Phil Hawksworth Driving School
Darlington, County Durham
Reviews
Beth
23 Jan 2026
REPORT
Knows his stuff but is a horrible teacher. He constantly put me down and made me feel terrible about myself. Really knocked my confidence a lot.
Also lessons are really overpriced and during the less...
Knows his stuff but is a horrible teacher. He constantly put me down and made me feel terrible about myself. Really knocked my confidence a lot.
Also lessons are really overpriced and during the lessons he waffled for ages think he was just trying to waste time so he didn’t have to teach. At one point in a 2 hour lesson was on the road for only 20 minutes at most.
Katharine Todd
22 Jan 2026
REPORT
During my time with Phil, I have had mixed experiences. On the positive side, he is very experienced as a driving instructor and helped my brother pass his test. He has also taught me some important s...
During my time with Phil, I have had mixed experiences. On the positive side, he is very experienced as a driving instructor and helped my brother pass his test. He has also taught me some important stuff about driving safely as well.
However, most lessons I felt his behaviour towards me was extremely unprofessional. I found his manner intimidating and felt like I was being talked down to when I asked theory questions. As soon as I told him I had OCD, he begun to use it against me and stated he would 'stop lessons' and 'send me back to the hospitals and doctors'. These comments made me feel unsupported as a learner & incredibly anxious before lessons. He would give no praise at all and find any way to criticize me which made me feel uncomfortable.
He swore during lessons and interrupted me when I tried to speak. When I told him I had to cancel my theory test as my mum was admitted to hospital the same day as it was, he showed no sympathy at all and said that her being in hospital 'had nothing to do with my theory test'. The next lesson, he proceeded to give me a 30 minute lecture on why I should have went & interrupted me when I tried to explain.
Thank you for reading. Phil does know how to drive safely however I feel like his teaching style is unprofessional and at times inappropriate.
Ella McMonagle
13 Jan 2026
REPORT
Phil is an excellent driving instructor, not only does he teach you how to drive he also gives you ways to remember skills that are very beneficial. He tells and teaches more stuff than other driving ...
Phil is an excellent driving instructor, not only does he teach you how to drive he also gives you ways to remember skills that are very beneficial. He tells and teaches more stuff than other driving instructors such as how to jumpstart a car or how to fill the car with petrol without missing a drop. Phil also uses diagrams to explains skills to help learners understand the skill being taught to a higher level. Phil is friendly and easy to talk to. He is also good at taking people out their comfort zones when mastering a new skill and isn’t afraid to tell you how to improve when you need it. I would recommend Phil to anyone wanting to learn to drive.
William Todd
27 Dec 2024
REPORT
Phil is a great teacher, and importantly he doesn't just teach you to pass the test but drive well long after also. On a few occassions I had to move lessons etc. and each time he was very accommodati...
Phil is a great teacher, and importantly he doesn't just teach you to pass the test but drive well long after also. On a few occassions I had to move lessons etc. and each time he was very accommodating. Not to mention he is easy to talk to and has good humor.
I would recommend to anyone who cares about the quality of their driving as well as passing the test.
Daniel Goodger
22 Jun 2024
REPORT
Finally passed my test on Wednesday with Phil's help/guidance! Would highly recommend. Great sense of humor and clever with his teaching technique, tailoring his approach to you.
Over the last few mo...
Finally passed my test on Wednesday with Phil's help/guidance! Would highly recommend. Great sense of humor and clever with his teaching technique, tailoring his approach to you.
Over the last few months he's definitely helped build my confidence and has also gone out his way on multiple occasions to accommodate my schedule around his and squeeze some lessons in.
Thanks so much Phil! 😊
Nicu Nita
9 Feb 2018
REPORT
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Phil Hawksworth Driving School
Darlington, County Durham
Reviews
Beth
23 Jan 2026
Knows his stuff but is a horrible teacher. He constantly put me down and made me feel terrible about myself. Really knocked my confidence a lot.
Also lessons are really overpriced and during the less...
Knows his stuff but is a horrible teacher. He constantly put me down and made me feel terrible about myself. Really knocked my confidence a lot.
Also lessons are really overpriced and during the lessons he waffled for ages think he was just trying to waste time so he didn’t have to teach. At one point in a 2 hour lesson was on the road for only 20 minutes at most.
Katharine Todd
22 Jan 2026
During my time with Phil, I have had mixed experiences. On the positive side, he is very experienced as a driving instructor and helped my brother pass his test. He has also taught me some important s...
During my time with Phil, I have had mixed experiences. On the positive side, he is very experienced as a driving instructor and helped my brother pass his test. He has also taught me some important stuff about driving safely as well.
However, most lessons I felt his behaviour towards me was extremely unprofessional. I found his manner intimidating and felt like I was being talked down to when I asked theory questions. As soon as I told him I had OCD, he begun to use it against me and stated he would 'stop lessons' and 'send me back to the hospitals and doctors'. These comments made me feel unsupported as a learner & incredibly anxious before lessons. He would give no praise at all and find any way to criticize me which made me feel uncomfortable.
He swore during lessons and interrupted me when I tried to speak. When I told him I had to cancel my theory test as my mum was admitted to hospital the same day as it was, he showed no sympathy at all and said that her being in hospital 'had nothing to do with my theory test'. The next lesson, he proceeded to give me a 30 minute lecture on why I should have went & interrupted me when I tried to explain.
Thank you for reading. Phil does know how to drive safely however I feel like his teaching style is unprofessional and at times inappropriate.
Ella McMonagle
13 Jan 2026
Phil is an excellent driving instructor, not only does he teach you how to drive he also gives you ways to remember skills that are very beneficial. He tells and teaches more stuff than other driving ...
Phil is an excellent driving instructor, not only does he teach you how to drive he also gives you ways to remember skills that are very beneficial. He tells and teaches more stuff than other driving instructors such as how to jumpstart a car or how to fill the car with petrol without missing a drop. Phil also uses diagrams to explains skills to help learners understand the skill being taught to a higher level. Phil is friendly and easy to talk to. He is also good at taking people out their comfort zones when mastering a new skill and isn’t afraid to tell you how to improve when you need it. I would recommend Phil to anyone wanting to learn to drive.
William Todd
27 Dec 2024
Phil is a great teacher, and importantly he doesn't just teach you to pass the test but drive well long after also. On a few occassions I had to move lessons etc. and each time he was very accommodati...
Phil is a great teacher, and importantly he doesn't just teach you to pass the test but drive well long after also. On a few occassions I had to move lessons etc. and each time he was very accommodating. Not to mention he is easy to talk to and has good humor.
I would recommend to anyone who cares about the quality of their driving as well as passing the test.
Daniel Goodger
22 Jun 2024
Finally passed my test on Wednesday with Phil's help/guidance! Would highly recommend. Great sense of humor and clever with his teaching technique, tailoring his approach to you.
Over the last few mo...
Finally passed my test on Wednesday with Phil's help/guidance! Would highly recommend. Great sense of humor and clever with his teaching technique, tailoring his approach to you.
Over the last few months he's definitely helped build my confidence and has also gone out his way on multiple occasions to accommodate my schedule around his and squeeze some lessons in.
Thanks so much Phil! 😊
Nicu Nita
9 Feb 2018
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