Friendly people who give amazing service! This place came highly recommended by a friend so I took my uncle here for his driving test. Our biggest issue was that he couldn't speak English well, but his proctor, Niykee, eliminated that barrier by using hand signals instead. She spent time going over motions and hand signals with my uncle, to make sure both parties understood each other before going out on the drive. Really great service and caring instructors! read more

This place deserves 5 stars! I called last minute to book a Sunday Skill test for my husband. Voila! 2 days before Sunday I was able to book an appointment with them. The agents over the phone named Ryan and Lucas are very helpful. You have to book and pay first over their website and the agents will help you through the process. For the actual test, my husband mentioned that the instructor/test agent is very nice! (Her name is Kim by the way) Though he is very nervous, she made him calm and confident. After the test, she went over the mistakes and discussed it with him. Disclaimer: My husband passed the test. Tip: If you can bring your own car (which you have been using for practice) will be the best option for the test. Remember: cars accelerates and decelerates differently. Gist: the more familiar you are with the car for the exam, the higher chance of passing! One more thing, mistakes accumulates and hurts your grade. So, practice practice practice. Goodluck! read more

1st Driving Excellence - Driving Schools Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

I came to the 1st Driving Excellence school after having a terrible experience at 911 Kirkland school. The people at 1st Driving at courteous, warm and prompt. I came in, took the driving test and was done in less 40 minutes. My examiner was nice, patient and experienced. She made me feel comfortable which meant a lot because I usually get stressed out during tests. I passed with over 90% score. It might be difficult spotting the school because there are no signs but otherwise great place to take your driving test! read more

Very unhelpful and rude. The knowledge test instructor; an old white dude was nice. And also the fat Indian that sat at the computer. However when I came to take my driving test as instructed of 5:30PM, I show up and these 2 guys (one bald and one dizzy eyed) told me I can't take the test because I am late and that I was scheduled for 5:00-5:30PM. We already paid $70 for the knowledge and driving test but they tried to make us pay $40 more to reschedule when they never clarified beforehand and we were clearly told to be there at 5:30PM. We kindly declined their offer to reschedule. This is highway robbery. The guy with the dizzy eye was an rude asshole who shouldn't work here if he doesn't like his job. read more

In short I would advise to avoid this place at all cost. I took the knowledge test here and it turns out to be a pain. There management is least interested to serve you from the moment you walk in. The written knowledge test took place right in open sitting within the waiting area with people taking calls and kids playing around, highly non conducive and nonprofessional environment. Also the staff at the reception have snobbish attitude, I asked a for a simple clarification while filling the application form and lady at counter nag for like 10 mins and his colleague unnecessarily pass some comments. After I successfully passed the knowledge test the same lady deceived me by asking me to fill application for driving test right away and use there facility for take driving test. I was surprised and asked her why that's so and she end up saying that we require our candidates to take driving test here and not in any other institute and she even mention that DMV require it so. I later check with DMV and there is no such need! If you live in Bellevue/Redmond area try other institutes because this one is totally waste of your time and money. read more

I love this school and I'm recommending this to all those who want to learn driving I am an expat here and driving here in the USA was a tough task for me because i had to unlearn Indian driving and learn more systematic way ... I was not having confidence to drive with this speed. Then my husband (learnt from Kathlyn) asked me to only go here n take just 3 classes n I took it... Her way of teaching was amazing n so perfect that now can drive any where and anytime with full confidence... Now my sister is learning from her n also two of my friends are going to her shortly.... I really thank driving excellence :) thanks Kathlyn :) read more

I happen to go for Driving Class + Driving test here. The instructor John who took me for class and evaluation was very rude and started yelling on minor mistake right from the beginning. He didn't share much useful tips, instead shook the confidence during the class. At times his voice was not clear and gave sudden instructions to turn which created unnecessary panic. During evaluation, he was very strict regarding speed limits and any turns. I got to know from friends after coming back that at other driving school, they generally deduct few points and are usually more lenient. Hence it was bug waste of time and effort. I strongly recommend to not to go this school and instead try some others with better rating such as 911. read more

This review is for the instructor JOHN and not the driving school as such. The driving school has turned into a money minting machine, their modus operandi , first of all charge almost twice the other schools , 911 driving school charges 39$ against the 60$ (oh there is 3% charge if you use credit card) so a total rip-off... The silver lining was JOHN who is really a knowledgeable and genuine person, he pointed at issues and wasn't rude at all. He gave a detailed explanation of the entire exercise and made sure only the best people get through. I had spent almost 270$ in the entire process as they would fail you and compel you to take driving lessons. Overall "0" Zero star for the school , but 5 Star for the JOHN, you are the best read more

It is not the same school it used to be. It has been acquired by some other company recently, and the instructors here are really rude. They don't teach anything during the 60-min warmup sessions anymore, and don't share any tips either. They straightaway fail you for any minor mistake they can find, while other driving schools deduct 2-3 points for those mistakes. A friend of mine was recently failed for driving defensively and letting the vehicle on the right go first on a stop sign. I used to be a big fan of this driving school, but in the past 2-3 months I have had 3 people I referred complaining about their rude and unreasonable instructor. And I don't really recommend them for driving tests anymore. read more

I moved to Bellevue 3 years ago from a big city where you don't need to drive at all, so I had to learn to drive and decided to take some lessons here. Worst idea ever. Three years later I'm still too scared to drive. First lesson (I was already in my thirties then) the instructor showed me a car that had a terrible accident and told me the driver had died in the crash. Every time I was scared during the lessons, the instructor would scared me more, instead of encourage me. And would find some kind of entertainment assuming that in my country we drive horrible instead of the amazing driving in america and the great roads (pretty ignorant and offensive). I need to take lessons again, now to lose the fear to drive I've got when I tried to learn to drive. Don't waste your money. read more

Rude unprofessionals, specially the driving instructors! I worked with the instructor Kathleen who first took someone else's card to take me practice and then at the end blamed me for not informing her that it was my last class. First, it was not my job to tell. Second, she gave me no chance to talk, all one way communications. Thats not how a teaching experience should be! When due to her mistake, I had to reschedule my test timings- she kept on blabbering the whole test route and yelling at me for missing a single turn! 10 minutes in a 30 minute test! I would not recommend going to them! Save time and money. read more

Legal thieves! They failed me twice to steal my money. First one is I was driving with 40 miles on 35 road. That was a lie i didn't pass the limit and there is no record. Second one worse, they failed me with 78 points(80 pass) and there were NO big mistake. She broke my points for all minor staffs. I drove more than 40 minutes because she waited until I hit the 78 points. They forced me to take lessons and I rejected and left the place. 1 day after I got my license in 911 driving school with 90 points in 20 mins. This place is scam that's why it is cheapest option. I think they failed international people because they think you will not sue them. I will apply wa state please reach me if you faced with similar issue read more

Update: After reading my review, the owner herself contacted me, apologized for the bad experience and gave me the complete feedback of my test. She also committed to re-train the employee ensuring no one has to face anything like this going forward. I really appreciate the efforts taken by her to ensure customer satisfaction. Therefore I am updating my rating for the business. read more

My son had been attending for 6 weeks now. I M so impressed with the team of instructors. Kathlyn has gone above and beyond to work with my sons needs since the start of the class. Bob is a great teacher, laid back and my son is really comfortable in his class. This is a teen with an anxiety disorder/ASD and he is doing wonderful. Thank you Kathlyn, Bob and the entire team! read more

I've been driving out of state for over 20 years, so I just came here to do the written and road tests, not for lessons. The price was the lowest of all competitors & I passed both tests on the first try with over 90% score in each, so I suppose that I should be pretty happy. However, here are some notes & tips: Road test: -------------- - I strongly recommend that you buy the 45-minute warm-up session before the exam. Your test giver will take you through every single thing on the test and show you the right way to do it. It's perfect for experienced drivers like me who don't need lessons but could do with fine tuning. Make sure you come prepared with any questions. - Be confident and drive confidently but safely. If the test giver feels safe with you at the wheel, then the test will probably go smoother. Note that they are still very exacting about the rules -- I lost points for parking maybe 1" further from the curb than I should have been! I thought that was too much but since I passed, I didn't really care. Written test: ---------------- - Written test has multiple versions. After I passed, the test giver remarked that I must've studied a lot since I got the "harder" test with trickier questions and still did well. Why is there a harder one? All tests should be the same difficulty -- That's the point of a standardized test! - The test indeed had odd situational questions that do not test actual rules. Example: There's a college girl who needs to go on a long drive. It's midnight. Should she have a coffee and leave immediately or wait until the morning after a long night's sleep? The "correct" answer is the safer one, but neither answer breaks any rules. I don't believe questions like this have a place in these types of exams. They're meant to test knowledge of rules, not your ability to make judgement calls. It's telling that none of the online practice exams had questions like this. - Test room is noisy. They let others in while you take the test, plus the paper thin walls mean you can hear every "hiyaah" from the Tae Kwon Do kids next door. Booking: ----------- - The office person who takes your name and books your exams is the one who chooses which written test and which road instructor you will get. I had the distinct impression that the guy who did it didn't like me and gave me the hardest written test and the toughest 'master instructor' (Caucasian lady featured on website; she was actually a nice person). I studied & practiced my ass off so I still passed, but you might want to be at maximum charm when you are booking. If you're like me and have all the charm of a bowl of oatmeal, then prepare your ass off for the tests so they can't help but pass you. Cream rises. Overall: ---------- Despite my concerns above, I still passed on my first go and paid less than I would have at most other places. If you prepare enough, then you will pass and that's all that really matters. 3.5 stars read more

So I had failed my driving test a couple of times before this at another driving school. One of them by 1 mark. Yes, by 1 mark!! I am a fine driver, but I get nervous during the tests. So I decided to take a break from tests and try another driving school. I am so glad I chose 1st Driving Excellence. My examiner Kathleen was really sweet and tried her best to keep me calm during the test which helped me perform at my best. She was very fair in her evaluation and gave a helpful feedback. Finally, I have my license. Do give this place a shot! read more

Good experience. I'd recommend it. This company has a down-to-earth feel. Everybody seemed friendly. I was moving back to the US after years overseas and I needed to test for a new license. I got the 30 minute warmup + their car + skills test package. The owner, Kathlyn, was the test administrator. She was friendly and helpful. Just make sure you do things right: signal, look around, stop completely, etc. read more

Was here to do my written test, was very unprofessional. The room the test was conducted was like a small classroom, the door kept on opening, people were talking loudly on their phones and families chatting outside, the invigilator kept on leaving the room, and people were allowed to bring bags, coats, everything into the room, I even caught a lady opening her bag and looking for at least 5 min. through her book. Shame that there are no standards, everything seems to fly here. read more

I got my driving license from them. I took about 5 classes and learnt it from no experience at all. Eric is an awesome instructor. I initially thought it was expensive but its worth the money. BE safe than sorry. They give really good instructions on safe driving. They prepare for driving tests and helped me to overcome my fear on highways. I would recommend this to everyone. Also, schedule lessons and test in advance. It's hard to get hold of them. I think they should hire more people. read more

The Knowledge test is much harder than the one I took 2 years ago. I don't know if there has changing that commanded by the DOL. The questions are tricky. It is more like an English test than a driving knowledge test. Moreover, it will include few bicycle driver knowledge. These questions are literally bicycle driver question. I don't know if it is necessary. I didn't find the correct answer in the driving guide book after I passed the exam. The overall feeling is not an easy test. You can be easily failed. They making schedule is horrible!!!!! At beginning, they send your an email and make a phone call to double confirm your schedule. At the last lesson, they stopped to send your email and phone call. At that point, you are being to rely on those double confirmation. What if you missed your class? $60!!!! The worst experience was when you done your driving test, and you have been told you didn't take the orientation class......Holy cow! I met serval students they failed their first road test in this driving school. It make me feel nerves. I don't know if they made people failed at first test in purpose because you can point many minor mistake from a new driver. It is no way to be perfect for most new drivers. The tester can easily fail you or let you pass.You know, it all depend on them. All in all, I think the lessons are not bad. Just preparing your mood to be failed at first, and prepare 'extra money' for sure. Driving school is not a school. It is a business in essence. read more

The only star this place deserves is for the driving instructor who was civil and explained to us how incompetent the DOL can be when their site goes down during business hours. Prior to her walking in, my brother and I were yelled at, laughed at, and immediately and persistently not assisted by the most incompetent staff I've ever seen at a business. I called the DOL twice and they provided manual/paper solutions in having scores sent to the DOL. The staff laughed and didn't verify that this could be a possibility. Then they yelled at us when we told them that we expect better customer service than this from anyone. It wasn't until the driving instructor came back and told them to call DOL that they did anything remotely useful. Oh, you can call the agency you service and ask for clarification yourself? What a novel idea. Stay away from this place. I'd rather drive 50 miles to another school than deal with a staff so degrading. Ohh and while I was sitting and waiting earlier, I overheard one employee say to another, "Got any hookups on any girls?" Yeah. Crude. Disgusting. Horrible. read more

I took my son to take knowledge test to this place as the center is open 7days a week.but its filled with unprofessional people..people are taking tests all the doors open and everyone is talking ..wouldn't do it again and register him for teen class at this center. read more

I had a terrible experience here because they have an unprofessional staff. They only care about getting your money and not so much about your learning. They only provide 90 minute lessons which are too long. After taking 3 90 minute lessons from here, learning very little and having a terrible experience with the customer service, I went to 911 driving school which was the exact opposite: 60 minute lessons, instructors who care about your learning and a professional customer service. read more

I would have given them zero star,they failed me on driving at 37 miles per hour on a road with speed limit of 35 and then the test taker suggests I personally sign up for a one hour class with him and will definitely pass the test. My parallel parking was on dot, they have turned driving school into pure business. read more

Very unprofessional. The woman who was administering my driving test docked me points for things she was telling me to do. I was told to "imagine" a car behind me for the parallel parking test as their was no car there. I was docked for incorrectly judging the amount of space that she considered "a car and a half" between the car in front and the imaginary car. This place seems very shady and as if they are attempting to fail people to make more money. Mind you I have my license in another state and have already taken and passed this test, which was a much more refined and professional process. Do NOT take your drivers test here. read more

I passed my driving test today and I feel like I accomplished a major task for a lifetime LOL! To be honest, I don't own a car and take the public transport to go around. I was more interested in going to 911 rather to 1st Driving Excellence. However ended up here as I couldn't find my way to 911 ( I have to change buses and walk) and 1st driving excellence is just four blocks away from the DOL which is cool and also easy to access. I want to thank Bob, he is such an amazing instructor and examiner. He is very friendly and down to earth guy. I had experiences with other examiners (Other states) and trust me, he is the BEST! He is patient in answering questions and makes sure that the student understands the instructions well. I would definitely recommend this place to folks who are searching for a driving school to learn or for the driving exam. Bob....YOU ROCK!! :) read more

We had very nice experience with 1st driving excellence for my wife's driving license. We had taken the combo package for knowledge + skill test. When called for an appointment for skill test they suggested us to go for warm up session before skill test. Which we clearly opted out, for which they were also ok didn't force on us. Now when it came for skill test, the examiner ERIK was very friendly personality and never made my wife nervous any point of time not even at the time of mistake. Though the skill test was little tough, the environment set by examiner gave boost and she cleared the test with flying color that too all in first attempt,woo hoo!!! Also the staffs were really good, very friendly.THANK YOU I would certainly recommend 1st driving excellence. read more

I signed up for the running deal they have, 10 hours of training with orientation skills and final drivers test. Eric was my instructor and he was great,maintained his calm through my mistakes and broke things down to a language I could understand. If you have a choice see him! I took a star away for two reasons, one because I wasn't given more then one 7:30am option for orientation, and for someone who works nights that class was death, and second, Catlynn was supposed to instruct the orientation and after 20 minutes of watching the news and waiting, Eric appeared as our substitute. read more

I took my written as well as driving test from this school. Kathlyn (the owner) is as good as an instructor gets. She not only gave me good advice on how to drive, but lots of extra, useful information on best practices, do's and don'ts on the road as well as thorough lessons on things which made me uncomfortable like parallel parking and backing round the curb. She taught me nice foolproof techniques which would hard to forget, and after taking lessons with her I feel I can be a more responsible driver on the road. I am giving it 4 stars rather than 5, because I'd a slightly bad experience with one of her staff but when I approached her with a complaint, she made up for it in more ways than one, and was exceptionally helpful throughout. Overall I'd recommend others to try out her school, and if possible ask for her personally as instructor. read more

Thanks to Kathlen at 1st driving excellence for running a shady buisness. A student driver hit my parked car while on a drive with the teacher and left the scene without providing any information. My rear bumper was left with scratches and chipped paint. Thankfully a bystander witnessed the accident and left their information on my dash and he was able to positively identify the car. Kathlen admitted that the accident took place but repeatedly downplayed the seriousness of a hit and run, and refused to provide her insurance information or the names of the people in the car. She was extremely rude and aggressive when I told her I was upset about what happened and repeatedly yelled at me. The witness and I will be filing a police report with Bellevue police for a hit and run and refusing to provide insurance information. I also saw Kathlyn talking with the student before I was able to speak with her this morning and they both denied the accident happened, however the witness saw the impact and my car move. Pretty scary that 1st driving excellence teaches their students to leave the scene of an accident! read more

Unprofessional. The first time I took my driver's test here, I had to wait for 15 minutes. Before I began my exam, my examiner said, "I hope I don't die today." Regardless of whether it was in a joking manner or not, I was extremely offended and discouraged which made me feel even more nervous. I did not pass the first time so I rescheduled again, did not pass the second time, and was told to reschedule again. I decided to take my exam elsewhere and passed with a much higher score. Overall, it was a very unfair experience and I would not recommend anyone to take their driver's test here. read more

Worst company to do business with and the owner is hostile and verbally abusive. They are the cheapest in town for a reason and this is not an area where you want to save your money because your child's safety is at stake. In mid-February I began the process of trying to sign my daughter up for the teen driving program. From the moment I began this process there were issues. First they had to cancel the classes that I was trying to sign her up for because they "lost" instructors. After my dealings with the owner I now know why. Then when I agreed to put her in a class that didn't start until May, they lost my paperwork. After several trips down there and making my payment we got her enrolled. Once the class started it became even more clear how unorganized everything was. It took them three weeks to get the drives scheduled which put the end date of the class a week later than it should have been. They said that the reason it was taking so long was because they were waiting for other students to turn in their preferred times. We turned ours in right away and still got our last choice, which was a choice that wasn't really possible for us, but we put in on the sheet because she insisted that we choose six different times. We did not think that we would get our last choice since we turned our forms in right away. I sent an email explaining that the time we got would be very difficult for us and that we needed to get a different time. I did not receive a response so my husband went into the office in person. When my husband brought this situation to Kathlyn's attention she told him that everyone else only gave her a few options and had sob stories for why those were the only options that would work for them so she had to give us whatever was left. We were angry at this point but agreed to keep the time and try to make it work. On May 22nd, which was about 10 days after my first email regarding the drive time, I finally got a response from someone named Celeste stating that they could not change my drive time unless I wanted a weekday time. I became angry that it took so long for a response and this response was given after we had already discussed the issue with the owner. It just further showed how unorganized this school was and how there was a lack of communication between the people in the office. At this point, I replied to the email and explained to Celeste that we had already dealt with this issue with Kathlyn and that we were very unhappy about the disorganization of this program but at this point we were going to try to make her drive time work and just get through the last five weeks that were left of the class. The next morning I received an email response from Kathlyn stating that I would be given a full refund and that my daughter would not be scheduled for any more classes or drive times. I thought that maybe there was a misunderstanding regarding my email so I called Kathlyn. She angrily answered the call and immediately stated that she was on a drive with a student and could not talk. So why did she answer her phone? I asked her if there was a better time that I could talk to her about her email, and she began screaming at me about how I am impossible to please and that I need to take my business elsewhere. She then told me that no one in my daughter's class got Saturday drive times, which is not what she told my husband. Also, if those times were not even available then why were they on the sheet to choose from in the first place? I could not point this out to her, however, because she would not give me the opportunity to speak. After she screamed all of this to me over the phone in front of her student driver, she hung up on me. I then sent an apology email even though I felt very justified in my frustration and felt she should have been the one to apologize after the way she spoke to me, but at this point I was just trying to keep my daughter in the class because she was the one being affected by this. I did not receive a response so after a couple of days by husband thought she would have cooled down so he called her. Again, she yelled at him and told him that I was the one that was out of line and she did not want to do business with me anymore. BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE! I feel that her behavior was very arrogant, hostile, and unprofessional and she could be a danger to new drivers who are trying to focus on the road while having their instructor screaming at someone over the phone. I have now received my refund and am very glad to not have my daughter be a part of a program that is taught by someone so hostile and verbally abusive. It is clear that she does not care about the kids that she is teaching and will just throw them out the minute you bring up any issues. When I told my daughter what had happened she was relieved to be out of the class because she said that she felt Kathlyn was very rude to everyone in general and not a very good teacher. read more

I absolutely enjoyed this driving school and would recommend it highly to anyone interested in learning safe driving. Kathryn is a hard working and knowledgeable instructor and being taught by her was a pleasure. read more

Highly I recommend this school. John is doing his job good and creating friendly environment... Also he is so cool n excellent tutor... Newbies can opt for john to get good coaching n driving confidence... read more

If I could give less then one star I would. I called to schedule a written test. I had to pay 70 bucks to do it. So I paid, got my date and took scheduled my time off work and everything was fine. Then.....Margret calls me and leaves me a me message saying that my time was confirmed for the wrong date, wrong time and that they will see me there. So I called Margret to see what was going on. She answers the phone and says yes we have you scheduled for three days later at some random time. I said that's wrong. "Oh, your right its for Thursday at 3." That was right so I said OK Thursday at 3 it's confirmed then? Yes. she says. Then I said see you on Thursday. "NO, NO wait its Friday at 4". Now I am super confused. She messaged me one day confirmed with me the right day then right before hanging up the phone changed it to the next day. I took off work and had it all set up. She said she wouldn't change it and that I can "take it or leave it". I asked for my money back and she said "Fine you'll get you money back in a few days" Then I got mad. I want my money back now and you are the worst person to talk to. Unapologetic, dumb, and extremely rude. Don't ever go here, the place is trashy and so are the people. read more

This is the worst place I've ever been. This driving school has been a horrible experience. Do not recommend at all!!!

If I could give no stars I would. While I was taking the written test the woman Margaret left the room and two foreign speakers started talking about the test I assume and sharing answers. They did not pass there test and Margaret started sharing answers to the test. 30 mins later they had completed there second test a past. While I sat trying to figure out my own answers.The phones were ringing and arguing was happening between big fat woman and a younger man. Then I was kicked out of the office I was taking my test because a class was starting. I failed my test and Margaret did not go over answers with me. She disappeared and someone else graded my test. I was told I could take it for free again when I originally called but now I was being asked to pay cash to take it again. This office and staff are so unprofessional I am surprised they still have a license to operate. read more

I am bit late to review it, but better late than Never. To Start with, three star rating is highly unfair for this Driving school. My Experience with First excellence was amazing and I went from not knowing how to drive in March 2015 to driving all around US in April 2015. I do agree I had my negative experiences initially with 1st Driving excellence. I took an option where they would pick me up in seattle for my classes. The first instructor who came had no idea where he would teach me in seattle and would often ask me where we should go and in confusion would mostly end up telling me things theoretically instead of practically. I sent a mail about this to first driving excellence and told them everything. I received a quick call from them and they not only apologized but kathlyn herself came as instructor and adjusted my lost time in her further classes. That's what i loved about this school. About Kathlyn, she was the best instructor. She will always remain calm, and will provide you all the tricks n tips on how to drive safely. when i am driving good and she has nothing to instruct she would tell me about seattle and all the places where we use to drive. She always made me feel very comfortable while driving which i feel made me learn it well within no time. read more

This is an excellent place if you want to have a test drive for your driving license. Even though I failed the first time, totally my mistake for not reviewing properly, the instructor with me sat at the end and went through all the mistakes slowly and explaining everything. The second time, I got 98 out of 100 just from her notes and revision. Great place! read more

We used their services for written and driving test. Overall they were courteous and helpful. They were very open to accommodate our needs. The tests itself were conducted in a professional manner. Even if you face an issue with the staff, the owners were there to make things right. read more