Thank you Nova Driving school!! I must say, I was worried that I was paying a respectable amount of money and would still fail the test. I haven't had to drive in a long, long, long time lol and thus getting a DL was the last thing on my mind until my job said I needed one asap! Looked around on Google & Yelp and Nova kept popping up so I decided to give them a try. I love them. They are very kind, professional and are ok with nervous students. Fransisco was the best!!!!!! I only gave 4 stars because they are so good, scheduling can be a pain sometime but with that said: I did my first lesson and then did the last 2 sessions + the driving test 3 weeks later and still passed! read more

I had my first lesson today with David Cruz and it was excellent. David was very patient and encouraging. I felt comfortable right away. I am looking forward to my future lessons. read more

I held off on getting my drivers license after an instructor back in NY 8 years ago scared me off for good. Given the current circumstances, I knew it would be as good a time as any to finally learn to drive, but like many new drivers (especially those with poor prior experiences), I was so nervous. I read a lot of these Yelp reviews since I knew how critical having a great would be, and news alert: it's true. M.C. Xavier is the best! I ended up purchasing both the 12HR ultimate beginners package and then added a 6HR BTW as well since I wanted to be uber confident in driving and wasn't getting any practice outside of my lessons. I am so, SO happy with my decision. It was not cheap (I probably spent close to $1K in total) but finding a good instructor is not easy. Many people know how to drive, but to understand how to teach others to drive confidently is a much more difficult task. FYI - book well in advance to ensure you have your choice of time and teachers. Of the 9 classes I had, I ended up taking 7 with Xavier (purposefully wanted to stick with one teach), and 2 with two other instructors that were OK (but not as good tbh). Thanks to Xavier's patience and calm demeanor, I passed the test and I couldn't be more stoked!! Agreed with other reviewers - getting in touch with admin is not the easiest... and their site is so dated (feels like 2000s). Advice to Nova - make it easier to contact admin without playing phone tag, and maybe encourage texting instead? Invest in creating a more intuitive site + customer experience because booking classes was at first very confusing, booking the test was confusing, and purchasing more classes was confusing lol. read more

Great teachers but HORRIBLE admin. Booking a service requires long wait times on the phone and/or email tag. I had to repeat myself multiple times on the phone to describe changes to my service, and refunds had to be done via check (either picked up in person) or via mail instead of back to my credit card. PLUS I was charged a 30% change fee. read more

Julio is an awesome instructor and got me my license. Within no time! On time and knowledgeable

I learned how to drive with Martha. She was patient, experienced and extremely helpful. I passed my road test on the first try!

What a great instructor Eugene was! He took me for my road test. Wonderful experience! Thanks! read more

Nova Driving School - Driving Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Martha is an excellent driving Instructor. Our daughter loves her and so do we. Martha puts her at ease and she's learned so much so fast. I know she's in really great hands and I couldn't be more grateful. Thank you Martha, so much! And thank you Nova Driving School! read more

I trained with all different instructors for all my sessions. Must say I enjoyed my lessons with each one of them. Different styles but the same message. read more

I wanted to learn to drive stick, I took a 2 hour private lesson with Nova, and now I can drive stick! End of story. I highly recommend taking a lesson with Nova. That's the highlight version, for more detail read on. I'm an adult driver, in my 40s and have been driving for nearly 30 years. I know how to drive, automatic transmission that is. But I'd like to learn how to drive a stick and there aren't many options out there to learn how. So I was grateful to find Nova. For $180 I was able to sign up for a 2 hour lesson in the car and that's all I needed to get started. Scheduling the lesson was easy, they have lots of options to choose from. My instructor was Jesus Martinez and he was great! I went to the Logan Square location to meet Jesus. We got into a VW Rabbit from the mid 2000s, I think it might have been an '03, but I'm not sure. It was equipped with a dual brake, so if need be Jesus could stop us if need be. But that was it. No second steering wheel, gas, or clutch. Jesus drove us to nearby Humbolt Park and found an empty patch of parking lot to show me the basics of the manual transmission. This took about 2 minutes. Then we switched and I got behind the wheel for the rest of the time. Jesus started me out just getting the car moving and then stopping. We did this for maybe 10 minutes. Then we started to drive around the empty roads around the park. This was maybe another 10 minutes or so. Then we got out into traffic, and eventually the highway. After that Jesus had me practice going uphill on a parking garage ramp. Then we did some parallel parking. Finally with about another 20 minutes we just practiced stop and go driving. Jesus was well prepared with a route to practice all these things. He was very patient and calm in the car. I got all I needed to get the basics down in that 2 hour lesson and I highly recommend Jesus and Nova Driving School for anyone who wants to learn how to drive a manual transmission. read more

My over all experience with Nova Driving School was 5star rating. My first instructor was Jade she was very patient very kind and of course helpful she was great. My 2nd instructor was Jeremiah Washinton he taught me the rules of the road the do's and don'ts made me feel very comfortable and corrected any minor mistakes I made. I highly recommend Jade and Jeremiah for taking the road test. They will help u pass the road test read more

Nova Driving School - Driving Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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For a while I had always wanted to learn how to drive stick shift, but none of my friends owned a car with standard transmission. So I was out in the cold until one day I googled stick shift lessons and found Nova Driving School. I registered online, agreed to the terms and conditions and the next day the customer service team (outsourced?) called me and we scheduled both of my lessons. I had Augustine. He was patient, encouraging, knowledgeable, and sounded like he enjoyed driving. We practiced over in Humboldt Park. Who would have known this gem right here would be the perfect place to stall out and make mistakes without inconveniencing anybody? Once I started to get the technique down we moved on to the surrounding side streets: lots of speed bumps and stop signs which is perfect for clutch work and shifting. I'll admit it. I stalled on Western. I got beeped at. But guess what, Augustine reassured me and I soon got going again with my ego intact. For my second lesson we reviewed clutch work a little more in Humboldt Park and then we headed over to the AMC on Central. It's a pandemic (note: we had hand sanitizer within reach and wiped down all surfaces), the parking lot's empty which means I was able to do hill starts without any pressure whatsoever. As usual Augustine coached me enthusiastically, pointed out my mistakes and helped me improve. On the way back to the driving school, I just so happened to get caught in traffic right on an incline. The truck behind me inched up and I knew I had to accelerate cleanly otherwise I would stall or worse, roll backwards. Luckily I got it going and breathed a sigh of relief. I had so much fun with Augustine and would highly recommend him if you're like how I was--a person who was curious about stick shift. I think my next car will car have a clutch pedal or whenever I rent one in Europe. Thanks again! P.S. We used two different vehicles. On the first day we were in Kia Soul and the second day we were in a Nissan though I forget the model. P.P.S. I didn't get a chance to do highway driving, but that definitely would have happened had I taken a third lesson. But I can't complain, we drilled the fundamentals, drove around the city. What more could I really ask for? read more

Took 6 hours of driving lessons plus the road test with Nova. I'd already driven in another country some years ago, so I just needed some practice. My first lesson was with Carlos, which was a complete disaster; essentially he yelled at me throughout (Note to Carlos: people who take driving lessons are NOT perfect drivers; that's why they're taking the classes). But my next class was with Brian, and he was SUPERB! He also took me to the road test in Des Plaines, got me familiar with the terrain before the test, and was generally very facilitating on test day. I got my license on the first attempt; thanks Brian! There are some complaints below about customer service, but my experience was pretty good (Jessica in particular was very helpful; thanks Jessica!). Note to drivers using Nova cars for road test: get really familiar with the car. My examiner had me try everything from the brake lights to the radio before we started. read more

Got my drivers license thanks to Nova Driving School. My instructor (Martha) was patiently explaining everything in detail. She gave practical feedback, very easy to understand, and it really helped me to get through the real test read more

I have been liking Nova so far. They were very helpful with the written test. Well Fransisco taught us a lot and also taught us all the answers to the written test questions too! I passed it with all correct answers and the test lasted me less than 5 mins. As to behind the wheel lessons, I have got instructor Javier who is extremely patient and thorough! Today is literally my second day behind the wheel but I already started to feel comfortable and driving on the roads! I m feeling pretty good about this and believe I ll be able to drive very soon! Very exciting! I ll write another review if I pass my exam next week! Highly recommend instructor Javier! read more

When it comes to scheduling your classes it is an absolute headache because they say they'll call you back but they never do! Luckily I spoke to a nice guy named Kevin, best customer service out of the 7 different representatives I've spoken too, kept his word on calling me back, answered all my questions, and made sure he did everything possible to find the classes that worked with my schedule. If you need to schedule a class ask for Kevin! read more

Nova is a must for busy teen parents! My teen daughter registered herself for driving instruction with Nova (took class at school) months ago. Due to work, school, and activity schedules, we hadn't been able to get the original, signed paperwork dropped off during office hours - so her instruction could not begin. Last night I finally made it to the (wrong) Nova office at 4:58pm to drop off her documents. When I ran in just before closing, Gwen let me know that I was at the wrong location. Despite that, and while wearing her coat to leave, Gwen stayed late to notify the main office, scan and copy our documents, and forward them to the teen program. When I called at 9:10am this morning, the main office had received our documents and was working on the registration. Thank you Nova for helping us get this desperate 16-year old on her way to a driver's license!! read more

We used nova driving for my older son and it was great. Unfortunately our experience with my younger son has been entirely opposite. There is NEVER an answer to the phone. It took more than six week lead time to get in the car lessons scheduled and then they miss the appointments. If I hadn't already paid for the in-car lessons, I would go elsewhere, the scheduling and communication is poor. read more

The instructors at this school drive with the ability of a crayon. Don't send your kids here, you're better off with a YouTube tutorial. Watch out for them on the road too... read more

Don't go here! I signed up for the adult classes. The instructors are a mish-mash of different teaching techniques that are all over the place. I told Dario that I needed help with my turns. He demonstrated how great he could do turns and I expected he was about to teach me to do the same or similar.., he never got around to helping me with my turns. I was extremely disappointed to say the least. None of the instructors took me through practice turns. All most seem to be able to do is bully the student into figuring out how to do what it is they were bullying you about at the moment. Nevermind giving you actual technical or even just general information on what it is they want from you. Just "yellow line, yellow line, yellow line!!!" or whatever, you useless student! One couldn't speak English well enough to explain what she wanted me to do. She kept repeatedly and angrily telling me to look at a curb across the street, period. She was very crabby when she arrived for the lesson as well. Speaking of crabby, another instructor became crabbier and crabbier, and his instruction poorer and poorer which I believe is because the air conditioning in the car wasn't working very well. Was that my fault? No. So then why did I have to pay the price for that? That was very unprofessional. Towards the end of the lesson, he was barely even speaking. This same instructor instructed me to make a turn at a red light, then wrote me up for making a turn at a red light. My fault you say? Ah but if you disobey these guys guess what little student? You get to listen to a very long lecture about how you are the student and you are supposed to obey and do as you are told or you become a danger to everyone else and so on, and so on, and so on.., I love driving, have always wanted to do it, I was very excited and looking forward to my sessions, but after these Nova classes, I had to take a 2 week break before I let my good, kind, patient mechanic friend, who took time out of his busy schedule, give me a free lesson out of pity because I had become such a fearful nervous wreak about driving. Needless to say I do not have my driver's license after finishing their rip-off program. Instead I've had to go find a real driving school with legitimate instructors to help me. read more

WORST SERVICE EVER! Scam artists!! Go ahead and try calling the service number-it's a black hole and an hour long plus undertaking any time you try! After a 6am no-show and then a cancellation, we spent hours on the phone with support trying to reschedule. Our daughter finally completed everything required to get a license. Unfortunately, we got the worst news of all from the DMV after hours of waiting in line. We got to the window only to find that Nova never reported that she had completed all of her lessons with the state- which prevented our daughter from getting our daughter her license. As per the DMV, " THIS IS COMMON FOR NOVA!"" We called and spent two days trying to connect with a person and after connecting and them assuring us our records would be updated NOTHING! We will seek our money back . I'd like to submit to the State asking on how this service is allowed. read more

Wish I could give them a zero!! Worst driving school ever!! They do not teach what they advertise online!! We purchased Ultimate package and we did not receive everything alleged to be included in the package! Instructor Javier was abrasive and condescending; Fleet Manager Francisco was rude and equally condescending; exorbitant price for program that only teaches you to pass driving test NOT how to drive!! DO NOT waste your time or money with this school!! read more

I signed up for the Adult Beginner program (8 hours behind the wheel + Road test). Prior to Nova, I had some experience driving, but never got my license. On my first behind the wheel, I was assigned an instructor named Carlos Avila. He picked me up, checked my permit and ID and we hit the road (to a parking lot near by). When we got to the parking lot he had me get into the drivers seat. We drove there for some time. Did some left turns, right turns etc. He then saw that I was ok to drive and said we were ready to leave the parking lot. On that day in the 2 hours behind the wheel, we got through a lot more than I expected to. We did some road driving, practiced left and right turns, pull in parking, 3 point turns and even got to do some parallel parking. Then I got dropped off and he gave me an evaluation, which they email to you after every session. The next 3 sessions that I had with the Adult beginner, I worked with Carlos as my instructor. By choice, I decided to request him for my sessions. From the first lesson, I knew I was going to get my money's worth with him as my instructor. Carlos is very patient and informative. I am so surprised at how quickly he could make me feel comfortable on the road! Today, I passed my road test and got my license!! If you are nervous or hesitant for any reason about driving, I could not speak more highly on not only Nova, but especially on my instructor! Carlos Avila, will prepare you very well for the road test. read more

Had a very positive experience with the company, in general. The support staff is very responsive; they clearly explained all the rules/policies, documentation requirements, etc. and sent reminders before the appointment aptly. Since I had some prior driving experience (although back in my country, with stick shift gears and right-hand drive), I had taken the 1hr lesson + road test package. My instructor was Martha who did an amazing job! She was punctual, kind and extremely helpful. In that one hour, I was able to get enough practice to feel "ready" to take the test. She went over the rules theoretically and practically till they were fixed in my head. Needless to say, I passed the test! Thanks Martha and Nova. read more

Did my driving lessons with them. David Bonilla was a good instructor. He gave clear guides and gold tips for the road test. Highly recommend nova. read more

I got my license in my second road test with my instructor Javier M. He was patient and knowledgeable enough to point out my problems before the exam. Also, thanks to my examiner from DMV, he talked with me nicely and made me relaxed during the test. I learned my lesson from my first test which I failed. I slept well the day before the road test and told myself calm down during the test. I took 12 classes (24 hours) in Nova, which is quite far way from my expectation and budget. Thus, I feel like Nova is expensive. Particularly, Nova only allows 2 hours for your road test. If you spend more than 2 hours in DMV, you have to pay extra money charged by hourly rate. Furthermore, Nova charged for EACH road test! I know some companies allow you to take the second for free. Nova only allows you to take the road test in the morning, such as 6-10 am, depending on DMV's open hours. Nova DOESN"T allow you to take the road test in the afternoon. This kind of rule could be one of the reasons why I failed my first one. Because that day I did not sleep well and had to wake up at 5:00 am. Generally speaking, I think the three instructors for me in Nova are experienced. They could teach you well if you pick up the right one. However, you may have to pay more money than you actually need due to their rules. read more

Hi everyone I'd like to express here my experience with Nova Driving School,I got the ultimate beginner program,because I had zero experience driving,I had 4 instructors,Dario and Thruston suited me best, Dario gave me a lot of tips,advices,on everything being new to driving,how to check mirrors,blind spots,hands on steering wheel,how to work brake,accelerator,where to stop at stop sign and much more and bonus at almost end of the lesson he took me one busy road so I can experience it,all this time he was very composed and very supportive of me and would tell me in a calm manner where I did wrong at what to pay attention at the end of the lesson I felt great,happier than ever;)Thruston had the same demeanor but more easy going mood. A big thank you to Augustine instructor that worked with me in the day of the road test,very calm,great tips,very supportive worked on my mistakes and at the moment of taking the test made sure I don't repeat them,great personality! Unfortunately didn't work out with another instructor Filip,in parking lot he was great,he is good at teaching parking and explaining anything else about the car,road situation and others the parking lot,but in the street he would be anxious,stressed and would trick me on turning on roads where is not allowed to,saying that's my responsibility to pay attention,at the end of the lesson I would be shaking,anxious and not confident at all,a tip from me for anyone who is a beginner,nervous,anxious driving get Dario,Thruston or Augustine they will do their best to boost your confidence,driving abilities and positive results!! read more

Signed up for the deluxe package for a class D license; Some aspects were great, some not so much. First of all, this school is well organized, most of the time at least. You can schedule and reschedule/cancel all your classes online through their portal. The cars they are using are clean and well maintained. They are offering different packages depending on what you need, and they even can come to your location for a fee, which is very convenient. They even arranged the appointment with the DMV, which did save a lot of time. On the other hand, if you have to call them, you will have to wait for at least half an hour, and in the meantime you will be brainwashed again and again by their nonsense ads. The instructors are usually good, but I did have one who didn't seem to pay too much attention. What really annoyed me is that the last class which was just before my test at the DMV, the instructor was very late and we didn't have the chance to practice too much. He was so lazy - he kept saying we should finish early so that I can get in line to the DMV, and on top of that he was pressuring me to not do any parking practice because "the DMV do not want people to practice in the neighboring parking lot". Overall, this school was a good choice, save for some of the employees who were not doing their job. But most of them did, and I do recommend going there. read more

I just spoke with Myra on the phone to set up my lesson and I already know that I'm going to be in good hands. I'm an adult driver and Myra answered all of my questions expertly, making sure I felt confident and comfortable with the services I'm going to receive. Because I'm a working person Myra was able to schedule me for a before work time TOMORROW with a trip to take my test in TWO days! Also, their cars are clearly marked with a very big logo so if you need to meet them somewhere it's easy to find them on the street. She was great, give them a call!! read more

Was looking forward to my private stick shift driving lesson today, and until today was very impressed with Nova's customer service. In fact, they reminded me about my lesson time no less than four times. I arrived for my lesson early, and right at my lesson time I spoke to my instructor via cell phone who told me to hang tight because he was going to be another 30 minutes. I did not have time to adjust my calendar for the day given other obligations. This means I had wasted a trip into the city from the suburbs, no lesson that I had already paid for, and a bad taste in my mouth. This was incredibly unprofessional and I'm seeking a refund. Update: they politely and promptly refunded my 180.00. read more

I don't know what the quality of the class is as I don't get much feedback from my student, but I can tell you that dealing with their communications, support and technology has been super stressful. They keep sending me a link for "terms and conditions." I've filled it out three times. They ask for a picture of your ID that matches your credit card. Isn't e-commerce beyond that? They sent out an email late on a Friday that class would be online but we had been told it was in person. Don't you think they would send out a correction or apology? Nope. They let everyone guess because they don't open until 9am on Monday right when class starts. The list goes on. I resent them having my money since I paid up front for the driving lessons. Really disappointed. read more

I purchased a program for $300+ during the pandemic. I couldn't use the program within the year because the world was closed and Covid hardships that I endured. I called and tried to get some kind of credit and the resolution that I was offered was to pay another $300+. I asked to speak to a supervisor and was brushed off. Do not waste your money here. read more

I failed the road test as I went by myself without going to any school and driven in the US as a tourist for 5+ years but realized I needed to know technical details. Jose was great teaching me in a 2 hour sessions driving around the city and the day of my road test Geno G was great. He had me drive around the DMV area so I was familiar with the roads and provided feedback where I went wrong and specially helping me master the Three point drive. I was confident this time during my road test and didn't feel as if I was appearing for exam. If you want to pass in your first attempt look no further and go to Nova driving school and Ask for Jose or Geno G both of them were great. read more

Nova Driving School - With the Master Geno G ! - Driving Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

After several years attempting to get my license, I decided to finally make it a priority and go to driving school to learn the proper rules of the road and not just the know-how of a friend. The staff was pretty good about scheduling my lessons. I only had a two week window before returning to school and the front desk person (wish I could recall her name), was really considerate about my time. I was assigned Martha who was very kind and helpful during the entire process. I was nervous getting back behind the wheel after several failed attempts, but Martha reassured me throughout that I was doing well and not be too hard on myself if I made a minor mistake. The day of the test, she was with me each step of the way and continued to reassure me. She even did a breathing exercise with me to calm me down, which I thought was very sweet of her. And in the end, I passed! Overall, I was satisfied with the training I received from Nova. I gave it four stars because I did occasionally feel that I was being given too many directions at once and wasn't always able to complete a task and not feel overwhelmed. read more

I had a one hour session with Luis before the road test, and I took the test in Nova's car. Definitely ask to prepare for the test with Luis! He explained everything so well, and we kept on practicing until he felt I was ready. I passed my test thanks to his help!! After the test he was very happy and supportive; it's always great to feel like your instructor is proud of you :) So, I definitely recommend that you practice with Luis! 10/10! read more

"You can never invest too much in yourself" a wise woman once told me. 5 years ago I decided it was finally time to invest in my own car but didn't have a drivers license. No one I knew felt comfortable enough to help refresh my driving skills so that's when I discovered Nova. I was a bit reluctant to pay for the lessons but remembered this was a lifetime investment so I took the chance. I signed up for 3 sessions, in which one included the driving test. My instructor for majority of my sessions were Javier, who was a delight to work with. Not going to lie, I was pretty embarrassed to been seen "learning" how to drive but after a couple of months I continuously seen the Nova car in my area! I'm happy that I was able to motivate others to reach out to professionals for help. Learning to drive can be nerve wrecking definitely with people who has little patience so again Nova driving school thank you. read more

Francisco was absolutely the best driving instructor I've ever had! I've been learning to drive on and off for 10 years. My lesson with Francisco was the only time I felt like things really "clicked" for me. Now I'm driving with way more confidence! Thanks, Francisco! read more

The customer service at Nova has really tanked over the pandemic. When my oldest son took driving lessons, you could schedule a session online or call to schedule easily. Now you can no longer schedule online (the calendar is always fully booked for months out), and if you try to call and speak with someone, you will be on hold for an hour or more, and often no one ever picks up. For people with busy lives, this just does not work. The only reason why I'm giving Nova two stars instead of one (or zero) is that my son's driving instructor, Mauricio, is excellent. Do, better, Nova! You're supposed to be making families' lives easier, not more stressful! Addendum: I received a call from the manager at Nova a few hours after posting the review above. He initially explained that they had been having some tech issues that day, but when I replied that this has occurred every time I've called within the past two months, no explanation was provided. He did apologize, give me his direct extension for future communication, and offer a free road test for my son for the inconvenience. I appreciate that he tried to make things better and am mollified, though I do stand behind my original review. Of note, I was able to reschedule my son's lessons quickly and efficiently once someone from Nova texted me (that they had tried to call me back and missed me), so I would recommend going this route (replying to text) if you call and cannot get through. I have adjusted my star rating up to 3 to account for my subsequent interaction with the folks at Nova. read more

I finally got my drivers license today at age 31 TMI but it's a load off. Thank you Geno for my lesson and some harsh criticism. Nova is a good school. I recommend Nova and they're prices are great! Thx again, this is going to change my work life and life completely!! read more

Nova Driving School - I have a license y'all - Driving Schools Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was able to feel more confident about my driving abilities because they gave me honest feel back, they didn't tell me what I wanted to hear. I thought I could take one lesson after not having driven for years, Pedro pointed out some pretty important mistakes, so I decided to take a few more lessons with another instructor, it was just what I needed to feel more confident and actual drive the way I should, I passed and it was really an exciting day because I was so nervous but if you just pretend its your nova instructor instead of the examiner it helps read more