Driving courses in East London run from £37 an hour for beginners to £1,229 for a 30-hour intensive, with refresher hours at £41 for drivers coming back after a break. All courses are automatic, taught by DVSA-approved instructors seven days a week.
Three courses, three different starting points. Each one below says who it is for, what it costs and roughly how long it takes, so you can rule two of them out in a couple of minutes. All tuition is in automatic cars, seven days a week between 7am and 10pm, and the instructor comes to you.
Beginner Course
From £37 / hour
For people who have done no driving at all. The first half hour is stationary on a quiet residential street, and most pupils manage a controlled stop and a left turn inside two hours. Ten hours booked together is £350.
Beginner CourseRefresher Course
From £41 / hour
For licence holders who have stopped driving. The first hour is an assessment rather than a lesson, and it tells you what has actually slipped. Most people book four to ten hours. No minimum block.
Refresher CourseIntensive Crash Course
From £1,229 (30 hrs)
Around four hours a day for seven to ten days, ending with test-route practice and a mock test. Worth buying once you hold a theory pass and know when your practical slot is.
Intensive CourseChoosing Between the Three
The beginner course if you have never driven, or had two or three lessons years ago and stopped. £37 an hour, £350 for ten. The thing to plan for is the total, not the hourly rate: the number the trade usually quotes is about 47 hours of tuition before test standard.
It is not a DVSA published figure and the spread around it is enormous, but it is closer to reality than the fifteen or twenty hours most people have in mind when they start.
The refresher course if you already hold a licence. £41 an hour, no minimum block, and no test at the end unless you decide you want one. Most returning drivers book four to ten hours, so even at the top of that range the whole thing costs well under half what an intensive does.
The intensive course if the constraint is time rather than money. £1,229 for 30 hours, £1,580 for 40. It only makes sense with a theory pass already in hand and a practical date in sight. Without those you are paying a premium for speed you cannot use.
If you are genuinely unsure, book a two-hour assessment at £37 an hour and we will tell you which one to buy. That costs less than committing to the wrong package.
Prices at a Glance
- Beginner lesson: £37 an hour, or £350 for a block of ten
- Refresher lesson: £41 an hour, no minimum block
- Intensive course, 30 hours: £1,229
- Intensive course, 40 hours: £1,580
- Mock driving test: £50
- Prestige car lessons: on enquiry
Payment is by cash or bank transfer. There is no registration fee, and pick-up and drop-off anywhere in our East London coverage area is included in the price.
What Every Course Includes
- A DVSA-approved instructor teaching in an automatic car
- Pick-up and drop-off from home, work or a station at no extra charge
- Lessons seven days a week between 7am and 10pm
- A structured plan you can actually see, so you know what you are working on
- Practice on the real routes around your own test centre
- A debrief after every session covering what went well and what needs work
- Payment by cash or bank transfer, with no joining fee
How Long Each Course Takes
A beginner course on weekly two-hour lessons typically runs six to nine months, because the limiting factor is how often you can get out rather than how quickly you learn. Two lessons a week roughly halves that, and private practice between lessons shortens it again.
A refresher course is usually done inside a fortnight, because most people only need four to ten hours and can take them close together.
An intensive course is one to three weeks of tuition. In practice the timeline is set by test availability rather than by us: practical slots at the East London centres are routinely booked out weeks ahead, so get your test date first and we will build the course backwards from it.
The Theory Test Comes First
You can start any of these courses without a theory pass, but you cannot book a practical test without one. That matters most for an intensive course, where the point is to test soon after finishing, and least for a refresher, where you already hold a licence and most people are not sitting a test at all.
Book it through gov.uk, and start revising well before you think you need to. The beginner course page sets out what the theory test involves and how long people usually need for the hazard perception half.
Where You’ll Take Your Test
Every one of our courses finishes with test-route practice at the DVSA centre you are booked into. There are three across East London and they differ more than people assume.
- Wanstead, on the A113 between Wanstead and Snaresbrook. A 44.4% pass rate overall and 42.1% in automatic cars, the strongest of the three, though Charlie Brown’s Roundabout and the A406 North Circular still decide most tests.
- Goodmayes, at 98 Goodmayes Road in Ilford. A 43.7% pass rate overall and 41.5% in automatic cars, leaning on the A12, the A13 and the Seven Kings junction.
- Chingford, north of Walthamstow: a 39.9% pass rate overall and 38.3% in automatic cars, the hardest of the three, taking in the A112 Chingford Mount Road, Larkshall Road and the North Circular.
Which one you get depends on where you live and what is free when you book. We teach the routes around whichever it is, so nothing on test day is a first.
Driving Course FAQs
Which driving course should I choose?
If you have never driven, take the beginner course at £37 an hour. If you already hold a licence but have not used it for a while, take refresher hours at £41.
If you need to pass within weeks and can clear the days, take an intensive course from £1,229 for 30 hours or £1,580 for 40. Call 07706 876263 if you are between two of them and we will tell you which fits.
How much do your driving courses cost?
Beginner lessons are £37 an hour, or £350 for a block of ten. Refresher lessons are £41 an hour with no minimum block. Intensive courses are £1,229 for 30 hours and £1,580 for 40 hours, with bespoke packages on enquiry. A mock test is £50. Payment is by cash or bank transfer.
Do I need to pass my theory test before starting a course?
Not to start lessons. You do need a theory pass before you can book your practical test, so for an intensive course it is effectively a prerequisite, because the whole point is to test soon after finishing. For beginner and refresher courses you can start straight away and revise alongside your lessons.
Are all your courses taught in automatic cars?
Yes. We teach in automatic cars only, across every course. Passing gives you an automatic licence, which covers automatic vehicles. With electric and hybrid cars now the norm on London roads, that covers almost everything you will realistically drive.
Can I switch between courses part-way through?
Yes, and it is common. Plenty of people start with weekly beginner hours at £37, then switch to an intensive block once a test date comes through. Others plan a full intensive, do a two-hour assessment first and decide that weekly lessons suit them better. Nothing is locked in.
How do I book a course?
Call 07706 876263 or email info@wharfdrivingschool.co.uk. We will ask where you are, how much driving you have done and when you are free, then match you to an instructor and confirm a start date. There is no joining fee.
Driving Courses Across East London
Every area below has its own page covering local pick-up points, the test centre you will be sent to, the roads we use and the mistakes that most often cost marks nearby.
Tower Hamlets & the Docklands: test at Wanstead or Goodmayes
Hackney, Shoreditch & the City Fringe: test at Wanstead
Newham & Stratford: test at Wanstead or Goodmayes
Waltham Forest & Redbridge: test at Wanstead, Chingford or Goodmayes
Barking & South of the River: test at Goodmayes or Wanstead
Redbridge & the Roding Valley: test at Wanstead, Goodmayes or Chingford
Barking, Dagenham & Havering: test at Goodmayes
Book a Driving CourseReviewed and updated August 2026 by the Wharf Driving School team.