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Drivers Ed Direct Review: Courses & Prices for 2023

Affiliate Disclosure: Automoblog and its partners may earn a commission if you purchase courses offered by the driver’s education providers outlined below. These commissions come to us at no additional cost to you. Our research team has carefully vetted dozens of driver’s education providers. See our Privacy Policy to learn more. 

Key Takeaways in This Article 

  • Drivers Ed Direct ranks number four on our list of Best Online Driver’s Ed Courses.
  • Drivers Ed Direct offers in-person driving lessons in the Greater Los Angeles area.
  • In partnership with  iDriveSafely, American Safety Council, and others, Drivers Ed Direct offers DMV-approved online driver education courses in 13 states. 

Featured Driver’s Education Providers

We reviewed the industry’s top driver’s education programs, and here are our featured picks.

Best Industry Reputation
Aceable

Our Rating: 3 out of 5.0

See Plans

On Our Partner’s Website

Best Customer Service
DriversEd.com

Our Rating: 3 out of 5.0

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On Our Partner’s Website

Best Behind-the-Wheel Training
Coastline Academy

Our Rating: 3 out of 5.0

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On Our Partner’s Website

Drivers Ed Direct ranks number four on our list of the Best Online Driver’s Ed Courses. The company boasts the best customer reviews of any provider on our list, with customers highlighting excellent customer service, thorough driver’s ed courses, and outstanding in-person driving instruction. 

Keep reading to learn more about Drivers Ed Direct, including course options, pricing, and customer reviews.

Drivers Ed Direct Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Outstanding customer reviews
  • Courses are DMV-approved in 13 states
  • Expert instructors and hybrid vehicles for driving lessons
  • Parallel parking game and YouTube channel for extra studying

Cons

  • Higher-than-average course costs
  • Limited availability of behind-the-wheel driving lessons
  • Online course customer support differs from California location-based customer support

How Much Do Drivers Ed Direct Courses Cost?

We looked at prices for all state-approved courses offered through Drivers Ed Direct. Because course requirements and partnerships vary by location, course prices range from $19 to $134.95, with an average cost of $67.65.

Find out exact pricing for a specific online driver’s ed course by visiting Drivers Ed Direct and entering your information in the available form. 

Courses Offered By Drivers Ed Direct

Drivers Ed Direct partners with the American Safety Council, DriversEd.com, iDriveSafely and others to offer online driver’s ed in many locations. By visiting the Drivers Ed Direct website, you can register for state-approved driver’s ed online in the following locations:

CaliforniaIdahoPennsylvania
ColoradoIndianaTexas
FloridaNevadaVirginia
GeorgiaOhio
IllinoisOklahoma

Teen Driver’s Ed Classes

Designed to fulfill all state requirements for new drivers, teen driver’s ed classes available through Drivers Ed Direct target teens age 14-18. These courses cover traffic laws, various parking styles, and everything a young driver needs to know. 

Age and curriculum requirements vary by state, so visit your location’s course page at Drivers Ed Direct to learn more. 

Parent-Taught Driver’s Ed Classes

Drivers Ed Direct provides parent-taught online driver’s ed opportunities in Oklahoma and Texas. For homeschooled students in Virginia, Drivers Ed Direct offers a fully-online thirty-hour driver’s ed course that meets all state requirements.  

Parent-taught driver’s ed classes allow parents to play a more active role in their child’s driving education. In these courses, parents learn helpful tips for educating young drivers and take on the role of behind-the-wheel driving instructor. 

Adult Driver’s Ed Classes

In Illinois, Drivers Ed Direct offers an adult online driver’s ed course tailored for new drivers age 18-20. 

This course fulfills the state’s six-hour instruction requirement and prepares drivers for their behind-the-wheel exam. 

Behind-The-Wheel Training

Drivers Ed Direct offers a selection of behind-the-wheel driving lessons for young drivers in California.

Behind-the-wheel packages from Drivers Ed Direct come with or without an online driver’s education component. Packages range from six to 10 hours and include: 

  • Unlimited DMV practice tests
  • Multiple two-hour driving lessons
  • Direct feedback from experienced instructors
  • Real-life experience in a hybrid sedan or SUV

Drivers Ed Direct practice test packages are also available in some locations. Visit Drivers Ed Direct online or reach out to its customer support staff to learn more.

What to Expect From Drivers Ed Direct Courses

Drivers Ed Direct online driver’s ed courses feature text and video elements, with interactive components like quizzes and games. Because Drivers Ed Direct partners with outside providers for online course offerings, course content may differ by location. 

Learn more about course offerings in your area by visiting Drivers Ed Direct, choosing your state from the drop-down menu, and entering your ZIP code. 

Registration Process

For all approved states except California, course registration pages may redirect to another provider. 

Once redirected to your course’s registration page, enter your account registration and payment information. Next, you can log in and begin learning at your own pace. 

Refund Policy 

Drivers Ed Direct’s refund policy varies by course. It may offer a partial refund for incomplete course material or lessons. 

To find refund information for your course, visit your course information page or contact Drivers Ed Direct customer service by phone or email.  

Available Course Formats

All driver education classes offered through Drivers Ed Direct are fully online, self-paced, and feature multimedia elements. Course content and format may vary by partner provider. 

For California behind-the-wheel instruction, instructors guide new drivers through critical driving knowledge and skills in high-quality, dependable hybrid vehicles. 

Course Length

Online courses vary in length from four to 30 hours. The company tailors each course to meet state requirements in each approved location. Visit your state’s course information pages at Drivers Ed Direct to learn more. 

Mobile Accessibility 

Drivers Ed Direct offers access to all course material through any PC, tablet, or smartphone browser. For California customers, PhDMV Test Prep is available on the iPhone and iPad and helps users practice for their DMV test. 

About Drivers Ed Direct

Founded: 2005

Headquarters: Chatsworth, CA

Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating: A+

Drivers Ed Direct has over 17 years of experience providing expert driver education to residents of California and other states. Its online courses replace traditional classroom instruction with engaging, self-paced online courses.

Drivers Ed Direct offers behind-the-wheel training in California. These courses utilize hybrid cars and SUVs to provide the most up-to-date experience possible for new drivers. 

Drivers Ed Direct also has an excellent YouTube channel that offers video lessons on subjects like making left turns, parallel parking, blind spot checks, and more. 

Drivers Ed Direct Reviews

In our review of the top online driver’s ed providers, Drivers Ed Direct carried the best customer reviews. Our team looked at these reviews to see what customers had to say about their Drivers Ed Direct experiences. 

Better Business Bureau (BBB)

Drivers Ed Direct boasts an A+ rating and zero complaints on its Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile. 

Customer Reviews

Customers on Yelp describe positive experiences with Drivers Ed Direct. Parents frequently enroll more than one child in the company’s programs. Reviews that contribute to Drivers Ed Direct’s five-star rating highlight aspects such as:

  • Easy-to-use website
  • Outstanding instructors
  • Great customer service
  • Informative online course content 

On Google, Drivers Ed Direct has a 4.7-star rating. Reviews focus on behind-the-wheel lessons offered by Drivers Ed Direct in California, with mentions of excellent customer service and adaptive teaching.  

Drivers Ed Direct in Review

Drivers Ed Direct partners with other well-known providers to offer state-approved online driver’s education courses. It offers comprehensive and well-reviewed behind-the-wheel driving lessons for California learners.

Drivers Ed Direct has positive online reviews that highlight excellent customer service and lesson quality. Visit Drivers Ed Direct to learn more about course availability, or browse our other provider reviews to keep exploring your options. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Drivers Ed Direct

Are Drivers Ed Direct courses DMV-approved?

Drivers Ed Direct online driver’s ed courses have DMV approval in 13 states.

Are Drivers Ed Direct California driving lessons worth it?

Driving lesson packages from Drivers Ed Direct are comprehensive and affordably priced. Expert driving instructors pick you up, provide instruction, and drop you off in a hybrid SUV or car. Drivers Ed Direct offers a pay-as-you-go option as well as one-time-payment packages.

Does Drivers Ed Direct offer driving lessons in my state?

Drivers Ed Direct currently only offers in-person driving lessons in California.

Our Methodology

With so many online driver’s ed courses available, we work hard to identify the highest quality providers. Our goal is to provide reviews that are accurate, trustworthy, and helpful to our readers. 

Minimum Requirements

Using data from consumer reviews, we first identified a set of minimum requirements for each driver’s ed course provider. To be included in our ranking each provider must have:

  • Self-paced, online courses 
  • Courses available in at least two states
  • An active Better Business Bureau (BBB) profile 
  • Active reviews on Google, Yelp, and/or Trustpilot
  • A majority of DMV-approved courses in the states in which they operate 

Key Metrics

After selecting providers that meet our minimum requirements, we conducted extensive research and identified the following key metrics to rank the best online driver’s ed courses for 2023. 

  • Accessibility (20%): Our methodology rewards programs that are low-cost, self-paced, and approved in the majority of states where they operate. These metrics identify programs that are accessible for more people. 
  • Quality (30%): We take a close look at each provider’s availability and caliber of customer support as well as the number of years they’ve been in business. We reward providers who offer money-back guarantees and optional behind-the-wheel courses.
  • Reputation (50%): We evaluate hundreds of online reviews—on BBB, Google, Trustpilot, and Yelp—to determine a program’s standing with its current and former customers.