Presto Driving School has firmly maintained its leading position, holding 1st place in the ranking for the fourth year in a row. Presto is the fastest-growing among the large driving schools in Latvia, and within two years the number of students has increased by 100%. Student satisfaction with the quality of training is also reflected in the expansion of the school’s branch network, which is proportional to the recognition it receives from clients.
According to CSDD statistics, in 2019 the level of Presto Driving School increased — in theoretical training across all categories, 96.7% of students passed the exam on their first attempt. Moreover, in category B in Riga, Presto shows the best results — on average 42.7% of students pass the exam on their first attempt (the average in Riga does not exceed 33%). The results of practical training in category A at Presto are at the industry average level, with 46% of students passing the exam on their first attempt.
In 2020, Presto Driving School achieved a record in the theory exam — in category B the average success rate reached 98.38% (the average across all driving schools is 95.14%). In the driving exam, students passed with a success rate of 42.68%. This exceeds the average result among driving schools in the driving section, which is several points lower — 38.36%. In category A the performance is average — 33.82%.
While evaluating the significant breakthrough of Presto Driving School, we wanted to understand what exactly allows its students to achieve better results. First, an important advantage in Presto’s training model is the possibility to freely change instructors. Second, students are rigorously prepared for the theory exam — the driving school exam must be passed without any mistakes (note: from 2021 — one mistake allowed) in order to take the CSDD exam. Third, the driving school provides additional study materials on its website that help facilitate the learning process.
Unlike the common practice of many driving schools to assign only one instructor to each student, here there is no need to provide an explanation if a student no longer wishes to continue working with a specific instructor. This helps avoid situations where the teaching style of the assigned instructor does not produce results and the student does not feel progress. Likewise, instructors who can easily be replaced by another naturally work with greater dedication — if the student is dissatisfied or the training is unnecessarily prolonged, the student can simply choose another instructor.
In this way students also gain a technically richer experience, as they can practice driving different car models. This is useful not only later in real life but also in the CSDD exam, where it is possible to drive one of three different car brands selected randomly. In our opinion, this is the fourth key factor explaining why Presto students perform better in exams.
Presto is also ahead of other driving schools in the field of digitalization. The service is diverse and at a high level — remote contract signing, electronic calendars for driving and theory lessons, simple rescheduling of missed lessons, electronic administration, and online payment and ordering of services. This not only simplifies communication between the student and the Presto administration but also helps save both time and money that would otherwise be spent traveling to the office to handle matters in person. We hope other driving schools will soon follow Presto’s example and expand the functionality of their websites.
In 2019, Presto Driving School grew rapidly by opening new branches in approximately 20 cities, thereby ensuring the largest branch network in Latvia and becoming the first driving school of such scale in the history of the industry in Latvia. In 2020, Presto already operates in 97 cities and towns. Moreover, each Presto student can book lessons in any of them when needed.
Presto has become the 3rd largest driving school in Latvia by the number of trained students, surpassing other industry giants — Driving school Fortūna, Driving school Mustangs, Driving school Gross.
Driving school DBS is clearly a leader when it comes to improving the driving culture of motorists. In 2019 several activities were carried out:
- Winter driving courses
- Continued active participation in the social initiative against the use of mobile devices while driving “Laiks atmest”
- Continuation of the ParkoSkola program
- Safe motorcycle riding training
- Participation in the road safety campaign “Nebrauc autā!”
- Safe driving training for the Emergency Medical Service
- Free service day
- Permanent offer – accident simulator (a specially designed car that imitates accident situations in order to improve people’s understanding of accident scenarios).
In 2020 the driving school also stands out with special training programs designed to improve road safety and help drivers acquire skills that are not included in the standard driver’s license course. Those who already have a driver’s license can learn safe driving on slippery roads at DBS — this includes simulations of situations such as the moose test, aquaplaning, skidding and others. Winter driving courses are also available, and it is possible to register for refresher lessons in driving skills — payment is required only for each individual lesson without additional registration or documentation fees. For businesses, an eco-driving course is available, promising up to 15% fuel savings for commercial transport. Drivers who have accumulated a high number of penalty points can take courses at DBS, after which two of those points are removed.
Statistically, DBS results improved in 2019. In driving, they are at the industry average level — on average 40.6% of students pass the category B driving exam on the first attempt. Meanwhile, on average 92.8% of students pass the theory exam on the first attempt. It should be noted that in category A the school shows good results — close to 58% of students pass the exam on the first attempt.
In 2020 the average theory success rate in category B at DBS was slightly lower than the previous year — 92.15%, but results in the driving exam improved to 50.91%. In category A, however, results dropped significantly — on average only 33.82% passed the exam.
Interestingly, Driving school DBS has also turned its attention to organizing entertainment activities. These include karting rides, car orienteering, off-road jeep driving, accident simulation and team-building events. Opinions on this are divided — some visitors believe that entertainment activities do not improve the level of driver training, while others believe they help increase DBS visibility.
DBS’s active participation in various social initiatives and activities that promote safe driving culture is an invaluable contribution to the entire driver training industry. The driving school can also be proud of particularly original training programs whose knowledge would certainly be useful for any driver.
Unlike many driving schools, DBS provides an electronic booking system for driving lessons, and instructors can be changed freely — even for every lesson if desired. This model of training organization is highly commendable, as it allows students to gain more diverse experience and avoid situations where cooperation with the assigned instructor is not effective.
The number of students has slightly increased, reflecting positive evaluations of the school’s work. The only drawback — it is the most expensive driving school in Latvia. In addition, the driving school’s contract is not available online and can only be viewed after registration. To promote transparency for clients, publishing the contract publicly would be a step toward more transparent operations and better protection of client interests.
In 2019, the performance of Driving school Einšteins in theoretical training was among the highest — on average 97% of students passed the theory exam on their first attempt. The results of the CSDD practical exam decreased — on average 42.3% of students passed the category B exam on the first attempt. It should be noted that in the category A exam Driving school Einšteins shows the best results — 69.8% of students were able to obtain their driver’s license.
In 2020 Einšteins demonstrated even better performance in theory exams — 97.60% passed on the first attempt, while in the driving exam the results were 37.54% in category B and 51.63% in category A.
Despite the excellent results in CSDD statistics, Einšteins ranks 3rd in our TOP because we have received feedback that the driving school indirectly attaches students to the school’s instructors. The standard practice at Driving school Einšteins предусматривает обучение у одного инструктора, а если по каким-то причинам студент хочет сменить инструктора, сначала необходимо связаться с администрацией. Changing an instructor at Einšteins is possible, but the student must justify the need to do so.
Judging by the functionality of the website, it should be noted that for the convenience of students and to save time, modernization would be necessary so that at least booking lessons could be done electronically rather than through direct communication with the instructor, who may not always be available.
It should also be noted that Driving school Einšteins has secured stable positions as the second largest driving school in Latvia by the number of students, although on its website it incorrectly advertises itself as the largest driving school in Latvia.
At the same time, motivating but also restrictive is the contract condition stating that after finishing the course the theory exam must be passed at the driving school within 2 weeks, and after that within 5 working days at CSDD. This means that before starting training the student must carefully plan their time so that unexpected circumstances do not prevent meeting the deadline. If the exam is taken later than after 2 weeks, it is no longer free of charge.
When evaluating training at Driving school Einšteins in terms of price and quality ratio, it must be concluded that the costs are relatively high. In Riga the price for a standard 2 × 45 minute lesson ranges from 28 to 40 EUR. Considering the high success rate of students in exams, there is no doubt that the price is adequate. However, the school simultaneously manipulates the price of theory during almost any promotion, artificially increasing it and then offering a discount. For example, category B courses may cost either 50 EUR or 120 EUR — although it is the same service.
In order for the driving school to move higher in the rankings, it would be necessary to change its approach toward consumers and stop marketing manipulations, as well as carry out modernization: improving website functionality, making instructor changes and lesson reservations simpler. To promote transparency for clients, publishing the contract on the website would also be advisable — so that prospective students can clearly understand the conditions before starting their training.
Despite many shortcomings, Einšteins is able to handle complaints and they do not remain unanswered.
In 2019 Driving school CredoAutoprieks moved one position higher, ranking 4th in the TOP. The driving school’s CSDD statistical indicators correspond to the industry average — on average 95.1% of students pass the theory exam, while 40.4% of students pass the CSDD category B driving exam on their first attempt. The results of the category A driving exam are very good — 59.6% of students pass the exam on their first attempt.
In 2020, 96.91% of students at Driving school CredoAutoprieks passed the theory exam on their first attempt, while in the category B driving exam 39.36% obtained their driver’s license on the first attempt. In category A the driving school shows some of the best results and even surpassed its own performance from the previous year — 66.06% of exams were passed on the first attempt.
Although the driving school’s results undoubtedly exceed the industry averages, the statement on the website claiming that 9 out of 10 students pass the exam on their first attempt can be confusing. While this corresponds to the theory exam results, it may create a misleading impression for new students about the approximate success rate in the driving exam. It would be preferable if driving schools were more transparent with new clients and presented information more precisely. To be fair, very few driving schools publish their driving exam performance on their websites — because historically these results have been significantly lower than theory results across the industry. We would prefer driving schools not to be afraid of publishing such data, as it would help create a more objective understanding of the process of obtaining a driver’s license.
A positive aspect is the option offered by CredoAutoprieks to change instructors if necessary. However, visiting multiple instructors is not recommended or promoted as a normal practice, suggesting that the driving school follows the standard training model in which all training is completed with one instructor. One clause of the contract raises concerns — if a student trains with a person who does not have an instructor’s certificate or does not cooperate with the driving school, the theory training discount granted to the student becomes invalid. This raises questions about how situations are handled when a student does not have a positive cooperation with the assigned instructor, and whether practicing outside lessons with an acquaintance could result in losing the discount.
Another contractual condition that may not be entirely beneficial for students is clause 3.2.10, which sets a deadline for passing the CSDD exam — within 3 weeks after the school exam. Although this is theoretically possible, anyone who has taken the CSDD exam in Riga knows that booking queues are long — meaning the first available exam slot may be later than 3 weeks. In such cases the student can only monitor for earlier openings to meet the deadline set by the driving school.
In 2020 CredoAutoprieks began offering the possibility to review the contract on its website — this is one of the factors that, despite several restrictive clauses, creates confidence that the driving school does not hide unfavorable conditions and demonstrates a transparent and honest attitude. CredoAutoprieks is one of the few driving schools in Latvia that has made its contract freely accessible. Even if some clauses require students to make compromises, they cannot claim they were not informed about the rules. The website also clearly explains the training process and what students should follow in order to complete their training successfully.
The driving school still has room to improve the functionality of its website, as the convenience of students and easy booking of lessons has not been fully addressed. The standard model is still used — to schedule a lesson with an instructor, the student must find the instructor’s phone number on the website and call. This makes it difficult to track when lesson slots become available, and it must be considered that an instructor may not always be able to answer calls at any time of the day.
CredoAutoprieks remains the largest driving school in Latvia by the number of students.
Driving school “Autoskola” appears in our ranking for the first time. The main reason we selected this driving school among all competitors lies in its remarkable growth. From 2019 to 2020 the driving school expanded by opening branches in several cities. Considering that it has effectively become much larger, it can be concluded that it has gained the trust and appreciation of clients — as the growth corresponds with positive feedback from students. Moreover, the exam results are promising, surpassing the performance of other driving schools of similar size.
We especially appreciate the driving school’s policy that allows students to change instructors, giving them the opportunity to find the teaching style that suits them best. In the long term this creates more positive cooperation opportunities and helps resolve conflicts faster and more calmly, ultimately saving students both time and money. Therefore it can be concluded that the training style offered by the driving school is much more flexible and modern compared to many other driving schools that still follow outdated industry standards by assigning students to a single instructor according to the contract.
In 2020, 93.92% of students passed the theory exam on their first attempt, while 54.55% passed the category B driving exam on their first attempt — which is even higher than the results of the schools ranked first in this TOP. In category A the results were similar — 56.00%. However, compared with larger driving schools where the number of students within half a year reaches around 500–1000, Driving school “Autoskola” has a much lower number — 242 in category B and 75 in category A. The larger the number of students, the more reliable the data becomes, and in terms of student numbers this driving school still has room to grow in order to obtain more statistically reliable indicators.
Attention has also been paid to selecting the most appropriate training vehicles — to improve the quality of practical training, students are provided with the opportunity to drive a Volkswagen Golf, which is also used in the CSDD exam. At the same time, there is still room for improvement, because in the CSDD exam the vehicle may also be an Audi A3 Sportback or BMW 218D XDrive Active Tourer, so it would be worthwhile to expand the training fleet with these models.
In addition, when practicing exercises on the training площадка, it should be noted that all reference points coincide for BMW and Audi, while for Golf they differ. As a result, students of the driving school are not provided with a fully comprehensive preparation for the exam. Furthermore, the reverse gear mechanism in BMW differs technically, which is another reason why it would be beneficial to provide an opportunity to practice with this brand of vehicle. Because of this, the probability of failing the exam on the first attempt may increase — the stress of driving an unfamiliar model for the first time will be significantly higher than if students had already been accustomed to changing not only instructors but also cars during training. By expanding the training vehicle fleet with the missing models, this driving school could truly achieve excellence.
We also did not place this driving school higher in the ranking due to the lack of transparency and openness toward clients. Unfortunately, the contract can only be reviewed in person, and only in exceptional cases it can be sent by email. By refusing transparency and not publishing the contract in a freely accessible format on the website, prospective students must spend more time to review it, and this also raises concerns about possible hidden conditions within the contract. The presence of a reviews section on the website is commendable — although on many driving school websites the name and surname of the reviewer are not visible. At the same time, there is still room for improvement toward full transparency, and we hope that in the future the driving school will provide the option to publish authenticated reviews.
This also relates to the need to modernize the driving school’s website. Although it is possible to register with different instructors, the process takes a considerable amount of time — each instructor must be contacted individually by phone to arrange lesson times. Modern IT solutions allow for much more convenient booking systems with clear online schedules and digital lesson reservations.
Judging by the description on the website, it can be concluded that this is not one of the driving schools that tries to prolong the training process as much as possible. On the contrary — an express theory course is also offered with intensive lessons up to three times per week. In addition, the FAQ section regarding category B training states that students usually obtain their licenses within 2–3 months, which is a very optimal indicator. It is encouraging when driving schools help students understand that training does not have to take a whole year and that the path to obtaining a license can be significantly shortened. For supporting, motivating students and ensuring a fast and efficient training process, this driving school certainly deserves recognition and sets a positive example for others, earning the honorable fifth place in our ranking.