Guides › Buying a Car › Driving Instructor Complaint
Driving Instructor Complaint
You can complain to DVSA if your driving instructor gives shorter lessons than agreed, keeps cancelling or arriving late, does not provide lessons you paid for, or behaves inappropriately. DVSA can raise it with the instructor, but it cannot help you get money back.
At a Glance
Your Rights
What the rules say, with a link to the official source for each.
Complaining
What DVSA Can Do
Complain to DVSA if your instructor gives lessons shorter than agreed, keeps cancelling or arriving late, does not provide lessons you've paid for, uses a phone while you drive, shouts or swears, uses inappropriate language, or makes unnecessary physical contact. DVSA can ask the instructor about it but cannot help you get any money back. Email instructorconduct@dvsa.gov.uk or write to DVSA, PO Box 967, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE99 2GU. Include the instructor's name, school, ADI number, contact details, car registration and evidence. source
Your Rights for Services
Care and Skill
Services must be performed with reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015); if not, you can ask for the work to be redone or a price reduction, and go straight to a price reduction if redoing is impossible, takes too long or causes significant inconvenience. source
Price and Timing
If the price was not agreed you only have to pay a reasonable price (s.51), and if no time was agreed the work must be done within a reasonable time (s.52). source
Time Limits to Know
Miss a deadline and you can lose a right. Check the dates on your own paperwork.
- Straight awayGather evidenceReceipts, messages, dates
Steps to Take
Step 1 of 5
Write down what happened, with dates.
Step 2 of 5
Ask the instructor or school for a refund of unused lessons. Our free letter templates can write it for you.
Step 3 of 5
Complain to DVSA about conduct.
Step 4 of 5
If you paid by card, ask about chargeback.
Step 5 of 5
A small claim is the last resort for money.
(Tap the numbers to reveal steps)
Where to Go If It Is Not Put Right
Your options, in order, and when each one applies.
The Instructor or Driving School
Ask for a refund.
DVSA Instructor Conduct Team
Conduct complaints.
Citizens Advice Consumer Service
Free advice and referral to Trading Standards.
Good to Know
Small things that make your complaint stronger.
Check your instructor's badge and ADI number before you book.
Want Help?
If you would like one of our team to look at your problem, our initial case review is free. We cannot guarantee any outcome and we do not give legal advice.
Lead reviewer
Luke Marley
Founder and Lead Reviewer
Luke founded CPUK in 2026 after seeing how hard it is for ordinary people to get problems with companies put right. He oversees our guides and checks them against official sources.
Research by Katie Burt, Co-founder and Operations Lead (17 years in the care sector, including managing services for vulnerable adults), and the CPUK Research Team. Researched with AI-assisted research tools, then checked and corrected by our team.
Last checked: 13 October 2026. We are not paid by the companies we write about. Adverts never affect our guidance. Read our editorial policy.
Sources and official links
- gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor Checked 13 October 2026
- citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/somethings-gone-wrong-with-a-purchase/complain-about-a-service Checked 13 October 2026
- legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/15/section/51 Checked 12 October 2026
- citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/buying-or-repairing-a-car/the-car-you-bought-is-still-on-hire-purchase Checked 12 October 2026