Driving lessons in Edinburgh: what to expect

First time behind the wheel, or picking up where you left off? Learn with a fully qualified local instructor, in a manual or automatic car. We’ll help you find someone who covers your postcode and fits the times you can manage.

Check lesson availability 0800 011 2122

An enquiry, not a booking. No payment is taken on this form.

New to The DTC and learning manual? Choose your first two-hour lesson for £75, or your first ten-hour block for £400.

New customers, including transfers. One offer per person; not both. The ten-hour offer is prepaid with no expiry date. Standard prices resume afterwards. Edinburgh instructor coverage only; excludes Dunfermline and Penicuik (automatic only).

See the manual offer and full terms

Driving instructors in Edinburgh

Meet the DVSA-approved instructors currently listed for learners in and around Edinburgh.

See the full team

Jez Huxtable

DVSA approved, 20+ yrs, Manual
Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Dunbar, East Lothian, East Linton, Haddington

I've been a driving instructor for 20 years, which means I've seen it all on the roads—and I've taught every type of driver you can imagine. Over the last two decades, my focus has always been the same: I don't just want you to pass your test; I want you to be a driver who keeps yourself and others safe for a lifetime. I am 100% committed to first time passes and keeping those great habits with you forever. When i am not on duty with the Driving Training Centre you might find me on call with the Young Drivers Association teaching 8-16 year olds at the Royal Highland Centre at Ingilston

Check availability with Jez

Mohammad Shoeib Asghar

DVSA approved, 14+ yrs, Manual
Edinburgh HQ, Currie, Edinburgh, Barnton, Broomhouse, Clermiston

Check availability with Mohammad

MARCIN STEJER

DVSA approved, 14+ yrs, Automatic
Currie, Edinburgh, Musselburgh, Livingston, West Lothian

I've been a driving instructor for 14 years, and I genuinely love what I do. As an approved instructor specialising in automatic transmission cars, I take the complexity of gears and clutch out of the picture so you can focus on the road ahead—and on building the habits that keep you safe. I believe confidence isn't just something you earn from passing your test; it has to be built, patiently and deliberately, one lesson at a time. My students often tell me that I've helped them go from nervous first-timers to self-assured, safety-conscious drivers, and that means the world to me. If you're looking for an instructor who cares as much about your confidence as I do about your safety, I'd love to work with you.

Check availability with MARCIN

Manual or automatic?

Manual lessons include clutch control and gear changes alongside your road skills. Passing a manual car test allows you to drive both manual and automatic cars. Automatic lessons remove the clutch and manual gear changes, but safe observation and judgement still take practice.

Think about the car you expect to drive, not just the test. If you’re undecided, tell us when you enquire and we can talk it through.

Explore automatic lessons in Edinburgh

What your first lesson looks like

Your instructor will ask about any previous driving and help you get comfortable with the car. If you’re starting from scratch, you’ll begin with the controls, moving off and stopping somewhere appropriate for your experience.

If you’ve had lessons before, the first session is a chance to see what you can already do and agree the next steps. You won’t be expected to fit someone else’s lesson plan.

A driving instructor from The DTC with a learner — A lesson with The Driving Training Centre.

Where can we pick you up?

Our Edinburgh instructors cover different parts of the city and surrounding areas. Give us your postcode and usual availability so we can check a useful match, rather than offer a time or pickup point that won’t work for you. Penicuik is automatic only.

Leith Corstorphine Morningside Portobello Stockbridge Currie Musselburgh Dalkeith All lesson areas

Learning on Edinburgh roads

Start with roads that suit your confidence, then build experience of Edinburgh’s hills, bus lanes, tram crossings and busy junctions. Your instructor chooses practice around your pickup point and progress, not a fixed route.

When you’re ready, discuss preparation around Currie or Musselburgh with your instructor. A lesson place does not include a DVSA test appointment.

See the skills you’ll work towards

Lessons around Edinburgh

We also pick up from these places. Send us your postcode and we'll check which instructor covers it and when they're free.

Driving lessons in Edinburgh City Centre

Pickups include City Centre, Old Town, New Town, West End, Stockbridge, Canonmills, EH1, EH2, EH3 and EH4.

Driving lessons in Leith

Pickups include Leith Walk, Restalrig, Pilton, Granton, Newhaven, Trinity, EH6 and EH7.

Driving lessons in Morningside

Pickups include Bruntsfield, Marchmont, Comiston, Colinton, Fairmilehead, EH9 and EH10.

Driving lessons in Portobello

Pickups include Portobello High Street, Joppa, Craigentinny, Restalrig, EH15 and EH6.

Driving lessons in Stockbridge

Pickups include Comely Bank, Canonmills, Inverleith, Dean Village, EH3 and EH4.

Driving lessons in Corstorphine

Pickups include Clermiston, Drumbrae, South Gyle, East Craigs and EH12.

Driving lessons in Barnton

Pickups include Cramond, Davidson's Mains, Clermiston, Cammo and EH4.

Driving lessons in Broomhouse

Pickups include Sighthill, Stenhouse, Edinburgh Park, South Gyle, EH11 and EH12.

Driving lessons in Clermiston

Pickups include Drum Brae, East Craigs, Corstorphine, Barnton, EH4 and EH12.

Driving lessons in Craigentinny

For driving lessons in Craigentinny, start with your actual pickup address rather than a broad 'east Edinburgh' location. The DTC will check manual or automatic instructor coverage and agree a lesson plan around what you have already learned.

Different pickup and drop-off points? If you finish work in another part of east Edinburgh, include both addresses in your enquiry. Your instructor needs to check the whole journey and diary, not just whether your home is within the coverage area.

Tell us what you have already practised. Transferring from another school? Say whether you have driven mainly on familiar residential streets or have experience of busier journeys too. That helps your new instructor plan an assessment without simply repeating your previous lessons.

Pickups include Restalrig, Meadowbank, Portobello, Seafield, EH7 and EH15.

Local background: City of Edinburgh Council: North East locality

Driving lessons in Cramond

Cramond's compact village and surrounding residential streets provide a different setting from a city-centre lesson. Tell The Driving Training Centre whether your pickup is in the village or elsewhere in the wider Cramond area, together with your manual or automatic preference. We confirm coverage and times against the instructor's diary.

Agree a precise meeting point in Cramond. A village pickup is not interchangeable with an address on the surrounding residential roads. Include your street and postcode, and let the instructor confirm a safe place to meet. If you are arriving on foot from the waterfront, agree the meeting point in advance rather than assuming the lesson starts at the shore.

Use local practice to build towards a wider journey. Ask your instructor how a lesson will balance lower-speed observation work with a journey beyond the neighbourhood. If you already have a practical test booked, give the centre as well as the date so travel and preparation can be planned. A local lesson does not promise practice on a particular examiner's route.

Pickups include Barnton, Cammo, Davidson's Mains, Silverknowes and EH4.

Local background: City of Edinburgh Council: Cramond conservation area

Driving lessons in Davidson's Mains

Pickups include Silverknowes, Barnton, Cramond, Blackhall and EH4.

Driving lessons in East Craigs

Pickups include Corstorphine, Maybury, Bughtlin, South Gyle and EH12.

Driving lessons in Gorgie

Pickups include Dalry, Slateford, Chesser, Tynecastle and EH11.

Driving lessons in Liberton

Liberton covers a wider area than a single high street. Give The DTC your postcode and preferred start point, and we will check which instructor can fit your manual or automatic lessons into their diary.

Be specific about where you start. A home pickup and a pickup near work may need different arrangements, even when both are described as Liberton. Include the street and postcode for each, plus any fixed time you need to be back.

Make the journey part of the lesson plan. Before booking a longer session, ask what you will practise and how the journey fits that aim. If you have a practical test booked, share the centre name: the centre featured below is not a recommendation for every Liberton learner.

Pickups include Gilmerton, Gracemount, The Inch, Moredun, EH16 and EH17.

Local background: City of Edinburgh Council: Liberton

Driving lessons in Murrayfield

Learning to drive in Murrayfield? Tell us where you would like to start and whether you want manual or automatic lessons. If you live or work near the stadium, it is worth thinking about event days when choosing your usual lesson time.

Plan around stadium events. A regular Saturday slot may need a different pickup arrangement on an event day. Give us your street and postcode rather than just 'near Murrayfield', so your instructor can agree somewhere safe to stop. Do not assume stadium parking is available for lessons.

Separate local practice from test preparation. You can work on everyday driving around your pickup area without treating it as a test route. If you have booked Currie or Musselburgh, tell your instructor so the lesson can allow for the journey as well as practice near the centre.

Pickups include Roseburn, Balgreen, Ravelston, Gorgie and EH12.

Local background: Scottish Rugby: getting to Murrayfield

Driving lessons in Sighthill

Fit driving lessons around life in Sighthill, whether you are starting from home or studying at Edinburgh Napier. Send The DTC your pickup postcode, transmission preference and the times you can genuinely keep free each week.

Leave a gap after lectures. If you want to start after a class, allow time to reach the agreed pickup point. Tell us if your timetable changes between terms, and whether you need to finish at home instead of returning to campus.

Choose a lesson length you can fit in. A 90-minute or two-hour lesson can give you room for a wider journey, while a one-hour option remains available. Discuss the skill you want to work on and any travel time before choosing; compare the current manual and automatic prices on our Prices page.

Pickups include Broomhouse, Wester Hailes, Bankhead, Edinburgh Park and EH11.

Local background: Edinburgh Napier University: Sighthill campus travel information

Driving lessons in Silverknowes

Pickups include Davidson's Mains, Cramond, Muirhouse, Drylaw and EH4.

Driving lessons in Wester Hailes

Starting driving lessons in Wester Hailes? Tell us your pickup street, whether you prefer manual or automatic, and the days you can manage. The DTC will match your enquiry against instructor coverage and current availability.

Keep your meeting point clear. If access to your usual street changes, contact your instructor before the lesson and agree an alternative. Give a precise address rather than assuming they can wait at a nearby bus stop or entrance.

Build confidence away from the familiar journey. Once basic control feels comfortable, ask to work on planning and observation beyond your usual streets. For test preparation, share your booked centre and agree a session that leaves enough time for the outward journey, practice and return.

Pickups include Clovenstone, Sighthill, Baberton, Currie and EH14.

Local background: City of Edinburgh Council: Wester Hailes regeneration

Check your pickup and availability

Keep track with My DTC

Included with your learning. See your lesson details, recorded progress and your instructor’s mock-test feedback in one place. Add your own reflections so you can remember what went well and what you want to practise next.

Take a look inside My DTC

What The DTC learners say

Published feedback from learners at The DTC. Reviews are shown across our area pages and are not presented as specific to Edinburgh unless the review record says so.

Read all reviews

“I would 100% recommend The Driving Training Centre, especially Jez! I had lessons with him for a couple of months leading up to my test, and he really helped build my confidence and made me feel much more prepared. He was great and I’m so grateful for all his help and support. Would definitely recom…”

olivia G.

“DTC have been amazing with my husband with only having 2 weeks untill test date. They found him a great instructor Jez same day we contacted them! Jez instantly made him feel very comfortable. My husband’s second language is French and Jez was able to explain to him and give instructions in French a…”

Carrieanne T.

“I had a week left before my driving test, and Karine instantly assisted me and helped me find an instructor. Jez helped me pass my test on my first try because he’s a great teacher. I wouldn’t have known how to do the test without him. Recommend!”

Connor S.

Before you start your lessons

How much do Edinburgh driving lessons cost?

Standard manual lessons are £90 for two hours or £440 for ten hours. Automatic lessons are £95 for two hours or £450 for ten hours. Eligible new manual customers can choose one introductory offer. The Prices page has the full tariff and conditions.

Can I transfer from another driving school?

Yes. Tell us whether you want manual or automatic lessons and what you have already practised. Your instructor will check your current driving and build from there. New customers transferring to The DTC can use one eligible Edinburgh manual introductory offer.

Do you offer one-hour driving lessons?

One-hour and 90-minute lessons remain available by agreement. We normally recommend two hours when starting out, so travel to suitable practice roads does not take up most of the session. Your instructor can advise on a shorter lesson as you progress.

Can you pick me up from home, work or university?

Tell us your preferred pickup postcode and the days and times you can manage. We will check instructor coverage and diary space before agreeing the pickup point. Availability is not guaranteed simply because an area is listed.

Should I choose Currie or Musselburgh for my driving test?

Discuss your pickup point, experience and test plans with your instructor. Prepare for the road conditions around your chosen centre, rather than trying to memorise a route. Driving tests are booked separately through the official DVSA service.

Let’s find a lesson that fits

Send your postcode, preferred transmission and lesson times, and a little about your experience. We’ll check with our instructors and contact you to agree the next step.

Send a lesson enquiry