Joshua was great! My son said he never felt nervous driving with him because he has a chill style. Great experience

I think instructors and instruction part are fine. I went with AAA because of their reputation. However, 1star is for problem with AAA scheduling system where you can only have 2 appointments at a time and if you're only available on weekend you'd be lucky if you can schedule driving lesson once a month. And with a cancellation days before lesson and lack of prioritization for cancelled schedule, you're looking at driving 1 hour lesson in 2 month period which is what my son is experiencing. If there's another cancellation it'll be 3 months since last lesson. At this rate it may take a year to complete a driving lesson. If you're available during weekdays, you'd probably be fine. If you're not I wouldn't recommend it unless you don't mind 1 month between driving lessons. I'm trying to get a refund. read more

Josh Board is the BEST with all the Students!! He is Compassionate and Funny but also makes sure they leave the program being the most diligent drivers on the road!!...Thank you Josh for EVERYTHING you do!!! read more

My son started AAA driving school in Escondido today and we were very happy with his first lesson. Instructor Joshua was funny and patient and gave my son the confidence he needs to drive the streets of Escondido They drove around the area streets and I'm happy he was able to maneuver some high traffic areas with his instructor's support. We were referred by a friend and are happy that we took them up on the recommendation. My only complaint is that booking for driving lessons is out 4+ weeks and you can only book 2 lessons at a time. Other than that we're happy and feel our son will be well prepared to drive. Thank you, Joshua! read more

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I am well prepared to take the test, Joshua has been great! He was super patient and made my lesson interesting. He gave a lot of good advice read more

AAA promised us convenience for my child to get his behind the wheel lessons but that was a lie due to their nightmare of a scheduling system. They only allow you have 2 appointments at a time which makes it nearly impossible to schedule any time when my son is not in school. The only lessons available are midday during the week. Weekends are booked 2 months in advance and the after hours lessons are never available unless you are willing to drive out over 40 minutes to Del Mar or Murrieta during rush hour. We are lucky if we can schedule lessons once a month. My son obtained his permit in June but nothing was available so we booked the only lesson available in July, which he attended, and we booked the only one in August which was canceled today due to instructor no longer being available. The only lesson he has left on the calendar is for Sept 11, and that's if it doesn't get cancelled as well. If AAA cancels 2 days before a lesson they should reschedule it for us vs putting it on us to go back in to the terrible scheduling system to try and find something at a reasonable time and distance. Since June my son has gotten one hour of behind the wheel training and his 2nd hour will be in mid September. It looks like this course will take him 12-14 months to complete with the way they handle their scheduling. I regret paying well over $600 on this ridiculous course. read more

Initially Josh was a great instructor. My daughter said she really liked him. So I made sure that we made every appt with him. The next time she had a lesson she said he hardly talked and they ended 15 minutes early. Her last visit was a disaster. It was pouring rain out but he totally confused my daughter. Told her to turn right, so she put her blinker on, and then said why do you have your blinker on going right I told you to go left. My daughter didn't argue with him she just changed the blinker to go left. He then proceeded to say " I'm really not sure what your confusion is. He kept pulling on the wheel and almost got them into 3 different accidents. Before she was able to get out of the car he made her sign into google and give him 5 star review, then she could get out of the car. As soon as she got into my car she broke down crying. He talked down to her, made her feel like an idiot, and she is back to having no confidence in her driving. So I am back to square 1 trying to build up her confidence. I decided to pay extra and go with AAA. Wrong choice. Lesson learned. What a horrible experience for my daughter during a time that should be so exciting. read more

My daughter was super nervous about learning to drive. So much that she put it off for a couple of years. We are both so glad that we found this school with Josh Board as her instructor. He is kind and patient and took things slow to help her get over her jitters. She likes her lessons and even likes practice driving now. Highly recommend this school! read more

I chose AAA because I had heard good things about the program. However, 1star is for the problem with the AAA scheduling system, as my kid was never able to schedule a driving session. My kid finaly got a driver's license on her own. read more

Josh was a great teacher. Very patient and clear in his instruction. Thank you for all your hard work

Our younger daughter is doing behind the wheel with Joshua Board and he is amazing. Very patient, informative, and extremely helpful in making her feel comfortable while she learns. We also worked with Joshua on our oldest daughters behind the wheel and recommend him to other parents. read more

Our daughter did her behind the wheel with Mr. Board and he was great. He was calm and patient and even remember her a year later.

Josh is a great driver, and very knowledgeable. It was a good experience and I think the roads are safer as a result.

My kid went there and lived, thanks, Josh, very insightful and a great experience from my high school child

My daughter had behind the wheel sessions Josh (Escondido) and Michael (Oceanside). She felt they both were great in helping her gain experience and knowledge behind the wheel and preparing for the test. I'm told they were more calm than I was, which is likely true, as the further she progressed through the courses, the better (safer) my daughter drove and, the calmer I was. She thought it was a great course (both online and behind the wheel), and both instructors were great. read more

Come in and get a hair cut lol I really appreciated the drive it was very thoughtful and spiritual would definitely come again with highly recommended already by a friend read more

Growing up I had my friends and parents teach me how to drive, so I was determined to teach my son how to drive. After a year of teaching him with his friends assisting, he had failed multiple driving tests. Enter Josh B from AAA Driving school. TWO LESSONS and my son was a licensed driver! I can't say enough good things about the professionalism and ability to educate. My son can be a difficult student. Trust me, after a year, I was pulling my hair out. Thank you Josh, now my son has the freedom he wanted as a licensed driver, and he's out of my hair! read more

So great! Love our instructors! I love how they spend so much time explaining what they are working on.

Josh is always so patient with our son and always has great advice for what we should be working on.

Josh has been a great instructor for both my son (2 years ago) and now my daughter! I appreciate how he relates to both kids by discovering what they are interested in to help them feel more comfortable and therefore they are able to focus on learning to drive. Both kids learn a lot - I know this because they love to then correct me on everything I do wrong. They both feel confident when driving, aware of their surroundings and implement their training well. My son passed his driver's test first time and I have no doubt my daughter will as well. I would recommend Josh Board as a driving instructor along with AAA driving school- online driver's training! read more

This rating is all about instructor Josh! He did great communicating with my goddaughter and godson. They found his instruction easy to understand. When ever we get together they drive to pick us up and they're great drivers thanks to Josh! read more

I was very selective on a driving school for my son. I'm extremely happy with the results. Josh was very understanding on my concerns and made sure he addressed the safety and defensive driving instruction for my son. I race and build cars and you can understand why these were very important factors on the driving instruction for my son. I highly recommend Josh and this school. Thank you I really appreciate it. read more

Joshua Beard is an awesome instructor. He made our driving sessions fun and I learned a lot from him! I feel confident for my DMV test!

Josh was very helpful and patient with me. I was a bit nervous but he managed to ease any worries I had and showed great leadership qualities in guiding me read more

Very professional standards - recommend - clean safe vehicles- good instruction - on time

The best instructor is Joshua Board he is really nice and gives really good directions and helps you understand all the rules/things to do when driving. He is also really chill to talk to so no need to feel pressure when driving. Remember you are getting driving less for a reason. read more

These guys do a great job with the driving instruction. It is sometimes hard to schedule in, as they only have one driving instructor at each location. Yet once you get in, I couldn't ask for a better experience. The Driving instructor knows his stuff and is very friendly. And you like when you can feel comfortable with someone teaching your kid. Especially something like driving. Highly recommended. read more

I would suggest a driving school w/ more instructors and time availability near my house during after school hours. My son has completed his instructional permit on line and is now prepared for behind the wheel completion. The appointments are 3 months out and all during school hours. This seems ridiculous and far from the quoted services experience I was sold for over $500. No appointments in POWAY or ESCONDIDO for six months out. Driving to Murrieta for our drive training. Wouldn't do this again... read more

They need to hire more instructors. It's so hard to finish your behind the wheel driving. They are booked but Dont tell you that when you apply. The only good thing is the only Instructor Joshua Board he is amazing and so Positive. Great behind the wheel instructor. read more

Thank you AAA and Josh!! My daughter was doing okayyyyyy giving me a heart attack on our way to school and back every day but after a few lessons with Josh she and I were both more confident with her behind the wheel! Thanks AAA and Josh! read more

Our instructor, Josh is fantastic! He is professional, friendly and extremely helpful. He is thorough and competent. I am very impressed! AAA runs a very good program. Josh made sure our kiddo got the information that they needed and he taught in a way that our kiddo understood and could utilize the skills. The feedback after each lesson was relevant and actionable. Highly recommend Josh as an instructor! read more

My son is currently enrolled in the behind the wheel driving lessons. All 4 times he has had Josh as his instructor. Josh will personally come to my car to greet us and to let us know how he is doing. He will follow up with great progress reports which have really helped both my son and myself while I am driving with him. He also gives great tips on how to prepare for his DMV driver's license test. read more

Don't waste your time with AAA if you live in the Encinitas/N. SD County Coastal area! As of this review, there are no reasonable appointment times for BTW training for teens in school, unless you're willing to wait several months between lessons (which are only 1 hour each, so good luck scheduling all of those within the 6-month permit period), or you're willing to pull your teen out of school for training (not ideal). Also note that they charge a hefty fee for cancellations, so buyer beware. Unfortunately, we pre-paid for all of our training, which was a huge mistake because by the time we got around to BTW training, we of course missed the 3-day cancellation window and then got fined for cancelling, although they had no availability so we had no choice BUT to cancel. Argh. Lesson learned. The online school (30-hour on-demand training) was ok, although my teen didn't feel well prepared for the DMV written test so we needed to pay a third party website to access better quality practice tests. There are many other offerings for BTW training in the N. SD County area - I would highly recommend seeking those out and avoiding AAA! read more

Excellent choice for your driving school! Josh B, as many have praised, is a wonderful driving instructor. Our kids always had fun, and learned to navigate the busy San Diego roads safely. Our daughter aced her tests and was driving at 16. Do yourself a favor and let a professional deal with the stress of teaching a teenager how to drive! Don't forget to ask for Josh, you will be glad you did. read more

It took a few weeks to get the first lesson in but our instructor Josh was great - patient, clear and my daughter really liked him. And best of all we'll get a discount on the insurance! read more

I was honestly scared of driving at first, but I know I needed to just go for it. Luckily, I was paired with a great teacher who gives me helpful pointers for my future driving. Josh helps me feel more comfortable and makes me look forward to each and every lesson. Now, I'm excited for the freedom of driving. read more

I researched several driving schools for my daughter before I settled on AAA Escondido. I'm so glad we did even though it meant driving an hour from Alpine to get there. Josh was her instructor, and although Jenny was nervous at first, she said Josh immediatly put her at ease by explaining each process and giving her the time to move at her own pace. Also, I was impressed that Josh called me to discuss my daughter's progress and to schedule her next class. Unfortunately, right after she "graduated" and was ready for her driving test at the DMV, the DMV cancelled her test because of the Pandemic so we're still in DMV limbo. The surprising part is, Josh called me weeks after she completed her course to follow up on her progress. He genuinely cares for his students and takes pride in their success. I definitely recommend the Escondido AAA Driving School. They go above and beyond. UPDATE, JULY 1st: My daughter finally got her driver's test after a long wait thanks to the Covid-19 DMV closure. She aced it on her first try in an SUV of all things, with only one mark against her. Thanks again to Josh for guiding her through the "What to expect at the DMV" as well as making her feel confident during her lessons. read more

AAA driving school was a great way to teach both my boys how to drive. Josh was very friendly and eager to give advice on actual driving techniques to make the whole process comfortable for the boys to learn and gain confidence. I would recommend to anyone, and the school allows you to get a discount on insurance through AAA as well when completed. read more

This review is specifically about our driving instructor. Our instructor, Josh Board, gets 5 stars! He is organized, efficient and communicates clearly. Our son gained an impressive amount of driving knowledge and skill along with confidence. Josh answers all of my son's questions and has prepared him well for the dmv driving test. Editing to add: My son passed his driving test with 0 errors on the first try. Thank you Josh! read more

Josh has been son's driving instructor and I am so glad it was him. He made my son comfortable right away on his first lesson. I liked that because for my teen driver, it is already a stressful moment let alone with an instructor who you never met. Per my son's feedback, Josh explains everything easy and gives him tips to remember when it comes time for the test. I would highly recommend to all parents. read more