Driving instructor wants to cancel my practical test.

[Lou2284]

Hi just looking for some clarification. My driving instructor wants to cancel my test which is in 3 weeks. He doesn't believe I'm ready, he says I need another 9 hours of lessons. I have told him that I want to do the test but I will see if I can use another driving school. He is saying I cant do that, and he will not allow me to to the test under his driving school. Is this right? Can he stop me from doing the test. He booked it, he says it came free with the driving package that I have paid for

Do it in your own or borrowed car? Both my children took theirs in our car for various reasons.

Yes they can refuse to take you to a test under their school name if they don't consider you are ready. When a pupil fails it has a detrimental impact on their pass rate and their higher ups will want to know why so many of their learners are failing. You can go to another instructor and book a test if they are willing to take you or take and insure a family members car if they are willing.

Yes, he can refuse to take you.

If he wants you to do 9 more hours can’t you squash them into the next 3 weeks or is he booked up ?

I didn't realise they could do this

Why do the test if you're not ready? It's a waste of £60. Get more lessons, more experience.

He is not required to let you use his car. He probably can't stop you doing it if you can find an alternative car (your own, or hired). But if he says you're not ready please PLEASE don't turn up to your test in a normal car without dual controls. That puts your safety and the examiner's at risk.

What makes you think he is wrong in his estimation that you are not ready?

Has he paid for it? If so, regardless of which car you do the test in or who takes you, a fail is going to reflect badly on him. Like any other business, driving instructors will be regulated and monitored - too many fails won't look good on him.
I'd trust him to know his job. If he thinks you'll fail, why take the test?

If you booked and paid in your own name I'd go for it, but be prepared to have the instructor proven right!

@saltontoast

I didn't realise they could do this

Of course they can - they're a business. They're under no obligation to allow you to use their vehicle or company name if they feel you're a danger or not ready.

If OP had booked the test herself, she could take it in her own car or with another instructor, but it reads as though the instructor booked it, in which case he's perfectly within his rights to cancel it if he feels that's the right thing to do.

Why nine hours? What difference will it make?

He can't stop you booking a t st and using your own or q borrowed car.
He can stop you taking your test in his car or under the driving school.

@mafted

Why nine hours? What difference will it make?

Nine hours teaching with a qualified instructor could make a major difference to someone's driving competence.

Why did he book the test if you're not ready? If you have trusted them so far then why doubt what they're saying?

I have been taking lessons 1 lesson per week and spent 1000 pounds. I feel like he's taking me for a ride. Yes he's booked up but surely if he knows my test is coming up then he should be booking me in for more lessons. I suppose I have to take into consideration the situation with covid which has caused a backlog.
I was thinking of calling a different driving school and seeing if they would provide 9hrs and allow me to use their car for the test?

I know you need to do a certain amount of lessons before you do the test but I didn’t realise they could cancel if you’re both ready. I guess it looks bad on them if people take it too early and fail.

He can refuse to let you do it on his car/with his driving school, and he might be right you're not ready - but do you have good reason for thinking he's messing you around? It's not unheard of. Years ago mine told me I wasn't ready, and I ended up taking (and passing) the test in my mum's car because when we asked around, we found he had a bit of a habit of spinning out lessons and had quite a few pupils who'd been told they weren't ready and had then passed in other cars.

I wouldn't be rescheduling with the backlog! My first driving instructor was really cautious and slow, totally knocked my confidence. Eventually stopped lessons and went elsewhere and my new instructor was amazing and I passed quickly with him. Got the impression the first instructor was slightly milking me for money, but also that she'd planned X amount of lessons and wasn't prepared to deviate from her plan even though I could have done with a faster pace (other people said the same thing afterwards). I wonder if your instructor is doing the same, hence why the specific 9 hours.

I would take it if you can find a way around him. I took my test thinking I had a really slim chance of passing but I knew I’d be less nervous the second time round. To everyone’s surprise, even the examiners I actually passed with FOURTEEN minors! So if you think you can do it Op I would go for it.

@Lou2284

I have been taking lessons 1 lesson per week and spent 1000 pounds. I feel like he's taking me for a ride. Yes he's booked up but surely if he knows my test is coming up then he should be booking me in for more lessons. I suppose I have to take into consideration the situation with covid which has caused a backlog. I was thinking of calling a different driving school and seeing if they would provide 9hrs and allow me to use their car for the test?

If he's booked up, how can he take you for more lessons? You can't expect him to cancel other peoples lessons for you. Maybe ring the other driving school and see if they have availability?

@Lou2284

I have been taking lessons 1 lesson per week and spent 1000 pounds. I feel like he's taking me for a ride. Yes he's booked up but surely if he knows my test is coming up then he should be booking me in for more lessons. I suppose I have to take into consideration the situation with covid which has caused a backlog. I was thinking of calling a different driving school and seeing if they would provide 9hrs and allow me to use their car for the test?

If the current driving school booked and paid for the test, I'm not sure that would be possible.

Is there anyones car you can insure yourself on and use for the test? I’d go without him

@Lou2284

I have been taking lessons 1 lesson per week and spent 1000 pounds. I feel like he's taking me for a ride. Yes he's booked up but surely if he knows my test is coming up then he should be booking me in for more lessons. I suppose I have to take into consideration the situation with covid which has caused a backlog. I was thinking of calling a different driving school and seeing if they would provide 9hrs and allow me to use their car for the test?

If the current driving school made the booking, you won't be able to show up with someone else unfortunately. They'll either offer the spot to another pupil they believe is ready, or cancel it and get their money back.

You can't expect him to cancel other pupils' lessons for you!

Why don't you book a lesson with another driving school, see what they think about your readiness to take the test? If they are no more optimistic than him then you've lost nothing because you've squeezed in an extra lesson.

How much practice have you been able to do between lessons? One hour a week doesn’t sound like enough to me - have recently put 2 you g people through it and they did far much more driving / instruction than that before they were ready to do a test

Could you book a lesson with a different instructor, @Lou2284, and ask them to assess whether you are ready for the test?

If you aren’t ready, it would be a waste of your money, but if you are, it might suggest that your current instructor is trying to get a bit more money from you - either way, you’d have the information you need to make an informed choice.

You could also look into hiring a dual control car (Arnold Clark have them), and taking your test in that - you’d just need someone to drive you to the test.