search tool on rsa.ie. You can search by first name, surname, company name or ADI number. Choose category B for car lessons.
Can I change driving instructor halfway through EDT?
Yes. The RSA says you can change ADI at any point in the EDT programme, once your current instructor has signed your logbook and uploaded the session.
How much are driving lessons in South Dublin?
ADIs set their own fees, so it varies. With me it’s €45 an hour, with a minimum of 2 hours (€90).
Can my driving instructor be my sponsor?
Yes. Your sponsor must have held a full licence for at least two years, and the RSA says your sponsor can be your ADI.
Do you teach automatic driving lessons?
No. I teach in a manual car with dual controls. A manual pass lets you drive both manual and automatic cars.
Which test centres do you cover?
For South Dublin learners, Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire. Pickup is free within about 10 minutes’ drive of the test centres in Tallaght, Dún Laoghaire, Naas and Carlow.
Written by Vlastislav Obsil, RSA-approved driving instructor (ADI 42951) and IBT instructor at Raven Driving Training in Rathfarnham. I teach car and motorcycle lessons myself, and most of my students call me Vlastik. More about me.
Ask me anything before you book
Tell me where you are, whether you have your learner permit and which test centre you’re aiming for.