Select Drive Driving School

Select Drive Driving School: manual and automatic tuition across Birmingham

Select Drive Driving School is a Birmingham-based driving school that states it has been teaching learners across the city and the wider West Midlands for more than 20 years. Its instructors are described as fully qualified and DVSA-registered, and the school presents its pass rates as consistently above the national average. Lessons are offered in both manual and automatic cars, with weekday, evening and weekend slots.

Lesson types on offer

The school structures its tuition around a set of distinct course types, aimed at learners at different stages:

• Beginner driving lessons: step-by-step introduction covering clutch control, steering, junctions and roundabouts.
• Manual driving lessons: taught in a BMW 1 Series M Sport, with the aim of a manual licence that also covers automatic cars.
• Automatic driving lessons: taught in a Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG, without clutch or gear changes.
• Intensive driving courses: concentrated tuition over a short period, aimed at learners with a test date or a deadline.
• Refresher driving courses: for drivers who already hold a licence but want to rebuild confidence after time off the road.
• Pass Plus: post-test training covering areas such as motorway driving, night driving and adverse weather, which the school notes can help reduce insurance premiums.
• Motorway driving lessons: also listed among the services.

The training fleet

Select Drive contrasts its vehicles with the basic hatchbacks it says most Birmingham schools use. The fleet consists of two models: a BMW 1 Series M Sport for manual tuition, described as a responsive hatchback with precise steering and modern safety technology, and a Mercedes-Benz A-Class AMG for automatic lessons, presented as a smooth car that lets learners concentrate on observation and positioning. The school claims no other driving school in Birmingham offers this fleet.

Coverage in Birmingham and the West Midlands

The school lists Quinton, Oldbury and Halesowen as its main areas, alongside Rowley Regis, Blackheath, Cradley Heath, Harborne, Smethwick and Bearwood. For the three main areas it details the roads used in lessons: the Hagley Road, Ridgacre Road and World's End Lane around Quinton, close to the South Yardley test centre; the Birchley Island, Wolverhampton Road and Causeway Green routes in Oldbury, described as good dual carriageway practice; and Mucklow Hill, Manor Way and Leasowes Park in Halesowen, with a mix of residential and main roads. The school states it can usually accommodate learners anywhere in the Birmingham and West Midlands area.

Lesson pricing

The rates published at the time of writing are £37 per hour for manual lessons in the BMW and £39 per hour for automatic lessons in the Mercedes. Both are pay-as-you-go, with block-booking discounts available, and lessons can be booked in 1.5 and 2 hour slots, including evenings and weekends. Intensive course pricing is quoted individually according to the number of hours required. The school states that lesson fees include pickup and drop-off from home, college or workplace across its service areas.

Reputation and learner feedback

The site reports a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Google from more than 40 reviews. The testimonials reproduced there come from learners in Oldbury, Halesowen and Quinton and refer repeatedly to an instructor named Gurps, described as patient, calm and well organised. Several mention passing with few minor faults, including one first-time pass with three minors and another with a single minor.

Practical guidance for learners

Among the questions the school addresses is how much tuition is typically needed. It cites the DVSA recommendation of around 45 hours of professional lessons plus 22 hours of private practice for the average learner, while noting that some of its own pupils have been test-ready in under 30 hours. It also explains the difference between manual and automatic licences: a manual licence covers both types of car, whereas an automatic licence is restricted to automatics. The site includes a section on the 'show me, tell me' vehicle safety questions used in the test.