Learn to drive in Mid-Norfolk

Are you looking for a driving instructor in your local area? Someone who knows the local roads and test routes like the back of their hand?

Unlike many other schools who offer tuition near you, we are a local driving school with our headquarters based in Norfolk.

Our top-drawer driving instructors deliver weekly driving lessons in Dereham, Fakenham, Swaffham and the surrounding Mid-Norfolk area. No need to travel to Norwich for driving classes – we are right up your street!

Driving Lessons Norfolk - cut the cost of driving tuition with our structured driver training system
Find out how your local independent driving school can help you pass sooner!

A driving school that’s closer to home

We’re the independent driving school near you. We’re locally-owned and family-run, based out of our office in Norwich.

Our local focus means we don’t need to spend your lesson fees on expensive advertising campaigns like the national schools do. We prefer to invest in our instructors instead, so you can be sure you’ll get a quality lesson every time.

Learn to drive round this mini roundabout in Dereham town centre!

Travel on your own terms

Whilst it may be a beautiful part of the UK, getting around the countryside of Breckland and North Norfolk without your own car sadly isn’t very easy. The busses won’t run to your schedule and taking the train hasn’t been a viable option for decades.

Just imagine popping into college only for the times when you actually have lessons, or being able to get to work on time without having to set off an extra hour early. Even if you’re only looking to drive at the weekends, it’ll be so much easier to meet up with friends. Your social calendar will light up!

Want to save money on your driving tuition?

At How-2-Drive we teach people just like you how to drive!

Not only will we teach you how to drive – we’ll also save you time and money. We can help you pass your test in fewer hours – on average 17 hours less* – saving you over £400!

How do we help our pupils pass so quickly?

Our structured driver training course has three stages:

  1. Learn — first, we’ll cover all basic driving skills within the first 10 hours. We will give you practical experience of all road types, junctions and all the reversing manoeuvres. You won’t just sit in the car and talk!
  2. Develop — then, we’ll be there to support you whilst you practice your new-found skills.
  3. Master — finally, we’ll teach you to make the right driving decisions on your own. You’ll develop the confidence to pass your driving test first time!

Above all else, our motto is: fun gets done! We believe that you will find learning easier if you are relaxed and enjoying your lessons.

Need to pass in a hurry?

We’ve got you covered! Learn more about our intensive driving courses in the Norwich area.

How to find the right driving instructor for you

Learning to drive isn’t easy and finding a driving instructor who you click with can be a challenge in itself. But choosing the right teacher is absolutely vital if you want to become a confident and relaxed driver.

A good instructor understands that everybody learns differently and at their own pace. Some learners prefer to be shown first, others prefer to dive straight in and get their hands on the wheel. Your instructor should be able to adapt their teaching to suit your particular learning style rather than what suits them best.

It’s impossible to know for certain whether an instructor is right for you until you’ve actually taken a lesson with them. That’s why we give you your first class half-price!

Many driving schools will want you to block-book hours of sessions before you even take your first lesson. Whilst we do offer block booking discounts, you won’t need to make any big commitments before you’re entirely satisfied we’re the school of motoring for you.

Meet the driving instructors in your area

Your local school of motoring in Mid-Norfolk covers the following towns:

  • Dereham
  • Fakenham
  • Swaffham

…and everywhere in-between in the mid-Norfolk area!

  • Our ADI, Andrew, who offers driving lessons in Dereham.

    Andrew Birch ADI

  • Laura, one of our female driving instructors in Dereham.

    Laura Nicholls ADI

Looking for lessons elsewhere in Norfolk?

If you want to take your tuition to the east of Breckland, get in touch with our Norwich driving school.

Alternatively, if you’re in the Attleborough area of South Breckland, say hello to our Wymondham team.

East Dereham Butter Market town sign.

What makes mid-Norfolk a great place to learn how to drive?

It has it all! The Dereham, Swaffham and Fakenham triangle offers the perfect mix of road types:

  • Quiet country roads for learning the basic driving skills.
  • Busier towns for mastering those trickier skills such as pulling away smoothly, performing manoeuvres and dealing with pedestrians safely and courteously.
  • A stretch of dual carriageway along the A47. Here you’ll be able to develop your confidence as a more experienced learner who is preparing to take their practical test.

Try us out – before you commit!

Don’t let other driving schools tie you in with their upfront driving lesson deals. Their offers might sound good on paper but they’ll usually want you to book at least 10 hours of lessons before your course even starts. Before you commit to anything, it’s worth considering what would happen if you don’t get along with your instructor.

We’re confident you’ll love taking your driving lessons with us. But you don’t need take our word for it – simply book your no-obligation beginner’s lesson and take us for a test drive.

Then, once you are completely satisfied with the quality of our driving tuition, you can buy a block of 10 hours and get a £2 discount off our normal hourly rate!

…or perhaps you’ve already taken classes with another school and are now waiting to take your test? No problem. We offer test preparation and refresher courses too!

Why choose How-2-Drive?

Challenge accepted! We’ll give you five good reasons:

  1. No upfront commitment. Get your beginner’s two-hour trial lesson half-price so you can see what you think of us without having to book a whole block of lessons in advance!
  2. Block booking discounts. If you like what you see, you can make a saving of £20 off the pay-as-you-go lesson price for every block of 10 hours you book.
  3. Save yourself time and money. With our Structured Driver Training System we’ll help you pass in less time than the DVLA average*. This will save you a wedge – more than £400, in fact!
  4. Buy local. We’re a family-run, independent driving school based in Norfolk. By taking lessons with us you’ll be making a sound ethical decision and help to keep more money in our local economy.
  5. Bonus: you’ll also get our How-2-Drive App so you can track your progress, book lessons, manage payments and practice for your Theory Test!

How do pupils rate our driving school?

How-2-Drive5.0
Based on 2251 reviews
It was my third attempt at the driving test and I decided to switch from my previous instructor to Blair. He was super helpful in identifying my mistakes and guided me through them. Blair was quite supportive in building my confidence on the test date which I passed with no faults. I cannot recommend Blair enough for his teaching abilities with exact assessment and timely corrections of the faults. Many thanks Blair!
Sai P.
1 day ago
I passed first time with my brilliant instructor Richard Lambert. He made driving, a typically nervous experience, something I found very enjoyable. He didn’t just teach me to pass my test but to become a confident driver. I would recommend him to anyone, he was very friendly and I greatly enjoyed our lessons together.
Emily B.
3 days ago
Thanks to the personal and tailored training from Howard I passed all 3 parts of my ADI exams first time. The one on one in car training for parts 2 and 3 is invaluable and was far more suited to my style of learning than the large national franchises. Support is always available when needed and the knowledge base is expanded to the wider ADI community which is an absolute must before attempting a part 3. Couldn’t be happier and couldn’t have done it without all the team at How 2 Drive.
alistair M.
3 days ago
My son passed his test first time with only 4 minors today. He has been taught by Christina Smith, he only started driving in March and she has had so much patience and time for Oscar. He wouldn't have passed today if it wasn't for her calm way of teaching. Would highly recommend Christina to anyone who's child is about to start learning to drive.
Amy B.
3 days ago
I can't recommend Alistair McFarlane at How-2-Drive highly enough. I passed my driving test with only one minor fault, and I couldn't have done it without his patience, support and excellent teaching. After I failed my first test, I completely lost confidence, but Alistair never gave up on me. He helped me work on the areas I struggled with, especially roundabouts and lane discipline, and always explained things clearly without making me feel pressured. Every lesson was professional, calm and encouraging, and he adapted each lesson to what I needed most. Thanks to his guidance, I became not only a confident driver but a safe one too. Thank you, Alistair, for believing in me even when I doubted myself. Passing with just one minor fault means the world to me, and I'll always be grateful. I would highly recommend Alistair McFarlane and How-2-Drive to anyone looking for a fantastic driving instructor
Kirsty H.
4 days ago

Our driving lesson prices!

Our rates are the same across manual, automatic and electric vehicle tuition:

Beginners’ introductory lesson

Two-hour session

£40*

Pay as you go hourly rate

Based on a two hour lesson

£40

10 hour block booking

Save £20 off the PAYG rate!

£380

*Offer excludes learners who already have a test booked or who are near test standard.

Grab yourself a deal

Buy one hour – get one free! Simply book your first two hour driving lesson and you’ll only pay for one hour.

Once you’ve experienced the quality of our lessons for yourself, we’re confident you’ll want to book your next session straightaway!

To take advantage of this special offer, book your introductory beginner’s lesson now:

Our terms and conditions

We believe in clear communication from the outset.

That’s why it’s important to us that you understand what we expect from you – and what you can expect from us.

To make sure we get off to a flying start, read our driving lesson terms and conditions before you book.

Have questions about taking weekly lessons with us?

Can I take lessons with a female driving instructor?

Yes, you can! We are happy to offer you driving lessons with either male or female instructors.

Meet our female driving instructors

  • Christina works at our Lowestoft driving school, teaching manual lessons.

    Christina Smith ADI

  • Emma is a female driving instructor in Norwich.

    Emma Billman ADI

  • Emma, who offers automatic driver training at our Norwich school.

    Emma Ramoutar ADI

  • Laura, one of our female driving instructors in Dereham.

    Laura Nicholls ADI

  • Lisa offers female driving lessons in Norwich.

    Lisa Arnold ADI

Meet the whole team

Visit our about page to meet the rest of our instructors.

Do you offer any deals?

Yes, we do – two deals in fact!

For our first deal, you can book your introductory two-hour lesson for half price!

For our second deal, if you block-book 10 hours in one go we’ll give you £2 per hour off our standard rate.

Do you offer automatic driving tuition?

Absolutely! We have automatic instructors covering the following parts of Norfolk:

Do you offer intensive driving courses?

Yes! We offer intensive driving lessons in both the Greater Norwich area and the Lowestoft and Yarmouth areas.

How long will it take to pass my practical test?

If you are a complete beginner, we can teach you how to drive to a high standard in about 30 hours. By this point you’ll be ready to pass your UK practical test.

If you’re a learner driver who already has some road experience, we’ll aim to do it even quicker than that!

*According to the DVSA (the people who set the driving test) it takes on average 47 hours of driving lessons and another 20 hours of private practice to pass the UK driving test.

By using our structured driver training system, we help our learners pass after an average of just 30 hours of driving lessons – that’s 17 hours fewer than the DVSA average!