Driving School VS Private Instructor: Cost of getting your driving license in Singapore

 

With the advent of grab cars, you can go anywhere you like without learning how to drive. Furthermore, owning a car in Singapore is so expensive so why should you learn driving at all? 

Well, being able to drive unlocks many doors for you in the future. Next time if you were to go on an oversea trip with your friends, you can easily rent a car to explore deep into the country. Furthermore, by putting yourself in the perspective of the driver, you will definitely be more aware and cautious as a pedestrian. Still worried about the high cost of cars? Fret not as currently, we are able to rent cars for a single trip from companies like BlueSG. And I am sure the cost of using these cars will drop more as more players enter the market.

Now that you are 18 years old and above, where should you get your license? Should you go to one of the 3 schools or get a private instructor to teach you? 

I have done a search online and found many relevant articles that compare the cost of getting a license with the school against private. As such, I will not be repeating such information as it does not value add. You can refer to these articles by DollarandSense and MoneySmart for more information

Instead, I would provide my own personal experience together with the amount I have spent as a private candidate and also summarize the pros and cons of each.

Personal Experience

Being a private candidate means you have to seek your driving instructor yourself. So you either look it up online or get your friends to refer you. For me, I was referred by my friend to Mr. Lim. From there, you can start your practical lessons by calling in and book your preferred slot. (Do book early as there are many people learning with limited slots)

My whole experience as a private candidate to be frank was confusing. I do not know what I should do. Should I get my BTT first before going for practical? How many lessons should I do? When can I do the driving simulation? These were some questions I had to figure out myself or call my instructor to ask.

Do not worry, I will give you a more in-depth step by step guide to getting your license in my next post so you would not be like me.

However, I would say I do not regret choosing the private route. I would also count myself lucky that I met Mr. Lim as my driving instructor. He is very patient and gives you a lot of tips along the way. (Follow his advice and you will definitely pass) 

When I was doing my circuit training with him, I had committed various mistakes. Mr. Lim would patiently guide me and correct my error. He is really one of the best Private Driving Instructor you can find out there.

I found Mr. Lim to be a very good Private Driving Instructor. He was recommended to me by my friend and now I would like to recommend him to you if you ever decide to get your driving license as a private candidate. (Ask him for notes and videos for circuit)

I have sought Mr. Lim permission and here is his number: 96207188

Cost

Below is the breakdown of the cost I spent on driving (Class 3A). I believe this amount is way lower than if you had to learn with the school which will be roughly $2000. However, this does not mean you will only spend the amount I had spent as this varies between individual learning speed and also the number of times it takes for them to pass.

Summary

Private

Pros

• Cheap and faster time to get your license
• Flexible hour (Unlike schools that have fixed timing, PDI can fit nicely to your busy schedules)
• Fixed Instructor (By having a fixed instructor, he will be able to understand you weaknesses and strengths. As such, he can plan better lessons for you)

Cons

• Lower passing rate compared to school
• May end up with an unreliable instructor

School

Pros

• Higher passing rate
• Teaches according to the syllabus in a systematic way

Cons

• Expensive and longer time to get your license
• No fixed instructor unless you are willing to pay more

In conclusion, choosing between private and school really depends on you. If you prefer to have a more structured way of learning, school is definitely the best choice for you. However, if your concern is mainly the cost and the time required to get your license, private would be the better option, given that you can keep up with the pace. My reason for choosing private was as stated above and I did not regret it at all.

Bukit Batok Driving Centre

ComfortDelGro Driving Centre

Singapore Safety Driving Centre

Some useful resources you can use to pass your theory and practical with flying colors.

Theory

• Sgdriving (BTT & FTT Quiz)
• Head over to TP website for the PDF version of BTT and FTT book so you do not have to waste money buying it

Practical

• Car Refresher Course Centre (Youtube)
• Tips to pass your driving test