Tips When Choosing Your Private Driving Instructor in Singapore

Private Driving Instructors (PDIs) are aplenty online. With so many individuals vying for your precious dollars, what are some of the tips you can keep in mind when choosing your PDI?

You're probably reading this guide because you're of a legal driving age and would like to get your licence. It's true - PDIs tend to be cost you less overall, but only if you engage the right instructor. 

It is this uncertainty that drives people to enroll into a driving school instead. Despite the financial penalty, it is often thought that a proper establishment would have a more credible syllabus for higher passing rates. 

You're here for the tips, so keep these in mind to help you shortlist that instructor which will ensure you pass your test on your first try!

Ask Your Friends And Family

Ask your family and your friends for a PDI that they have had a good experience with. After all, with so many different service providers floating around the internet, you're bound to come across the occasional bad apple if you're picking blind.

Bonus props if you can get multiple parties to vouch for a specific instructor - you'll know with some certainty that you're probably in good hands if you engage them!

Scour Review Sites

(Photo Credit: pdireviews)

Independent review sites are also a good way to weed out unsuitable instructors. Pdireviews is a good resource, as past students are able to offer unfiltered reviews of their experiences.

Passing rates and other relevant information has also been made available to aid you in your decision making. 

A bit of common sense here goes a long way - one-star reviews and wordy paragraphs in caps probably means you should stay away from said instructor!

Spare No Expense

To be clear - we are not suggesting that only the really expensive driving instructors would be capable of competently coaching you. As we've mentioned in the previous point, you'll have to do some thorough research to figure out which PDIs are the black sheep of this industry.

Chances are though, that quality instructors know their worth, and will charge as such. 

Anecdotally, therefore, it is probable that a PDI that aggressively undercuts his competition only does so to make up for lacklustre passing rates. 

On average, the enrolment fee for a driving instructor would typically be around S$70 - $80. Lessons can go for $30 - $40 for a one hour lesson and about $50 - $60 for one and a half hours. 

Switch Instructors If You’re Not Confident

As with life itself, if you ever find yourself floundering, and this applies to any situation, you should take active steps to resolve the issue. 

This, of course, applies to your choice of instructor as well. Unless you are a slow learner or lack the general confidence needed to capably drive a humdrum road car, you should have been taught all the skills needed to go for your practical test 15 to 20 lessons in. 

If you're still only taught the bare basics well into the double-digit lesson count, there's a possibility that you're either still very erratic, or that he'd prefer you take a couple of extra lessons, perhaps even for personal gains.

Again, if you're already confident of your ability to tame an ageing economy car, consider switching to an instructor that actually has your (wallet's) best interest at heart. You may have to pay some extra cash in enrolment fees to a new instructor, but chances are you'd save more overall regardless (fewer lessons)! 

The Right One For You

It can be an uphill battle to find a PDI that suits you to a tee. Ultimately, life is all about compromises - you'll have to find someone that you can actually rely on and trust, so you can have a pleasant overall learning experience.

Though it can be easier said than done. In a business rife with questionable characters, you'll really have to do your due diligence, as well as a lot of thorough research, to make sure you'll learn how to drive properly. 

We wish you all the best in your pursuit of a driving licence, and hope that these tips have helped!

Read More: The Cost of Getting a Driving Licence in Singapore

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