I completed 13 lessons and paid over $900 to prepare for my road test. What Drive Rite delivered was negligence, not instruction. The day before my test, my regular instructor Neil was replaced without notice by a new instructor, Sujata, who arrived with zero knowledge of my progress -- she asked if I had ever driven before. She spent the first 15 minutes on her phone, covered basics I learned months ago, and introduced techniques the night before my road test that directly contradicted everything Neil had taught me. The stress triggered a full panic attack and I had to exit the vehicle. When a passerby stopped to check on me, Sujata told them "she's fine" and did nothing. I called Drive Rite that same day and explicitly told them: if Sujata was my instructor on test day, I would fail. They kept her assigned anyway. I failed my road test. The examiner told me my nerves got the best of me -- which is a direct consequence of being destabilized by an unprepared instructor the night before. After the test, Sujata drove away while I was still exiting the vehicle -- leaving me stranded in traffic. No concern for my safety whatsoever. When I called to escalate, the representative told me to calm down. I later discovered through the chargeback process that Drive Rite's own internal notes from one week before my test rated my chances of passing as "50/50" -- information they never shared with me. I also discovered they had flagged my anxiety disorder internally as a behavioral concern while making zero accommodations for it. These notes were withheld from me as a paying customer and only surfaced when Drive Rite submitted them to dispute my refund request. Their chargeback response also repeatedly misspelled my last name and referenced an instructor named "Jada" -- a name that does not correspond to anyone I was ever assigned. This is the level of care they apply to official documentation. Drive Rite took my money, withheld critical information about my own readiness, ignored a direct warning that the instructor substitution would cause me to fail, and left me stranded in traffic. Their refund policy does not cover service that was never delivered. I have filed complaints with Capital One, the CFPB, and the New York Attorney General's office. Do not give this school your money. read more

So far I've had 4 lessons at Drive Rite in Staten island. This review mainly pertains to my instructor Steven who is truly amazing. I was super nervous my first lesson, but he made me feel so at ease behind the wheel. I definitely am super confident that i will pass my road test & it's all thanks to him. He is so thorough with his instructions & advice. The process he has of teaching definitely made it easy for me to remember key things when it comes to driving safely & paying attention on the road. My driving is great & my parallel parking skills are super & it's all thanks to Steven. I have 4 lessons left before taking my road test but 100% sure i will pass. Now as far as the office/front desk i will say that they're clearly some miscommunication happening when it comes to scheduling b/c my first time i was able to schedule Steven, but the 2nd time around it was a bit more difficult. When i tried to schedule my lessons & preferably with Steven i was told that not only was he unavailable but that he wasn't available in my area & that the person who booked my lesson w/ him previously did so incorrectly. So that was a bit frustrating. Either way i had the most amazing experience w/ Steven as my instructor & i absolutely would recommend to my friends for future lessons. read more

I highly recommend this driving school for people who are trying to get their license as fast as possible. I took the 5 hour pre-licensing course at this location. It was clear, concise and made me more comfortable with the idea of driving. The instructor gave us an ample amount of information in such a short period of time while also making it quite entertaining. I purchased the rush road test and received a date within 2 weeks which is much faster than my friends have received at the other driving schools in Manhattan. I passed!!! I'm so happy and just want to thank the instructors at the other locations In Brooklyn for making this an easy and informative process for me. The company truly stayed on top of things and made me feel well taken care of by always sending me emails and calling to keep me informed. Best customer service I have ever experienced and I can't stop telling good things about this school to my friends and family! :D read more

Highly recommend getting the rush appointment I just passed my road test a week ago and could not have done it without Drive Rite! The whole process was great from start to finish. I took my 5 hour class at the new Manhattan office, which was super convenient to get to after work. I took my lessons at the Dean Street office and all the instructors I had were great- Jose, Emmanuel, and Dave. Everyone I spoke to over the phone and in person were also super helpful with scheduling. I upgraded to the rush appointment and I highly recommend doing that. I got my road test in 2 weeks instead of waiting for almost two months. I have dealt with other driving schools in the past, and they were nowhere near as professional and friendly as Drive Rite. I have already referred a few friends to go here. I would highly recommend this driving school! read more

The best school in S.I..... I originally was using a different driving school, but they were booked & I tried out Drive Rite & it was the best experience. I had FRANK as an instructor, I must say he was cool calm and didn't cause any anxiety like other instructors do. He made the lessons nice and easy. I needed to practice on my turning and no lie I became so good at it after just one lesson. He also gave good techniques for parking and doing k turns and when turning. I wish I would've knew about this school sooner to save money. Overall, the two lessons I learned a lot of great info and now time to pass this road test,which I know I will due to the great refresher lessons from FRANK. read more

WOW THEY REALLY BLESSED ME!! I needed a NY license for my work, which I was starting in a little more than a week. I told the office assistants about my situation and they worked their magic. They got me in for a 5 Hour class that next day in Manhattan, and due to a super rush appointment, a road test date a little less than a week later! I was always told that it takes a while, which is why I thought I was doomed, but Drive Rite Academy was really accommodating and made it work. They also managed to squeeze in a couple lessons for me before, which is another thing I was worried about. Glad to say, it all worked out, and now can start my new job a little more prepared. THANK YOU!! read more

My friend recommended that I come here to take the 5 hour course and I am glad that I did. The location is super convenient. It took me 15 minutes on the subway to get here from my apartment. The class was not as bad I thought it would be. I have heard horror stories about driving schools how they were watching old videos the whole time. However, the teacher here made it pretty interactive and (dare I say it), fun! I got to hear a lot of different stories, which really gave me a different perspective about driving. I am really glad that I finally took my 5 hour course. Now I am taking driving lessons with Washington. I would recommend Drive Rite to everyone!!!! read more

I'm impressed with Drive Rite Academy professional and courteous operations. My tutors; Michael and Jim are excellent and patient tutors that I can recommend any time to anyone who wants to pass their road test at one shot and build courage on the road in addition to doing ones homework. They gave student-friendly and easy to remember mnemonics that would be useful for life. Others were prompt on scheduling, booking, answering questions, returning calls, sending reminders by mail and calling back. In all, it was a pleasant experience. I passed my DMV road test with everyone Drive Rite Academy fielded today. Thank you so much Drive Rite Academy! read more

My mom was hesitant about me learning to drive, especially in city life. I finally convinced her to let me take lessons here, and I'm glad to say it really worked out. Practicing with these amazing instructors, plus at home with my mom, made me really confident on the road. Even my mom said how surprised she was on how well I was doing as a beginner, and I have to say most of it was this school. I've had the funniest and most respectable instructors who understood how nerve-racking it is to start out. I was also in a rush because I had school coming up soon, but thanks to their rush appointments, I was able to get everything done in time. read more

Driverite is the best on Staten Island! Micheal and Sujata were my instructors and they are both amazing. They both genuinely care about helping their students. They create a fun/comfortable, yet firm environment where you can learn everything you need to know about driving. Micheal will have you parking and k turning like a pro in no time! They both give great driving advice ! With their help I was able to pass my road test on the first try. Kim is a pleasure to speak with both in person and over the phone and was very helpful and kind when it came to scheduling my lessons and road test. read more

After contacting many driving schools in Manhattan, Drive Rite became my top choice. I have a busy schedule and never had time to get my drivers license, but with their rush road test it was a quick 3 week process. I got a package at their brooklyn location where I took my drivers lessons and my instructor Emmanuel was very effective. I took the pre licensing course at the Manhattan (which was very convenient because I live nearby) and it flew by pretty quickly. So just wanted to come on here and say thanks for making this easier than I imagined. Overall a 5 star organization!!! read more

I've never seen such an organized school, I come in for the 5 Hour class, and then they put me down for a road test from there, so between a month and a half to two month process, I've taken all 10 of my lessons and then the test. I have to say I was so nervous as I really started from scratch but my instructors were so nice and supportive that it really made me a good driver. I could have taken it earlier as they provided a lot of options if I'm in a rush, but this one worked good for me. I recommend this school to EVERYONE who needs a license, they'll have something for you. read more

In my experience, I was looking to get lessons right away because of tight timelines and the staff was very kind. I was able to get lessons booked right away with Sujata, a great instructor by the way. She was very helpful and gave me useful tips that are useful while driving and that were also useful to pass the driving test. I definitely recommend getting your lessons booked so as they are not too far from the test. It's always a good refresher to take a lesson close to the test. Overall, I am satisfied with the experience with Drive Rite Academy. read more

I had a great experience taking the 5 hour course here. The instructor, David, was very informative and made the time go by fast. I really felt like I learned a lot. The customer service at this school is top notch. They even called me when I registered to thank me for purchasing the course and to see if I had any questions. They really try to make sure you are taken care of and I appreciate that. All in all, the whole process was seamless. I left the course with my certificate in hand and hope to continue to have a great experience here. read more

I passed my road test on the FIRST TRY! I'm so so happy I owe it all to this school, I can't believe in ten lessons I've learned everything I needed to with them. Even when they were busy in the summer season, they still made time for me, putting me on waiting lists since I could only take classes at nights and contacting me on any openings (which I usually got). I'm coming back to them for some highway lessons this fall and I'm excited to get out on the road. They really made me like driving, something I did not think would happen! read more

First time driver and never had any practice and never drove around the block. I moved to Staten Island and booked some lessons with Drive Rite. I got Jim as my instructor. Jim has a gift. He is excellent at teaching how to safely drive without making you feel stressed or without making you feel like you have to memorize the steps. Jim is a talented instructor. The car I am using for my lessons are comfortable and clean. My road test is coming up soon and I have a couple more lessons before. I'm sure it will be good. read more

I haven't driven since 2005 (14 years!) and signed up at Drive Rite to do a refresher course package (I still have my license). I managed to have my first class in the snow. The instructor, J.R. was calm and chill and that was key. The class went fine, I left way more confident about my driving after just one hour and looking forward to 2 more road classes and 2 highway classes. Heartily recommend for anyone who needs to get back into driving after a hiatus, which is pretty common in NYC. read more

I took the 12 package course with instructors Micheal and Steven. Neither instructor elevated my road anxiety. Instead, they taught me how to control it and adjust to the atmosphere of the road. Because of them, I was able to pass my road exam at Fox Hills on the first attempt, and now I yearn to drive on the road. If you're in the NYC or NJ area, I highly recommend the two instructors as they built me up from ground zero to a now comfortable driver. read more

I am a new driver and have never been behind the wheel in my life. I am on my 4th lesson with The same instructor Michael and feel i have learned so much already. He's very motivating and made me feel super comfortable from day 1. He showed me a lot of pretty easy techniques to remember the day of the test so hopefully i will pass. I'm definitely much more confident behind the wheel now than i was the 1st day. I highly recommend Drive Rite. read more