iDrive Auto School
North Reading, Massachusetts
Reviews
Anisa Qureshi
24 Jul 2026
REPORT
This driving school and my instructor helped me pass my road test! I recently moved from England, so adjusting to driving in the U.S. took some time, but my instructor was incredibly patient and calm,...
This driving school and my instructor helped me pass my road test! I recently moved from England, so adjusting to driving in the U.S. took some time, but my instructor was incredibly patient and calm, which really helped me feel more confident behind the wheel.
She gave me simple, effective techniques that completely improved my parallel parking. On my test, I had to parallel park between a pickup truck and a Jeep Wrangler, and thanks to her lessons I knew exactly what to do.
I passed my test, and I couldn’t be happier. I highly recommend this driving school and instructor to anyone preparing for their road test!
Melaine S
7 Jun 2026
REPORT
I rarely leave negative reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience.
I booked a one-hour driving lesson with this school in preparation for my upcoming road test. Unfortunately, the lesson f...
I rarely leave negative reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience.
I booked a one-hour driving lesson with this school in preparation for my upcoming road test. Unfortunately, the lesson fell far short of what I expected from a professional driving instructor.
The instructor arrived late, ended the lesson early, and spent the majority of the lesson texting on her phone. This was not an occasional glance at a device — throughout much of the lesson, her attention appeared to be focused on her phone rather than on providing instruction. As a student paying for professional driving instruction, I found this both frustrating and concerning.
During what was supposed to be a one-hour lesson, I only completed one parallel parking exercise and one three-point turn. Beyond that, there was very little actual teaching, coaching, or feedback. I was not given meaningful advice on how to improve, what mistakes I was making, or what I should focus on before my road test. The instructor often seemed more annoyed than engaged in helping me learn.
What made the experience even more frustrating was the cost. I was charged $150 for a one-hour lesson, which is significantly more expensive than other driving schools I have used in the area. I only decided to give this school a try because the driving school I had previously worked with was fully booked for the month.
To make matters more confusing, I later noticed that the school's website advertises one-hour lessons at $75. When paying a premium price, I expect premium instruction, attention, and professionalism.
To the owner's credit, he did offer a complimentary 30-minute lesson after I shared my concerns. However, my biggest concern was never about receiving compensation for a poor lesson. My concern was accountability. At no point was there any discussion about how the instructor's conduct would be addressed, whether additional coaching would be provided, or what steps would be taken to ensure future students do not have the same experience.
Driving instructors are entrusted with teaching skills that directly impact the safety and confidence of new drivers. An instructor spending the majority of a lesson texting instead of teaching should be taken seriously.
I truly hope the owner and the business take this feedback seriously. My intention is not to criticize for the sake of criticizing, but to highlight concerns that I believe deserve attention. Future students are placing their trust, safety, time, and money in your hands, and they deserve instructors who are fully engaged, professional, and committed to helping them succeed.
Unfortunately, the lack of accountability afterward was ultimately more disappointing than the lesson itself.
Susan O'Neill Griffin
18 Apr 2026
REPORT
I highly recommend using iDrive for your driving lessons! The owner, Mike, gave us a standing weekly lesson for our child - no chasing appointments/unpredictability - which was a game changer for us. ...
I highly recommend using iDrive for your driving lessons! The owner, Mike, gave us a standing weekly lesson for our child - no chasing appointments/unpredictability - which was a game changer for us. The instructors were all very kind and patient. Great communication, great experience.
Marlene
3 Apr 2025
REPORT
I used Mike at Idrive for all four of my children. The biggest benefit to Idrive is that Mike will book a reoccurring appointment for your driver, 10 weeks out before the road test. This gives them t...
I used Mike at Idrive for all four of my children. The biggest benefit to Idrive is that Mike will book a reoccurring appointment for your driver, 10 weeks out before the road test. This gives them time to practice on the road before he takes them weekly and when he does take them, you don’t have to compete for an appointment. Their skills are fresh. Many driving school complaints are based on the difficulty to get appointments, and his is the most efficient way. All four of mine had their license, on time, with no delay and it was painless, you just have to understand the process. I would use them again and again!
Katherine Caulfield
15 Jul 2024
REPORT
The instructors aren’t helpful at all, I only got better at driving because I took my own notes on what the instructors would say, which is something the extreme majority of people don’t do or don’t h...
The instructors aren’t helpful at all, I only got better at driving because I took my own notes on what the instructors would say, which is something the extreme majority of people don’t do or don’t have to do. The biggest “method” of learning they used on me was by yelling at my driving, making fun, or adding snarky remarks. It didn’t feel like a mistake friendly learning experience and was actually quite humiliating and demeaning, and I would dread every time I had to do a lesson with one of their instructors. But now, thanks to my OWN efforts, I’m actually a pretty good driver. I can do things significantly better than people who’ve been on the road for many years can. Yet somehow, I’ve managed to fail the road test an entire 3 times through this company, each time being with a different instructor, different test routes, and not one “reason for failure” has been repeated. Every time I took a road test, a new and totally different problem would arise, but the reason for failure with the previous instructor would no longer be an issue. Almost every teen who goes here fails the road test at least the first time. It’s a total money making scheme. This company has managed to make around $380 from my family in road test fees ALONE by setting me up for repetitive failure. And the worst part is, like I said, I’m not even a bad driver. I can do a great parallel park and 3 point turn, I know how to secure the vehicle in multiple circumstances, I have good control over the vehicle and pull over smoothly, I signal correctly and look around constantly, I basically have done every aspect of the test correctly. But the examiners will find any random reason to fail you, while the idrive supervisors in the back seat just sit and do nothing. Dont sign your teen up to this place, they will never get their license if you do, or they at least will struggle significantly before they even have a chance of getting it. You will spend a lot of money on this company before your kid actually gets a license. I do like Mike, not sure if he’s the owner, manager, etc. but he pretty much runs the place. He’s a pretty good guy and somewhat understanding, but that and the chill online classes are the only good part about this place.
Gabriel Molina
19 Feb 2018
REPORT
Hynch
29 Dec 2017
REPORT
Terrible. Disorganized. They didn’t care about anything they did. Had to learn most things about driving on my own because they didn’t teach me or show me. I had one good instructor, the rest were rea...
Terrible. Disorganized. They didn’t care about anything they did. Had to learn most things about driving on my own because they didn’t teach me or show me. I had one good instructor, the rest were really lazy The owner was really rude and hard to communicate with.
Michael Vaudo
23 Dec 2017
REPORT
James Call
9 Aug 2017
REPORT
The instructor makes things interesting
EC 3D
25 Jul 2017
REPORT
Vila Schirmer
17 Aug 2015
REPORT
Great teachers, nice environment, reasonable pricing. All around great place
Christopher Courtney
3 Jan 2014
REPORT
Awesome place... good teacher....comfortable atmosphere
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iDrive Auto School
North Reading, Massachusetts
Reviews
Anisa Qureshi
24 Jul 2026
This driving school and my instructor helped me pass my road test! I recently moved from England, so adjusting to driving in the U.S. took some time, but my instructor was incredibly patient and calm,...
This driving school and my instructor helped me pass my road test! I recently moved from England, so adjusting to driving in the U.S. took some time, but my instructor was incredibly patient and calm, which really helped me feel more confident behind the wheel.
She gave me simple, effective techniques that completely improved my parallel parking. On my test, I had to parallel park between a pickup truck and a Jeep Wrangler, and thanks to her lessons I knew exactly what to do.
I passed my test, and I couldn’t be happier. I highly recommend this driving school and instructor to anyone preparing for their road test!
Melaine S
7 Jun 2026
I rarely leave negative reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience.
I booked a one-hour driving lesson with this school in preparation for my upcoming road test. Unfortunately, the lesson f...
I rarely leave negative reviews, but I felt compelled to share my experience.
I booked a one-hour driving lesson with this school in preparation for my upcoming road test. Unfortunately, the lesson fell far short of what I expected from a professional driving instructor.
The instructor arrived late, ended the lesson early, and spent the majority of the lesson texting on her phone. This was not an occasional glance at a device — throughout much of the lesson, her attention appeared to be focused on her phone rather than on providing instruction. As a student paying for professional driving instruction, I found this both frustrating and concerning.
During what was supposed to be a one-hour lesson, I only completed one parallel parking exercise and one three-point turn. Beyond that, there was very little actual teaching, coaching, or feedback. I was not given meaningful advice on how to improve, what mistakes I was making, or what I should focus on before my road test. The instructor often seemed more annoyed than engaged in helping me learn.
What made the experience even more frustrating was the cost. I was charged $150 for a one-hour lesson, which is significantly more expensive than other driving schools I have used in the area. I only decided to give this school a try because the driving school I had previously worked with was fully booked for the month.
To make matters more confusing, I later noticed that the school's website advertises one-hour lessons at $75. When paying a premium price, I expect premium instruction, attention, and professionalism.
To the owner's credit, he did offer a complimentary 30-minute lesson after I shared my concerns. However, my biggest concern was never about receiving compensation for a poor lesson. My concern was accountability. At no point was there any discussion about how the instructor's conduct would be addressed, whether additional coaching would be provided, or what steps would be taken to ensure future students do not have the same experience.
Driving instructors are entrusted with teaching skills that directly impact the safety and confidence of new drivers. An instructor spending the majority of a lesson texting instead of teaching should be taken seriously.
I truly hope the owner and the business take this feedback seriously. My intention is not to criticize for the sake of criticizing, but to highlight concerns that I believe deserve attention. Future students are placing their trust, safety, time, and money in your hands, and they deserve instructors who are fully engaged, professional, and committed to helping them succeed.
Unfortunately, the lack of accountability afterward was ultimately more disappointing than the lesson itself.
Susan O'Neill Griffin
18 Apr 2026
I highly recommend using iDrive for your driving lessons! The owner, Mike, gave us a standing weekly lesson for our child - no chasing appointments/unpredictability - which was a game changer for us. ...
I highly recommend using iDrive for your driving lessons! The owner, Mike, gave us a standing weekly lesson for our child - no chasing appointments/unpredictability - which was a game changer for us. The instructors were all very kind and patient. Great communication, great experience.
Marlene
3 Apr 2025
I used Mike at Idrive for all four of my children. The biggest benefit to Idrive is that Mike will book a reoccurring appointment for your driver, 10 weeks out before the road test. This gives them t...
I used Mike at Idrive for all four of my children. The biggest benefit to Idrive is that Mike will book a reoccurring appointment for your driver, 10 weeks out before the road test. This gives them time to practice on the road before he takes them weekly and when he does take them, you don’t have to compete for an appointment. Their skills are fresh. Many driving school complaints are based on the difficulty to get appointments, and his is the most efficient way. All four of mine had their license, on time, with no delay and it was painless, you just have to understand the process. I would use them again and again!
Katherine Caulfield
15 Jul 2024
The instructors aren’t helpful at all, I only got better at driving because I took my own notes on what the instructors would say, which is something the extreme majority of people don’t do or don’t h...
The instructors aren’t helpful at all, I only got better at driving because I took my own notes on what the instructors would say, which is something the extreme majority of people don’t do or don’t have to do. The biggest “method” of learning they used on me was by yelling at my driving, making fun, or adding snarky remarks. It didn’t feel like a mistake friendly learning experience and was actually quite humiliating and demeaning, and I would dread every time I had to do a lesson with one of their instructors. But now, thanks to my OWN efforts, I’m actually a pretty good driver. I can do things significantly better than people who’ve been on the road for many years can. Yet somehow, I’ve managed to fail the road test an entire 3 times through this company, each time being with a different instructor, different test routes, and not one “reason for failure” has been repeated. Every time I took a road test, a new and totally different problem would arise, but the reason for failure with the previous instructor would no longer be an issue. Almost every teen who goes here fails the road test at least the first time. It’s a total money making scheme. This company has managed to make around $380 from my family in road test fees ALONE by setting me up for repetitive failure. And the worst part is, like I said, I’m not even a bad driver. I can do a great parallel park and 3 point turn, I know how to secure the vehicle in multiple circumstances, I have good control over the vehicle and pull over smoothly, I signal correctly and look around constantly, I basically have done every aspect of the test correctly. But the examiners will find any random reason to fail you, while the idrive supervisors in the back seat just sit and do nothing. Dont sign your teen up to this place, they will never get their license if you do, or they at least will struggle significantly before they even have a chance of getting it. You will spend a lot of money on this company before your kid actually gets a license. I do like Mike, not sure if he’s the owner, manager, etc. but he pretty much runs the place. He’s a pretty good guy and somewhat understanding, but that and the chill online classes are the only good part about this place.
Gabriel Molina
19 Feb 2018
Hynch
29 Dec 2017
Terrible. Disorganized. They didn’t care about anything they did. Had to learn most things about driving on my own because they didn’t teach me or show me. I had one good instructor, the rest were rea...
Terrible. Disorganized. They didn’t care about anything they did. Had to learn most things about driving on my own because they didn’t teach me or show me. I had one good instructor, the rest were really lazy The owner was really rude and hard to communicate with.
Michael Vaudo
23 Dec 2017
James Call
9 Aug 2017
The instructor makes things interesting
EC 3D
25 Jul 2017
Vila Schirmer
17 Aug 2015
Great teachers, nice environment, reasonable pricing. All around great place
Christopher Courtney
3 Jan 2014
Awesome place... good teacher....comfortable atmosphere
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