I can't recommend this driving school enough! The entire process was a breeze from start to finish. Their customer service was outstanding, and the driving lessons were exceptional. My son passed all of his exams, successfully completed driving school, and is now ready for his DMV driving test appointment. A special thank you to Ana, who was absolutely spectacular throughout the process. The driving instructors were experienced, patient, and made my son feel confident behind the wheel. If you're looking for a driving school that truly cares about its students and sets them up for success, give them a cal! you won't be disappointed! read more

Melrose Driving School - Driving Schools Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I haven't posted a Yelp review in years until now but reading the other reviews I want to share my experience having purchased two behind the wheel packages from Melrose Driving School. The first expired, then when my neurodivergent son expressed interest in getting his license I signed up again. The goal of driving didn't happen as planned, so I figured I could use the credit for our younger child. When I reached out to schedule lessons presuming we had a credit, I was rudely told there are NO exceptions etc etc. since I missed the window by a couple months. How truly greedy and unaccommodating to not offer credit to customers who have spent over $1K at your business. Seeing the other reviews here, Melrose would be wise to be more accommodating to earn good will and customer loyalty. Hard pass. read more

Had a great experience learning to drive and getting my license with Melrose Driving School. My instructor was Josh Mendoza and he was great at helping me overcome my anxiety around driving. Josh is very calm and patient, and explains things in a way that's easy to understand especially when you're an absolute beginner. Thanks to Josh, I was able to pass my driving test on the first try and become confident driving in and around Los Angeles. I highly recommend taking lessons at Melrose Driving School, and with Josh especially. read more

I LOVE this place. Used them for both kids and was very happy with them. They have some really wonderful instructors who are both kind and great teachers. Temo is our current fave. What a wonderful guy -- funny, kind, really great w making kids comfortable and most importantly, a really skilled instructor! The people in the office were great as well, very helpful in guiding me to find a match for my kids!! Update- Just had a lesson with Aaron. Also, just a really terrific teacher and human. So warm, fun and friendly! read more

With all the options out there for local driving school companies, I wanted to share that our experience with Melrose Driving School was easy and simple. We only used their services for the actual driving, and we had Joshua as our instructor for all three sessions. They come to your location in the company car and off the student drives away and comes back (2 hours later) with a smile on their face after having a successful lesson. Thank you. read more

The instructors were great. Manager is unbelievably RUDE and AGGRESSIVE. We live in Lake Balboa and purchased a three-lesson package for our 16-year-old son. We scheduled two lessons for Saturday and one for Tuesday. During the booking process, we were told for the Tuesday lesson, we could meet the instructor in Sherman Oaks (about a 15-minute drive) or pay an additional $50 fee for the instructor to pick up our son at home. We opted to meet the instructor in Sherman Oaks on Tuesday and drive to our home on Saturdays. The lessons went well and we purchased a 2nd package, but this time scheduled all the lessons for Saturdays to avoid the inconvenience of a Sherman Oaks meetup. On the first Saturday lesson (2nd package) we were surprised when the instructor called us from Sherman Oaks, insisting that he was told to meet there rather than drive to our home. We explained what we had been told at booking about their weekend vs weekday policies. The situation was resolved amicably and the instructor drove to our home. We even received a call from the school apologizing for the mixup. On the second Saturday lesson (a new instructor) texted us from Sherman Oaks, and asked rather bluntly "where we were?" Once again, we explained what we had been told at booking, but this time the instructor took on a very confrontational tone. We were told that we could either come to Sherman Oaks or pay him $50 to drive to our house. He further explained, that the lesson would not be the full two hours as a penalty. At that point, we canceled and told the instructor we would take it up with the school. When we reached out to the manager to address what happened, we were met with anger, hostility, and accusations of being dishonest. Despite our efforts to calmly seek a resolution, we were told that the lesson would not be rescheduled and when we asked for a refund for our final lesson, we were flatly told that Melrose had a strict ZERO REFUND POLICY. read more

I called to schedule another package of lessons for my son and spoke to the RUDDEST lady called Anna. She literally told that MelRose wasn't the place for me to book lessons and that I should go to another school. What happened to customer service and being polite. This woman should never ever answer a phone to clients or have any interaction with a client. She has zero manners and clearly no class. Disgusting behavior from an individual read more

I paid $600 for five 2-hour lessons with Josh, which were worth it's weight in gold. The student driver car is fantastic, easy, and the best to learn how to drive in. Josh was a fantastic, friendly, and calm instructor but also a really sweet person. He teaches learning visuals, making the whole process super easier to learn. I paid another $175 to take the driving test with Josh with the student driver's car + an hour of practice before hand which is also a great deal. Although I didn't pass on the first try, I did pass on my second time, and it was mainly thanks to Josh. Thank you! read more

Horrible experience. We should have listened to all of the negative reviews for this business. We were fools not to trust them this business subcontracts out very inexperienced driving instructors that don't even work for the company. And not only that they told our child he could drive on his own after one lesson which is illegal. They have no idea what they are talking about and they will cause your child, incredible legal problems. If you let their instructors teach your children. You have been warned. Do not trust this business. read more

Absolutely incredible service - outstanding Instructors ! Will recommend 10 out of 10. They pick you up and drop you off after every lesson. Needless to say I passed my behind the wheel Drivers license test on December 29 2022. read more

I would leave a zero if I could. To be clear, the instructors we encountered were very friendly and nice. It's the manager and the owner that are the problems. Quick summary - we asked for vaccinated drivers only. The driver who showed up was not vaccinated (and was honest about it). When we called to complain, they refused to reschedule us or return our money for that lesson. When we told them the person we spoke to told us she made a note about wanting a vaccinated driver, the excuse was that they have a new receptionist. And when we questioned why the owner had not returned our six calls, we were, quite literally, screamed at by the manager and then hung up on. So, I ask you, is this the kind of company you want to put your child's safety in the hands of? I would recommend no - there are plenty of other driving schools. We apparently made the wrong choice. read more

Terrible customer service. Anna who is the manager is beyond rude...very unprofessional. The lessons are terrible and your teen will barely learn how to drive. I booked 1 lesson and she put me down for the next week which I did not book but for some reason she believes I did and know my lesson is lost. I used my daughters left over 2 lessons for my son however they never updated the contact info because they are LAZY and I never received the confirmation. Rude people - what comes around goes around...I would never recommend this driving school way too many others with much nicer cars and professional people. read more

This is the best driving school I sent all my kids there . they have a terrific instructor Adam . Get him if you can He was so patient and helped teach perfectly. I highly recommend this place read more

This is the worst place EVER! Do not send your kid here. I sent my daughter here from a recommendation of a great driver instructor who no longer works there. The first driving instructor did not teach her anything and took her on the freeway in the first 20 minutes. This was the first time she's ever been in a car. The second driver yelled at her the entire time screaming the whole 1 1/2. she nearly got into an accident. She came home and was traumatized. We called several times asking for a refund have not heard anything back. DO NOT GO HERE! read more

When my daughter turned 15 1/2, Melrose Driving School came recommended by a neighbor. Her instructor, Josh, was terrific: polite, patient and always on time. He picked her up from our home and trained her on a variety of roads. I started with a set of 3 lessons but, being incapable of driving with her without having anxiety attacks, I purchased another set of 5 lessons. Prices are on par with most similar businesses. Josh covered EVERYTHING with her; she made progress quickly and passed her driving test at first try. Thank you Melrose Driving School for easing such a stressful process! read more

I got the lesson package and never really learned how to drive- I had the same instructor twice for two lessons and she taugh the exact same lesson the second time which did not consist of me driving for over 5 mins. I reported this and was given a small discount. It was said they are supposed to accompany you to your drivers test- I took the test 5 times.. and was never accompanied. read more

I have never dealt with such rude staff in my entire life. The woman I was on the phone with hung up on me mid phone call after I asked for the owners contact information to help resolve an inquiry about classes I purchased. I am appalled by how this woman spoke to me and hung up on me. The RUDEST person I have ever spoken to. Terrible. I will be finding a new driving school. The quality of the classes was awful. read more

Wow. Just had a very unpleasant exchange with Anna, the manager. My daughter had her driving lesson changed to an earlier date and now they have charged me for missing the original lesson, which was supposed to be canceled. I spoke to a very abrupt woman this morning who told me that Anna would call me back. Seven hours later, she did, but only to tell me that we had failed to cancel the lesson in a timely manner. Seriously, what a ripoff, and what an incredibly poor way to do business. The tone from both women was immediately adversarial. And, btw, my daughter did the weekend intensive class, and told me that they just did online dmv tests and the instructor was on her phone. And that was about $500. read more

The driving instructors were pleasant enough and they drive with the student for 2 hours, but the staff is rude. The school clearly does not understand customer service. They are quick to accuse someone of not following their policies and are rude and abrupt. I don't know that I expect a lot from a driving school but better customer service wouldn't be too much to ask for. read more

Best instructors kudos to Joshua and Adam! Thank you so much guys! From no driving experience!!!

DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS COMPANY! I've never experienced such terrible customer service. We had an issue with covid safety protocols not being honored, and when I called to discuss it, was told Jessie (the owner) is the only one who can help. I left her countless messages (at least 6 with the receptionist) and she never returned my calls. After sending an email, Anna (the manager) called me back. From the start of the call she was contentious, rude, and argumentative. She told me I was lying and that "Jessie would never return my call" but I could leave her another message if I wanted to. She ended up screaming at me, and finally hanging up! It was unbelievable. I sent a follow up email about her behavior and, not surprisingly, Jessie did not reach out or care about what had happened. I've since spoken to Primo Driving School and The Driving Academy (Rita will help you and is so kind). BOTH are excellent and quite literally the opposite experience. We chose The Driving Academy for our son because of availability but I highly recommend BOTH of these schools. I can't warn you enough -- STAY AWAY from Jessie and Anna at Melrose Driving School. I don't know how they stay in business treating customers so terribly. Good luck!! *****I encourage you to go as far back as 2018 and read similar outraged reviews about Jessie and Anna. Had I come here first, we never would have booked this school. It is shocking they are still in business as it seems they've been treating customers badly for YEARS and keeping their money! read more

So even after my scathing review and another couple of call to the place, I was not able to get a call back or even a message from the owner who I have been told is out of town. (She has been out of town for 6 months now.) Bottom line is these people don't care even the slightest bit whether you are satisfied once they get your money and they will not refund it. What is wrong with these people? How do they stay in business? My only hope is perhaps a couple people have read my review and stayed away. Then at least I have cost them at least the equivalent money to what they stole from me. read more

I don't know what has happened to this place, but I would never recommend them. My older daughter took the driver's ed prep class and driving lessons here 3 years ago and it was great - but now? TERRIBLE. While the drivers ed portion was satisfactory, the behind the wheel program is now awful. For the first class, my child was told that she was/is a horrible driver and was made to feel like she should "just keep ubering" and skip driving. The instructor was not only mean, she was unprofessional and taking cell calls during the "lesson." Scheduling follow-up lessons has been ridiculous - if I hadn't paid for a "package" deal with the drivers ed course I would simply give up. When I attempted to change a lesson due to POURING RAIN which I had been pressured to take late in the afternoon (it will get dark during the lesson) I was told that the driver had already been scheduled so it would basically count against my lessons I already paid for. WHAT A JOKE!! The "customer service" is beyond lackluster and reflects very clearly the company's attitude towards its clients. There must be a dozen other places in the general vicinity and I am certain ALL of them have to be better than this place. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE!! ** UPDATE ** Follow-up based on the above review In fairness, I have to add that the initial instructor promptly phoned me less than 24 hours after I posted my review to discuss the session, what had happened with my teen, and to express their surprise/dismay that my child felt that way after the first lesson. I give the instructor credit for reaching out in a professional manner to address my concerns politely and sincerely. Thank you. read more

Friendly Staff. Joshua the instructor was friendly with great advise and help. Thank you read more

This place is all about selling classes, which as a business is understandable, however they do little to then accommodate your schedule. It is all about THEIR schedule. I am not sure if they don't have enough instructors but my daughter was constantly being put off when she tried to book time for the lesson. "Call back next Thursday before 5" ... "we have nothing left for the weekend" ... "we have nothing left after 3:30pm" ... I have to imagine the majority of people who attend these lessons are teen drivers. They have school and can ONLY go after 3:30pm and on weekends. My suggestion is to book the lesser amount of lessons NOT THE 10 HOURS and if you need to or are able to book more do it after the fact. I feel like I am spending $264 on lessons my daughter does not need - she will have her license by the time they can book another lesson!! So simply putting in the time so THEY can get paid. read more

James was awesome! He showed up right on time and was really helpful. We did two lessons and he showed more in the first lesson then I learned with Abel's Driving School on the first with them. We drove on the freeway, did parking practice, and he prepared me for my Driver's test at the Santa Monica DMV. While driving we went over everything that was going to be on the test. He knew EVERY little trick they could or would pull on the test. Really nice guy and we had a great discussion about music too! I highly recommend Melrose! *UPDATE* I passed my driving test thanks to the great folks here at Melrose! They worked with me on what I needed to learn and helped me learn the courses. I had to take the test a couple times but I passed at Culver City! read more

This driving school gets the job done. My son went to the in person classes passed his drivers permit the first try and said it was easy because they prepared him. Next up driving lessons.. read more

Terrible service. I triedto reschedule my appointment but they didn't have times that worked for my schedule. I prepaid so they charged me for the class even though I couldn't take it. Beware of paying in advance. Not enough flexibility and in the end you could be paying for nothing! read more

Melrose Driving School doesn't even deserve the one star that I was prompted to give in order to write this review. To be clear, the drivers are excellent so please do not let this review reflect their level of their experience. We left a message to cancel a lesson 45 minutes past the 24 hour cancellation period and were told, "We will charge you and we don't care what the excuse was as this is our policy and you have to pay." I asked to be connected to the Manager as I was shocked from this response and was hoping the manager was going to be more reasonable however, Ana, the manager was just as dismissive and disrespectful. They are in the customer service business working with parents and children in a PANDEMIC and cannot offer any type of flexibility when a child gets sick and has to cancel or reschedule due to a last minute scheduling conflict. Mind you, we only cancelled 45 minutes after the designated 24 hour cancellation period. I wasn't even asking for a refund but was hoping we could roll over the cost of this lesson to the next lesson as we have 12 more lessons booked. I shared my disappointment with Ana and was told, "this is our policy and too bad." and to call Jessie the owner who is only available Friday's from 8-12 (shocking I know). As a business owner myself, in the hospitality space, I would have expected some level of flexibility and kindness, none of which i received. What a disappointing experience. read more

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! I had to attend traffic school for a ticket I got and I was dreading it BAD! This place not only made it a pleasure but also made time go by fast...They offer weekend classes for only $40 a class for the 8hr traffic school course...Ask for Laura she is super smart and sweet =) she informed me how taking the 8hr course helps keep my driving record clean, which will prevent my insurance rates from being adversely affected in the end and all for just $40 that's a DEAL compared to higher insurance rates $$$$!!! THANKS MELROSE DRIVING & TRAFFIC SCHOOL =) read more

This place is a total rip off. I scheduled an appointment and tried to cancel two days later. No where does it say that there are no refunds but beware. Not sure how this makes sense as a business model to rip off potential clients. But now you know. That's how they roll. read more

I have never in my life experienced​ worst customer service. I gifted driving​ lessons​.. ​The gentleman​​n setup his first appointment​ and wrote his info on a card.. They never called him as promised for the lesson.. I called them and they had called the wrong phone number and told me to talk to the manager​ on return​​ after the holiday for them to resolve​. The manager was talking back to me and did not care for 1 second to listen​ to me regarding there mistake and the reason why the lesson did not happen.. They also said they sent an email that they did not send. Do not trust them, take your business with a trustworthy​ company. read more

I have to say Melrose driving school is in of the most complete driving schools in Los Angeles. They have modern Hybrid cars and a wonderful staff from the front office to the classroom. The Driving instructor Ray was very patient and friendly. I would recommend anybody looking for a driving school to check out Melrose Driving school in Los Angeles. http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=17956407192225149310&q=melrose%20driving%20school%20los%20angele&hl=en&cd=1&cad=src:pplink&ei=9XeiS6_6IomYiwOFm-DvBw Check out more reviews from other students and they have taught a lot of celbrities here to just look at the wall of fame. read more

I had my first two sessions with the instructor James over the past two days, and he was the best. When I first got in the car, he said that he would let me drive in about 5 minutes, but I told him that I had already completed my 50 hours and driven to San Diego and back, and he pulled over immediately to let me drive. (I'm only doing the course to fulfill DMV requirements.) Although I had lots of driving experience prior to the sessions, James gave me specific pointers that would help on the test (backing up straight by using the mirrors, my hand signals, the locations of safety features in my car, what the inspector would look for on the test, checking my blind spots clearly, making complete stops at stop signs, and other miscellaneous rules of the road during our drives). More than anything, James made the sessions fun, as I was already comfortable behind the wheel. The 2 hours flew by. Even though I only enrolled in this school to meet DMV requirements before getting my license, I'm glad that I did. I would highly recommend requesting this instructor. He deserves a raise!!! read more

Terrific school with great driving instructors. My son's instructor was Adam and he was great. Passed his behind-the-wheel test on the first try! read more

Run away fast and as far away from this place as possible. My 15 yr old had one lesson with Nick, who was great! My son enjoyed his first two hours behind the wheel and said he was really comfortable with the instructor, Nick. Afterwards, Nick spent 10 minutes on the phone with me afterward and told me that my son is a natural driver, a fast learner, made his job easier, and that he looks forward to seeing us the following day as scheduled for lesson #2. He even gave me his cell phone number and texted me info about passing the driving test. The next day, another instructor shows up at a different time than scheduled. We happened to be home. This was rather odd so I called the office to find out what was going on. They said they had left me message that they would be at our home an hour earlier than scheduled. Huh? I told the manager I had no missed calls, no voicemail, and I certainly didn't confirm that we'd be available at a different time. It's not cool to just show up at whatever time you want without asking or even notifying us. And... what happened to Nick? Then, she puts me on hold for a minute, and then comes back with a made-up story that our instructor Nick wasn't comfortable driving with my son! WTF? I was confused and told her she must have the wrong information, and suggested that maybe she was looking at a different student's file. She then raised her voice and told me I could take it or leave it! WOW! They don't deserve my money. My credit card company has given me a full refund and I'm taking my business elsewhere. read more

The customer service is terrible! Instructors showed up late or not all and neither Jessie the owner, or Anna the manager, returned calls.

JAMES was an absolutely incredible instructor! I couldn't have passed my test without him. He taught me everything I needed to know for my test. I took it this morning and I PASSED!!! He is very patient, informative and funny. I felt very comfortable. There was absolutely no detail he missed out on. He covered everything I needed to know in order to be ready. So happy. THANKS JAMES!!! read more

James is the horse whisperer of driving. In one month he took me from driving virgin, to licensed Californian driver. Truly incredible. I tried other instructors, and their lessons were dull and frustrating. My lessons with James were the opposite. His lessons were fun, I was always totally relaxed, and i never even came close to being frustrated. Basically they were a joy! Something I looked forward to each and every time. I was recommended to James by a dear friend of mine, who he had also worked his magic on. She was even more nervous than I and had tried even more instructors than I had. James managed his driving whispering techniques on her. If he can transform the two of us I have no doubt he can give anyone the gift of driving. And the other amazing thing about James that I have to note is he even did special times for me to work around my demanding work schedule. James is a wonderful person and a wonderful instructor. A total gem and I'm so glad I found him. With out him and I'd still be stuck on the bicycle. read more

RUN! RUN! RUN! Melrose Driving School will take your payment, make an appointment and then change the time without letting you know! AND THERE ARE NO RFUNDS! They actually get to charge for a lesson where they did not show up and you didn't know your lesson has changed! There is no way to confirm a lesson in writing! No e-mail on the internet and no written confirmation in the office! RUN! RUN! RUN! read more