Find, compare and book certified driving instructors in Canberra on DriveBuddy.
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No instructors are currently available in Canberra.
How we compare
Three ways to learn to drive in Canberra. Only one lets you choose your instructor — and change your mind. Here's how they stack up.
| Feature | Driving school Or franchise |
Recommended
|
Teaching yourself Parent or supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choosing your instructor | Choosing your instructor Whoever the school assigns | Choosing your instructor You pick, from profiles and reviews | Choosing your instructor A parent or supervisor |
| What you see before booking | What you see before booking Usually just the school | What you see before booking Car, languages, ratings and price | What you see before booking — |
| Switching instructor | Switching instructor A new booking, or a new school | Switching instructor Any time, and your balance follows | Switching instructor Only who's available at home |
| Lock-in | Lock-in Often a package or a contract | Lock-in None | Lock-in None |
| Money already paid | Money already paid Tied to that one school | Money already paid Credits work with any instructor | Money already paid Nothing to lose |
| Booking a lesson | Booking a lesson Often a phone call | Booking a lesson Online, real availability | Booking a lesson Whenever suits you |
| Instructor verification | Instructor verification Varies by school | Instructor verification ID, licence and WWC on every profile | Instructor verification None |
| Dual-control car | Dual-control car Yes | Dual-control car Every instructor's car | Dual-control car Your own car |
| Cost | Cost Set by the school | Cost Set by each instructor | Cost Free |
| See Canberra instructors | |||
Still weighing it up? Read our guides on driving school vs a private instructor vs teaching your teen yourself and choosing an automatic or manual licence.
Our DriveScore index uses ABS Census data to measure learner driver demand in ACT compared to other areas in Australian Capital Territory.
DriveScore explained: ACT scores 55/100 on our learner driver demand index, calculated from young population share, vehicle ownership, and median household income. 53% of residents drive to work (equal to the ACT average of 53%), indicating moderate car dependency. The population has grown 10.3% since the 2016 census, suggesting growing demand for driving instructors. Areas with more young people, higher car dependency, and growing populations typically have greater demand for driving instructors.
Source: ABS 2021 Census, ACT (Greater Capital City Statistical Area).
Learners around Canberra deal with roundabouts, parkways and well-planned arterial roads. Practising in those conditions early — ideally with an instructor who knows the area — makes a big difference to how calm you feel on test day.
If you're a parent helping your teen learn to drive in Canberra, they'll need 100 hours of supervised practice (including 10 at night) logged before they can sit the test. In Australian Capital Territory, each hour with a professional instructor counts as 3 in the logbook (for the first 10 hours of instruction) — a handful of lessons takes real pressure off your own supervising time. Every instructor on DriveBuddy is ID, licence and Working With Children checked, with upfront pricing and reviews from other local learners.
ACT is growing quickly, which means plenty of new drivers learning at once and instructors booking out further ahead than you would expect. A standing weekly lesson is the simplest way to keep momentum.
When you're test-ready, the closest licence-testing centres to Canberra are Belconnen, Woden, and Gungahlin — confirm yours runs the practical drive test when you book. Then it's worth doing a few lessons around your chosen centre so the local roads feel familiar; most instructors know the test routes well.
Nearest driving test centres to Canberra
Swanson Plaza, Swanson Court
5km from Canberra
Level 3, Cosmopolitan Centre, 21 Bowes Street
8km from Canberra
Winyu House, 125 Gungahlin Place
10km from Canberra
In Australian Capital Territory you need 100 supervised hours (including 10 at night) before your test. Professional lessons count for 3×, capped at 10 hours of instruction.
100 hours to go
0% complete · about 0 weeks at this pace · 0/100 hrs counted
Estimates are a guide based on ACT requirements — check your transport authority for the rules that apply to you.
ACT learners under 25 must complete 100 hours of supervised driving (including 10 hours at night). Learners 25 and over need 50 hours (including 5 at night). Professional lessons count as 3 hours each, up to 10 hours of lessons (30 hours credit).
Official info: Access Canberra
Compare verified instructors and book your first lesson online.
Browse instructorsCommon questions about driving lessons in Canberra. Can't find what you're looking for? Contact us.
The closest licence-testing centres to Canberra are Belconnen, Woden, and Gungahlin — confirm yours runs the practical drive test when you book. Your instructor can help you prepare for the routes your centre uses.
In the ACT, each hour with a professional instructor records 3 hours in your learner logbook, for your first 10 hours of lessons (30 logbook hours). The cap counts time, so a 90-minute lesson uses 1.5 of the 10 hours — either way, lessons get you to 100 hours much faster.
Rates vary by instructor and area, and every instructor lists their hourly rate upfront so you can compare before booking.
Look at reviews from other learners, check their availability matches yours, and see if they offer the transmission type you need (auto or manual).
It depends on your experience and how much supervised practice you get between lessons. Try the lesson estimator above for a guide based on your skills. Because DriveBuddy isn't lock-in, you can book a few lessons and add more only if you need them.
With DriveBuddy you compare independent instructors directly — their ratings, prices, cars and availability — and choose the one that suits you, instead of being assigned whoever a single school has free. You're not locked into a package, and you can switch instructors any time.
No problem — you're never locked in with DriveBuddy. Switch to a different Canberra instructor whenever you like, and your DriveBuddy credits work with any instructor.
Yes — as well as learning correct technique, in the ACT each hour with a professional instructor counts as 3 hours in your logbook (for your first 10 hours of lessons), so a few lessons can save you many hours of supervised practice before the test.
You can — and you'll need to log plenty of supervised practice with a parent or carer either way. But a few professional lessons are still worth it: an instructor teaches current test technique, catches habits that are easy to pass on without realising, and in the ACT each lesson hour counts as 3 logbook hours (capped at 10 lesson hours) — so lessons actually save you supervising time. Most families do both: lessons to build skills, parent practice to clock up the hours.
In the ACT you can get your learner licence from 15 years and 9 months old, and start booking lessons straight away.
Helpful articles for learner drivers in Australian Capital Territory
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