Terms and Conditions
1. Eligibility
To take driving lessons with AutoCoach, you must:
Be at least 17 years of age.
Hold a valid UK driving licence (provisional, full, or an accepted international licence).
Be legally entitled to drive the tuition vehicle.
Be able to read a standard number plate at 20.5 metres (67 feet).
If you cannot meet these conditions, your instructor reserves the right to cancel or end the lesson, and a cancellation fee may apply.
2. Instructor Rights
Your instructor may:
End or refuse a lesson where there are reasonable concerns about safety, behaviour or suitability for the planned lesson.
Decline use of the tuition vehicle for a practical driving test where the required standard of safe, independent and consistent driving has not been demonstrated.
Recommend that you change your practical driving test date if you have not reached an appropriate test-ready standard.
Decline lesson bookings due to scheduling, availability, safety or suitability.
3. Payment Terms
Payment is required in full before each lesson.
Block bookings must be paid in full before the first session covered by the block.
Standard weekday lessons are normally 2 hours in duration. The introductory 2-hour weekday lesson is £120.
A weekday block booking of 10 hours is £590.
Weekend lessons and other lesson formats may be charged at different rates. The applicable price will be confirmed before booking.
Payments can be made by bank transfer or cash.
Prices may change, but lessons already paid for will be honoured at the agreed rate.
AutoCoach maintains records of prepaid lesson credits, lessons completed and any remaining balance.
You may request confirmation of your remaining prepaid lesson hours at any time.
4. Refund Policy
Unused, prepaid lesson credits can be refunded, less a £20 administration fee and any applicable cancellation charges.
Any lessons already taken or cancellation charges incurred will be deducted before the refund is calculated.
Refunds will normally be made using the original payment method or by bank transfer where appropriate.
Nothing in this refund policy affects your statutory rights.
5. Lesson Format & Scheduling
Lessons follow a structured approach based on DVSA standards and guidance and are adapted to your individual progress and experience.
Standard lessons are normally 2 hours in duration unless another duration has been agreed in advance.
Lesson dates and times are mutually agreed and subject to instructor availability.
Evening or weekend slots may carry a surcharge and are subject to availability.
AutoCoach will provide feedback on your progress and, where appropriate, explain areas requiring further training or development.
We appreciate punctuality. If you are more than 15 minutes late without prior contact, the lesson may be treated as a no-show and charged in full.
6. Driving Tests
Learners are responsible for booking, changing and cancelling their own practical driving tests.
AutoCoach cannot book, change, swap or cancel a car practical driving test on a pupil’s behalf.
Before booking a test that you intend to take in the AutoCoach tuition vehicle, you should discuss the proposed date and time with your instructor to confirm availability.
Use of the instructor’s vehicle for a practical driving test is subject to instructor approval.
Test-day use of the tuition vehicle requires a minimum 2-hour booking unless otherwise agreed.
Payment for test-day vehicle use must be made before the test date.
Use of the AutoCoach vehicle for a practical driving test is conditional upon the instructor being satisfied that you have demonstrated a safe, independent and consistent standard of driving appropriate for the test.
If that standard has not been demonstrated, AutoCoach may decline use of the tuition vehicle and may recommend that you change your test date.
Approval to use the tuition vehicle for a test is not guaranteed simply because lessons have been taken or a test has been booked.
7. Instructor Qualifications
Your AutoCoach instructor is a DVSA-approved ADI (Approved Driving Instructor), appropriately insured and trained to provide professional driving tuition.
Instruction is provided in accordance with relevant DVSA standards and professional requirements.
8. Safety
Safety takes priority throughout all lessons.
Your instructor may give verbal guidance or take physical control of the vehicle where reasonably necessary to maintain safety.
Lessons may be changed, shortened, postponed or rescheduled where road, weather or other conditions make tuition unsafe or unsuitable.
The tuition vehicle is maintained, insured and operated in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
9. Your Responsibilities
You are responsible for:
Arriving promptly and being ready to drive.
Bringing your driving licence when requested.
Wearing suitable footwear and clothing.
Bringing and wearing corrective lenses where required for driving.
Informing your instructor of any change that may affect your legal entitlement or fitness to drive, including relevant licence restrictions, conditions or endorsements.
Informing your instructor of any medication or other issue that you know may impair your ability to drive safely.
Following reasonable safety instructions given by your instructor.
Acting in a respectful, focused and appropriate manner during lessons.
10. Alcohol, Drugs & Medication
You must not attend a driving lesson while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs or medication that affects your ability to drive safely.
If your instructor reasonably believes that you may be impaired, the lesson may be refused or terminated immediately.
Where a lesson is terminated or refused because you appear unfit to drive safely, the lesson may still be charged in full.
If you are unsure whether prescribed or over-the-counter medication affects your ability to drive, you should seek appropriate medical or pharmaceutical advice before driving.
11. Privacy & Data Use
AutoCoach collects and processes personal information where reasonably necessary to:
Provide driving tuition.
Manage bookings and payments.
Communicate with pupils.
Maintain appropriate lesson and progress records.
Meet legal, insurance or regulatory obligations.
Personal information is handled in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation and appropriate steps are taken to keep pupil information secure.
Information will not normally be disclosed to third parties unless you have given permission, disclosure is necessary to provide the service, or AutoCoach is required or permitted to do so by law or regulatory requirements.
Full details are provided in the AutoCoach Privacy Notice:
https://www.autocoach.uk/privacy-notice/
12. Health & Illness
Please inform your instructor before your lesson if you are unwell or have symptoms of a contagious illness that could make it inappropriate to conduct the lesson.
Where appropriate, the lesson may be rescheduled in the interests of the pupil and instructor.
The normal cancellation policy may apply depending on the circumstances and notice provided.
13. Professional Conduct & Instructor Discretion
AutoCoach aims to maintain a professional, respectful and safe learning environment.
AutoCoach reserves the right to decline or discontinue tuition where there are reasonable concerns relating to:
Safety.
Inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour.
Suitability for the tuition being requested.
Repeated failure to comply with these terms.
Breakdown of the professional instructor-pupil relationship.
Availability or scheduling.
The instructor’s ability to provide appropriate tuition.
While every reasonable effort is made to support pupil progress, ongoing lesson availability is not guaranteed and future lessons must be mutually agreed.
Any unused prepaid lesson credit will remain subject to the refund and cancellation provisions contained in these terms.
14. Cancellations and Rescheduling
To ensure fair use of lesson time and availability for all pupils:
48 Hours’ Notice Required: Any cancellation or request to change a scheduled lesson must be made at least 48 hours before the agreed lesson start time.
Late Cancellations: If a lesson is cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, the full lesson fee will normally be charged.
Rescheduling: Requests to change lesson times are subject to instructor availability and also require at least 48 hours’ notice.
No-Show or Late Arrival: If you arrive more than 15 minutes late without prior contact, the lesson may be treated as a no-show and charged in full.
Late Arrival: Where a lesson proceeds despite late arrival, it will normally finish at the originally scheduled time.
Instructor Cancellations: If your instructor needs to cancel a lesson, for example because of illness, vehicle problems, unsafe conditions or unavoidable test commitments, you will not be charged for tuition that has not been provided. The lesson will be rearranged where mutually convenient.
This cancellation policy helps maintain a reliable and professional service while allowing lesson time to be offered fairly to other learners.
15. Complaints
AutoCoach aims to provide professional, safe and appropriate driving tuition.
If you are unhappy with any aspect of your tuition or the service you have received, please raise the matter with AutoCoach as soon as reasonably possible.
Complaints can be made directly to Rob MacDougall by telephone, WhatsApp, email or through the AutoCoach website.
AutoCoach will:
Take complaints seriously.
Aim to respond promptly.
Consider the circumstances fairly.
Keep an appropriate record of the complaint and how it was resolved.
Where a complaint concerns the professional conduct of an Approved Driving Instructor, pupils also have the right to contact the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Making a complaint will not affect your statutory consumer rights.
16. Legal Disclaimer
These terms do not affect your statutory rights.
Nothing in these terms excludes or restricts any rights or remedies that cannot legally be excluded or restricted under UK consumer law.
If you have questions about your consumer rights, independent advice is available from organisations such as Citizens Advice.