1st Choice Driving & Traffic School

These guys treated my son right, best price in LA and instruction was top notch, I didn’t have the patience to teach my boy but thank God for 1^st Choice!

Although I did not book lessons with 1^st Choice (I did my lessons with Abel’s), I did rent their car for my second driving test. Gabby was really nice and friendly and very helpful the morning of my test. We drove to the Culver City DMV and we waited. The line was backed up more than usual but that was no fault of Gabby’s. Anyway, I took my test for the second time, and I passed! Gabby was also nice enough to drop me off for another errand after she clocked out from work since it was on the way.
I can drive now! I also accomplished my goal of getting my license before age 30! LOL wasn’t so sure it was going to happen at first hahahaha
Thank you to everyone! If you need to rent a car for your test and you’ve had a chance to drive different types of cars, or this is the car you’ve practiced in mostly, you’ll be ok. Although I did my lessons elsewhere, I’ve driven so many different cars, so I was able to still make this one work for me. Thanks again!

My low rating is more on the school.
I took 2 hours driving lesson from here. My appointment was on 3 pm. 3 – 4 hours before my appointment, school called to ask if it’s okay to change it to 1 pm. I said fine with me.
My instructor came 40 mins late. School said instructor had car troubles, he is on his way, when my instructor came he said school told him he has a lesson right after he finished another lesson at 1 pm.
I wasnt in a tight schedule that day, I did not mind much, since I was gonna get 2 hours lesson afterall.
My instructor was good, I think his name was Donovan. He gives you great tips.
After this, I decided to rent their car for my DMV road test. Their deal is they pick you up/​drop off +40 mins practice before test =$ 95
My test was yesterday, school told me they will pick me up at 55 mins before my exam. Their instructor was late again. This was another instructor. She came 18 mins before my exam.
Of course I was not happy with this at all. When she came I told her how am I gonna practice now. And instructor said I will practice 20 mins while we are going to culver city dmv. I asked how much discount they will give me since they are late (school told me I will get a discount).
She said I will pay $ 105. original price was $ 120. I said it says $ 95 on the website and I’m not willing to pay even that much.
Instructor called school and school said since Culver city dmv is busy, they charge more for there. And this was the first time I was hearing this. They didnt tell me culver city dmv is charged more when I was making my appointment with them, nor it’s on their website. So I cancelled it.
I went inside my house and CANCELLED MY DRIVING TEST from dmv website as well.

This driving school is one of the most least expensive driving schools that you can attend:-) My first time using them, I took a one hour lesson. My instructor was a guy and I don’t really remember his name. He was an okay instructor, came 10 minutes late but he did give me a lot of good tips. I only took one practice hour and then I used this company to take me to the dmv as well and I must say JENNY my instructor was amazing !!! She gave me a lot of great tips and really motivated me! She gave me more confidence for the test and for that reason I recommend her to anyone who uses this company for a behind the wheel test! Jenny was also patient and encouraging. Jenny is simply amazing and a big reason why I passed at the Santa Monica dmv!

This school is awesome! I am extremely pleased! Not only is their price for the 6 hour driving course very reasonable ($ 255) compared to other driving schools out there, they also were able to accommodate us literally the next day for the training. The instructor was super friendly! He called me every time he picked up my son and dropped him off. He also gave me a detailed report on how my son did. My son was very pleased with the whole experience so I would definitely recommend them to all my friends & family!

I took driving class with Donovan, he’s really awsome!
I surely recommend you to take driving class with him if you want to pass the road exam at the first time.

I started practicing my driving with them and I wanna just say how thankful I am for all the advise and the great service you guys have. They made me loose the fear in driving and in no time I was already driving on my own. And the following week I was able to pass my driving test and I owe it all to you guys. I can’t hardly thank you for this and I highly recommend this place to any new driver and/​or someone who is trying to get their license soon.

first i found this school online .
i toke 6 hours lesson with (donavin) and today i passed in the test. he was perfect !!! and so sweet. he taught me everything and he was so patient with me which made me relaxed !!
another guy also came to take me to the DMV. he wasn’t that bad ! i forgot his name. but he came with a horrible car !! i couldn’t even drive it in straight line !! but he gave me some advices which were good

I personally had a good experience at First Choice Driving School with Gilbert. I already knew how to drive automatic transmission, however the extra sporty lancer I purchased was a manual transmission and I was NOT confident in my driving what so ever. My boyfriend found them on Unilocal and although there were many mixed reviews we decided to take a risk and give it a try. It was probably the best decision we ever made! Gilbert was very thorough and extremely patient with me. Driving stick can be a very scary thing if you do not know what you are doing, but super fun once you get the hang of it! He kept my confidence level really high during and even after I left. I was so excited and looking forward to driving my car after my one time class with Gilbert. I swear I got better… everything I thought I could never learn or do changed after my class. It also helped that he not only explained/​showed what I had to do physically but gave me a bit of schooling on how the engine/​clutch works. I am a very visual person so putting this all together in my head as I was learning helped me. I’ve gotten alot better at my driving although I would not hesitate to hire Gilbert in the near future for going over some tough hills I sometimes need to deal with working in Downtown LA…
Thanks Gilbert!!!

I took 3 lessons with 1^st choice driving school and got 3 difference instructors. And honestly I did not feel comfortable with the first or the third. My second instructor was LILIAN and she was the BEST! So nice but to the point. When I did something wrong she let me know that’s wrong and when I did good she let me know how great I was doing. It was as if my mother would be teaching me in a calm and patient way… That made me feel so confident and it made me do better. I requested her for my test day and brush up and because of her teachings and my effort of course. I PASSED! :))))))
I rated 4 and not 5 because they did have a bit of a late issue and also because their office staff always answered the phone sounding super lazy and not in the mood … But I don’t care about all that, as long as I learned :)
Last but not least:
I definitely recommend Lilian!

I wouldn’t recommend this driving school. I paid $ 220 for three lessons and I feel extremely underprepared for my driving test. The instructor was pretty unprofessional in that he did not show up on time for any of my lessons (half an hour early for the first, ten minutes late for the second two) and he also stole a vacuum cleaner from an alley during our first lesson. For much of the first two lessons, he really didn’t correct any mistakes I made and controlled the speed and braking for much of the lesson — this caused me to be unused to driving for our third lesson, when we practiced the DMV route. There, I struggled on turns, maintaining speed, and checking my blind spots. My instructor repeatedly asked me what was wrong, and the fact was that I really didn’t gain anything useful from our first two lessons.
At the end of the lesson, he recommended that I pay for another set. Frankly, if it’s under Gilberto’s instruction, I don’t think I would have anything to gain from that.
FIND A MORE PROFESSIONAL AND RELIABLE SERVICE.

I went to take my lesson here I was recommend by friend .my instructor was Karla omg she really good at teaching you how to drive. after my three lesson she took me dmv in culver and pass my driver test with 4 errors .but I got say this that offices was no control they not great. But karla is really good

The quality of the instruction seems to range widely by instructor. I’m 35 and new to driving. I had two different instructors with two different styles. J.R. breaks driving down into discrete skills and has you repeat them a lot. Cynthia has a more trial-​by-​fire method. Both are valuable; you have to know what kind learner you are and what you want out of the lessons. I wanted not only to pass the driving test but also to learn how to drive in LA. The office did seem a bit unorganized, but they always called to confirm my lessons. The most frustrating aspect for me was that the instructors were often late. I think this was due to traffic (I had my lessons at rush hour), but it made my days long and hard to plan. I passed my test on the first try, however, with 14 hours of lessons and absolutely no other practice, so kudos to them!

Please don’t take your lessons here. Go somewhere else, and read the reviews critically. Again, don’t give them your money!!!

I had a great experience with First Choice! I already knew how to drive, but needed lessons with a manual transmission, or stick shift because of the car I was purchasing. First choice offers inexpensive private lessons, and even came to pick me up from work.
My instructor was Gilbert, who was very knowledgeable and incredibly patient– even at the end of the day with a student who had no idea how to drive a stick shift. The cars come with dual pedals (driver and passenger) so from downtown LA Gilbert worked the pedals while I steered until we got to a quiet neighborhood in Hancock Park. From there I took over, learning to use the clutch in a low traffic area with lots of stop signs so I had ample opportunity to make that transition into first gear– which is the hardest part of manual. After about an hour into the lesson (the lessons are 2 hours) I felt comfortable enough to drive around the city and then to my home with Gilbert coaching me. I made it the whole way in heavy LA stop and go traffic without stalling once!
I had another lesson the very next day with Gilbert. He was once again prompt, and a very positive coach. This time I drove from the start, we navigated heavy traffic and practiced a little on hills. He even gave me a California DMV booklet, since I’ll need to take a written test to transfer my drivers license over.
I found my private lessons to be invaluable, and would highly recommend first choice driving school– I may even call them for a brush up once I’m in the vehicle I’m buying.

First Choice is my first choice in Driving Schools. Got my license
with very few minor errors. I would like to personally give props to CARLA and ANDY because they know what they’re doing, they are patient, and give you time to correct your mistakes.
It’s important to have driving instructors who know the routes, and who want you to pass. Don’t give up! Try 1^st Choice Driving School!!!
I’ll see you in L.A. traffic, LOL!

super friendly and helpful. so when it was finally time to get my permit i was looking for a driving school place with the cheapest price. I already knew the basics of driving (im pretty sure all teenagers know how to drive whether they have a permit or not) so i didnt really care about learning anything new. i found this place the cheapest (195 i think.) so they are in crenshaw but they happily picked me up in culver city. i learned alot from them. very patient instructors. on my last day of driving the guy taught me how to drive stick. he was SUPER patient and after an hour i was comfortable driving stick. PLUS he dropped me off in santa monica so i was on time for football practice.

I love this place the instructors are so nice. Especially the instructor Jenny! She was so cool, expirenced, and knows streets of LA and surrounding areas very well so I felt less nervous by the first lesson which by the way, are cheap and PRIVATE.

1^st Choice wouldn’t be mine. But you may get lucky with a good instructor, or instructress in my case.
The company 1^st gave me Gilberto who had a distorted concept of time management. He was late for the first day, stopped at a corner to get food & drinks [Well, he did ask me if I wanted anything which I declined because I didn’t like what I saw coming], and ate on the clock!
While at it, perhaps in an attempt to compensate or apologize for his way of «making the most» out of time, he was giving me pointers with matching sketching and scribbling while munching on his corn on the cob lathered with cream cheese and sipping on his soda. It was horrendous hearing and seeing him eat and talk at the same time. He also summed up the lesson 10 minutes early.
I called 1^st Choice the 1^st moment I got home and asked for a 2^nd instructor for the remaining two more days of driving class. They gave me an instructress, Karla. Quite a different experience from the 1^st one. She was on time, courteous, and knew enough to give competent driving instruction. She may be a little limited in navigation but there were no lapses in time management here. She even accommodated my request to end the session at a different location.