Top Driver Driving School
Lombard, Illinois
Reviews
stacy creswell
19 Feb 2026
REPORT
My child missed a class due to sickness. Their next open spot for the make up was TWO MONTHS OUT. Thankfully we are early in the process so we can do that BUT I'd look at Excel or another driving ac...
My child missed a class due to sickness. Their next open spot for the make up was TWO MONTHS OUT. Thankfully we are early in the process so we can do that BUT I'd look at Excel or another driving academy and ask them about make up classes. For a $700 package, this seems a bit stressful. Imagine if we missed our last class and had to wait to months to make it up! With high school sports and other things out of our control it is hard to plan two months out. Next time....maybe I'll just send him in sick :-o
Rachelle Foerster
24 Jun 2024
REPORT
Top Driver provided an overall excellent driving education for my son. Their program is well designed and they live up to their motto of teaching driver intelligence. There were a couple of hiccups wi...
Top Driver provided an overall excellent driving education for my son. Their program is well designed and they live up to their motto of teaching driver intelligence. There were a couple of hiccups with the classroom experience and the in-car driving scheduling; however, Mr. Kraft (the director of the Lombard office, I believe) was responsive, respectful, professional and never made me feel out of place for reaching out to him with these issues.
Regarding the classroom experience: My son did not particularly enjoy his classroom instructor in Wheaton as she was somewhat patronizing. The initial parent/student meeting at the first classroom session was supposed to be about 30 minutes but she dragged it out to over an hour and required each student to read a paragraph from her PowerPoint slide out loud in front of the entire group. Mr. Kraft was able to take my concerns back to the Wheaton office afterward and hopefully that situation has improved.
Regarding the in-car driving scheduling: We paid for the Diamond program in order to benefit from the advanced in-vehicle lesson scheduling. With this program, you are supposed to be able to schedule your lessons about two weeks in advance of students in the Silver, Gold and Platinum programs. This is accomplished by calling customer service as early as the first business day of each month. This started out a bit counterproductive for me because the driving instructors often do not provide their availability to the schedulers that early; instead, availability is released closer to the middle of the month when the other program participants are able to schedule.
I realized that not many people must participate in the Diamond program because Mr. Kraft made himself available at the beginning of each month to help coordinate my son's lesson scheduling. Generally this is done with the customer service department; however, given our participation in the Diamond program, Mr. Kraft worked directly with me over email/phone and got us scheduled at times that always worked well for us.
My son was initially terrified to do the driving lessons, but his initial drive with Ms. Russo gave him self-confidence and eased his anxieties. My son was so reassured that he ended up doing every driving lesson with her. Ms. Russo had a calming presence and knew what to say to make each experience pleasant and educational. We were very lucky to have found her and benefited from her teaching skills.
Top Driver is now certified to facilitate the Secretary of State road test. My son had his test with Mr. White. We weren't sure how well he did after the test because Mr. White didn't say much and disappeared to tally up his score. He revealed with an unprecedented level of excitement, however, that my son received the best score of any student he had had do the road test since they started facilitating them about 4 months prior! My son was so proud of himself and now takes his driver intelligence with him each time he drives.
I am not a paid reviewer; I am not an affiliate of Top Driver; I am not benefiting from this review by any means. Mr. Kraft, Ms. Russo, Mr. White and the helpful customer service agents all deserve an A+ shout-out for helping my son happily accomplish his goals on a schedule that worked for us. Thanks to Top Driver in Lombard!
Tony Lucatorto
22 Sep 2023
REPORT
I highly recommend Top Driver to parents looking to provide their child with Top Quality Driver Education. The Instructors both in the classroom and in vehicle have been tremendously helpful with teac...
I highly recommend Top Driver to parents looking to provide their child with Top Quality Driver Education. The Instructors both in the classroom and in vehicle have been tremendously helpful with teaching my daughter to be a safe driver. I want to specifically acknowledge Mr David Parker as one of those outstanding educators teaching our children to be safe and competent behind the wheel !
Thank you Mr Parker and Top Driver!
C Alonzo
9 Sep 2023
REPORT
My positive experience has been with the in car instructors. They have been so patient and taken the time to provide excellent feedback on where my son needed to focus. Shout out to David Parker speci...
My positive experience has been with the in car instructors. They have been so patient and taken the time to provide excellent feedback on where my son needed to focus. Shout out to David Parker specifically though the other instructors also showed the same patience.
Kelley Kalinich
24 Nov 2021
REPORT
Both of my sons have participated in the driver's training program through Top Driver in Lombard. My older son was in the middle of his in class training when the pandemic shut down in person classes...
Both of my sons have participated in the driver's training program through Top Driver in Lombard. My older son was in the middle of his in class training when the pandemic shut down in person classes. Top Driver pivoted very quickly and provided the opportunity for him to complete his classes on line. This was followed by in car driving that was professional and safe. He happened to have the same in car driver for each of the six sessions. This individual (I think his name was "Joe".), was fantastic. He was encouraging, constructive in his feedback and overall, gave my son great confidence in his driving. My younger son is currently participating in his driver's training and has begun the in car driving. We had a problem with securing his learner's permit, due to the Secretary of State's limited access, which pushed back my son's availability for in car training. Jim Mihalovich, the Senior Director/General Manager of the Lombard location, worked with us to extend my son's time to complete his in car driving sessions. I have recommended this Top Driver location to numerous friends and will continue to do so based on having two very positive experiences. Thank you!
Maddie O.
11 Jun 2017
REPORT
This driving school is terrible. The people are completely clueless and they have terrible rules. I'm a student at this school and they recently charged me $40 for not bringing my actual permit. When ...
This driving school is terrible. The people are completely clueless and they have terrible rules. I'm a student at this school and they recently charged me $40 for not bringing my actual permit. When I took the class, they told us to make copies so of course im going to bring one of the copies. No one told me that you couldn't ? I will be reporting this driving school. My driving instructors are rude and clueless. It's a pain in the ass and not worth your time. I wish I could give it 0 stars.
Tamara R.
16 Apr 2017
REPORT
Horrible!!! Took me 4 mths to get ahold of someone to make my sons driving appt couldn't do them on line. Nothing but problems since they bought out A Orland, should of just made my kid do it through ...
Horrible!!! Took me 4 mths to get ahold of someone to make my sons driving appt couldn't do them on line. Nothing but problems since they bought out A Orland, should of just made my kid do it through his high school. All this place cares about is money not their customers!!!
Tanvee A.
6 Mar 2017
REPORT
I have never driven a car in past so I signed up for the 12 hour driving lessons and with the help of my instructor I was able to drive confidently on busy streets (no highways, of course) within 3 cl...
I have never driven a car in past so I signed up for the 12 hour driving lessons and with the help of my instructor I was able to drive confidently on busy streets (no highways, of course) within 3 classes. You are lucky if you have had classes with John Gauss. I don't think you can pre-decide who your instructor can be, but he is great for adult driving lessons.
Molly H.
10 Jul 2016
REPORT
I hear that there are now better alternatives out there. Ones that don't make it painful to schedule driving sessions, ones that have online systems which work with such commonly used devices as all t...
I hear that there are now better alternatives out there. Ones that don't make it painful to schedule driving sessions, ones that have online systems which work with such commonly used devices as all those made by Apple, ones that are, in short, oriented to customer satisfaction. I have three kids coming up the pike after this one and rest assured I will not be signing them up with Top Driver.
Mary Ellen M.
26 Feb 2016
REPORT
My son had classroom and behind the wheel and Top Driver has great customer service and his behind the wheel instructor, Brendan, was really wonderful! My son commented a few times after lessons how m...
My son had classroom and behind the wheel and Top Driver has great customer service and his behind the wheel instructor, Brendan, was really wonderful! My son commented a few times after lessons how much he like him. Overall a worthwhile experience!!
Heidi A.
15 May 2015
REPORT
The instructor, Mr. Woods is enthusiastic and fun, as well as thorough. My child felt very secure driving after going through this program.
Heather S.
7 Sep 2014
REPORT
If I could give them a zero I would. The customer service is terrible. Their corporate office should be shut down. Go to Michael's or anywhere else.
Chris D.
16 Jul 2014
REPORT
I personally was a student here and really liked the experience! The instructors definitely go above and beyond in keeping class engaging while also giving you the skills you need to survive in a "rea...
I personally was a student here and really liked the experience! The instructors definitely go above and beyond in keeping class engaging while also giving you the skills you need to survive in a "real world" driving environment. We'd definitely recommend Top Driver to people looking for a driving school. If you're thinking of signing up, one tip I'd give is to be willing to be flexible when it comes to class times, because they often offer discounts to people taking classes during the off-season or at off-peak hours (after 6:00 PM, etc). We did that and saved almost $50 off the normal price.
S R.
15 Feb 2014
REPORT
Buyers beware of deceptive business practices! Read the fine print..there are hidden fees... If you don't pay the fees that you don't expect they don't complete your driving lessons and will not deli...
Buyers beware of deceptive business practices! Read the fine print..there are hidden fees... If you don't pay the fees that you don't expect they don't complete your driving lessons and will not deliver for services paid for.
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Book an Appointment
Online booking unavailable
Please call
(800) 374-8373
1125 South Main Street
Lombard Illinois 60148
Business Hours
Monday
Mon
08:00AM-17:00PM
Tuesday
Tue
08:00AM-17:00PM
Wednesday
Wed
08:00AM-17:00PM
Thursday
Thu
08:00AM-17:00PM
Friday
Fri
08:00AM-17:00PM
Saturday
Sat
08:00AM-12:00PM
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CLAIM IT HEREIncorrect information? Let us know
Top Driver Driving School
Lombard, Illinois
1125 South Main Street
Lombard Illinois 60148
Business Hours
Monday
08:00AM-17:00PM
Tuesday
08:00AM-17:00PM
Wednesday
08:00AM-17:00PM
Thursday
08:00AM-17:00PM
Friday
08:00AM-17:00PM
Saturday
08:00AM-12:00PM
Reviews
stacy creswell
19 Feb 2026
My child missed a class due to sickness. Their next open spot for the make up was TWO MONTHS OUT. Thankfully we are early in the process so we can do that BUT I'd look at Excel or another driving ac...
My child missed a class due to sickness. Their next open spot for the make up was TWO MONTHS OUT. Thankfully we are early in the process so we can do that BUT I'd look at Excel or another driving academy and ask them about make up classes. For a $700 package, this seems a bit stressful. Imagine if we missed our last class and had to wait to months to make it up! With high school sports and other things out of our control it is hard to plan two months out. Next time....maybe I'll just send him in sick :-o
Rachelle Foerster
24 Jun 2024
Top Driver provided an overall excellent driving education for my son. Their program is well designed and they live up to their motto of teaching driver intelligence. There were a couple of hiccups wi...
Top Driver provided an overall excellent driving education for my son. Their program is well designed and they live up to their motto of teaching driver intelligence. There were a couple of hiccups with the classroom experience and the in-car driving scheduling; however, Mr. Kraft (the director of the Lombard office, I believe) was responsive, respectful, professional and never made me feel out of place for reaching out to him with these issues.
Regarding the classroom experience: My son did not particularly enjoy his classroom instructor in Wheaton as she was somewhat patronizing. The initial parent/student meeting at the first classroom session was supposed to be about 30 minutes but she dragged it out to over an hour and required each student to read a paragraph from her PowerPoint slide out loud in front of the entire group. Mr. Kraft was able to take my concerns back to the Wheaton office afterward and hopefully that situation has improved.
Regarding the in-car driving scheduling: We paid for the Diamond program in order to benefit from the advanced in-vehicle lesson scheduling. With this program, you are supposed to be able to schedule your lessons about two weeks in advance of students in the Silver, Gold and Platinum programs. This is accomplished by calling customer service as early as the first business day of each month. This started out a bit counterproductive for me because the driving instructors often do not provide their availability to the schedulers that early; instead, availability is released closer to the middle of the month when the other program participants are able to schedule.
I realized that not many people must participate in the Diamond program because Mr. Kraft made himself available at the beginning of each month to help coordinate my son's lesson scheduling. Generally this is done with the customer service department; however, given our participation in the Diamond program, Mr. Kraft worked directly with me over email/phone and got us scheduled at times that always worked well for us.
My son was initially terrified to do the driving lessons, but his initial drive with Ms. Russo gave him self-confidence and eased his anxieties. My son was so reassured that he ended up doing every driving lesson with her. Ms. Russo had a calming presence and knew what to say to make each experience pleasant and educational. We were very lucky to have found her and benefited from her teaching skills.
Top Driver is now certified to facilitate the Secretary of State road test. My son had his test with Mr. White. We weren't sure how well he did after the test because Mr. White didn't say much and disappeared to tally up his score. He revealed with an unprecedented level of excitement, however, that my son received the best score of any student he had had do the road test since they started facilitating them about 4 months prior! My son was so proud of himself and now takes his driver intelligence with him each time he drives.
I am not a paid reviewer; I am not an affiliate of Top Driver; I am not benefiting from this review by any means. Mr. Kraft, Ms. Russo, Mr. White and the helpful customer service agents all deserve an A+ shout-out for helping my son happily accomplish his goals on a schedule that worked for us. Thanks to Top Driver in Lombard!
Tony Lucatorto
22 Sep 2023
I highly recommend Top Driver to parents looking to provide their child with Top Quality Driver Education. The Instructors both in the classroom and in vehicle have been tremendously helpful with teac...
I highly recommend Top Driver to parents looking to provide their child with Top Quality Driver Education. The Instructors both in the classroom and in vehicle have been tremendously helpful with teaching my daughter to be a safe driver. I want to specifically acknowledge Mr David Parker as one of those outstanding educators teaching our children to be safe and competent behind the wheel !
Thank you Mr Parker and Top Driver!
C Alonzo
9 Sep 2023
My positive experience has been with the in car instructors. They have been so patient and taken the time to provide excellent feedback on where my son needed to focus. Shout out to David Parker speci...
My positive experience has been with the in car instructors. They have been so patient and taken the time to provide excellent feedback on where my son needed to focus. Shout out to David Parker specifically though the other instructors also showed the same patience.
Kelley Kalinich
24 Nov 2021
Both of my sons have participated in the driver's training program through Top Driver in Lombard. My older son was in the middle of his in class training when the pandemic shut down in person classes...
Both of my sons have participated in the driver's training program through Top Driver in Lombard. My older son was in the middle of his in class training when the pandemic shut down in person classes. Top Driver pivoted very quickly and provided the opportunity for him to complete his classes on line. This was followed by in car driving that was professional and safe. He happened to have the same in car driver for each of the six sessions. This individual (I think his name was "Joe".), was fantastic. He was encouraging, constructive in his feedback and overall, gave my son great confidence in his driving. My younger son is currently participating in his driver's training and has begun the in car driving. We had a problem with securing his learner's permit, due to the Secretary of State's limited access, which pushed back my son's availability for in car training. Jim Mihalovich, the Senior Director/General Manager of the Lombard location, worked with us to extend my son's time to complete his in car driving sessions. I have recommended this Top Driver location to numerous friends and will continue to do so based on having two very positive experiences. Thank you!
Maddie O.
11 Jun 2017
This driving school is terrible. The people are completely clueless and they have terrible rules. I'm a student at this school and they recently charged me $40 for not bringing my actual permit. When ...
This driving school is terrible. The people are completely clueless and they have terrible rules. I'm a student at this school and they recently charged me $40 for not bringing my actual permit. When I took the class, they told us to make copies so of course im going to bring one of the copies. No one told me that you couldn't ? I will be reporting this driving school. My driving instructors are rude and clueless. It's a pain in the ass and not worth your time. I wish I could give it 0 stars.
Tamara R.
16 Apr 2017
Horrible!!! Took me 4 mths to get ahold of someone to make my sons driving appt couldn't do them on line. Nothing but problems since they bought out A Orland, should of just made my kid do it through ...
Horrible!!! Took me 4 mths to get ahold of someone to make my sons driving appt couldn't do them on line. Nothing but problems since they bought out A Orland, should of just made my kid do it through his high school. All this place cares about is money not their customers!!!
Tanvee A.
6 Mar 2017
I have never driven a car in past so I signed up for the 12 hour driving lessons and with the help of my instructor I was able to drive confidently on busy streets (no highways, of course) within 3 cl...
I have never driven a car in past so I signed up for the 12 hour driving lessons and with the help of my instructor I was able to drive confidently on busy streets (no highways, of course) within 3 classes. You are lucky if you have had classes with John Gauss. I don't think you can pre-decide who your instructor can be, but he is great for adult driving lessons.
Molly H.
10 Jul 2016
I hear that there are now better alternatives out there. Ones that don't make it painful to schedule driving sessions, ones that have online systems which work with such commonly used devices as all t...
I hear that there are now better alternatives out there. Ones that don't make it painful to schedule driving sessions, ones that have online systems which work with such commonly used devices as all those made by Apple, ones that are, in short, oriented to customer satisfaction. I have three kids coming up the pike after this one and rest assured I will not be signing them up with Top Driver.
Mary Ellen M.
26 Feb 2016
My son had classroom and behind the wheel and Top Driver has great customer service and his behind the wheel instructor, Brendan, was really wonderful! My son commented a few times after lessons how m...
My son had classroom and behind the wheel and Top Driver has great customer service and his behind the wheel instructor, Brendan, was really wonderful! My son commented a few times after lessons how much he like him. Overall a worthwhile experience!!
Heidi A.
15 May 2015
The instructor, Mr. Woods is enthusiastic and fun, as well as thorough. My child felt very secure driving after going through this program.
Heather S.
7 Sep 2014
If I could give them a zero I would. The customer service is terrible. Their corporate office should be shut down. Go to Michael's or anywhere else.
Chris D.
16 Jul 2014
I personally was a student here and really liked the experience! The instructors definitely go above and beyond in keeping class engaging while also giving you the skills you need to survive in a "rea...
I personally was a student here and really liked the experience! The instructors definitely go above and beyond in keeping class engaging while also giving you the skills you need to survive in a "real world" driving environment. We'd definitely recommend Top Driver to people looking for a driving school. If you're thinking of signing up, one tip I'd give is to be willing to be flexible when it comes to class times, because they often offer discounts to people taking classes during the off-season or at off-peak hours (after 6:00 PM, etc). We did that and saved almost $50 off the normal price.
S R.
15 Feb 2014
Buyers beware of deceptive business practices! Read the fine print..there are hidden fees... If you don't pay the fees that you don't expect they don't complete your driving lessons and will not deli...
Buyers beware of deceptive business practices! Read the fine print..there are hidden fees... If you don't pay the fees that you don't expect they don't complete your driving lessons and will not deliver for services paid for.
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Is this your business?
CLAIM IT HEREIncorrect information? Let us know