- Written ByChris Teague, Nicole Wakelin
- 7/11/2024
Edited ByJulie Bausch Lent
When it comes time to educate your teen driver or to take a course to improve your own driving skills, it can be difficult to decide on a course near you or one that meets your scheduling needs. Several companies have popped up online that offer training, practice tests, and hands-on testing to prepare drivers for the road ahead. One such company, iDriveSafely, has been in business for years now, and offers everything from learner’s permit practice tests to motorcycle license testing.
iDriveSafely offers a range of education services for drivers of all ages and skill levels. Classes and courses are offered for defensive driving, traffic school, teen drivers ed, adult drivers ed, mature driver improvement, fleet drivers, practice tests, exam prep, and a service that delivers state-certified driving records.
iDriveSafely has been in business for 15 years and operates online in all states, but in-person lessons are limited to California with Texas, Georgia, and Ohio coming soon. The company offers several different types of courses across the country, but some areas may be serviced by DriversEd.com, a partner of iDriveSafely.
What is the iDriveSafely Course Like?
Because the company offers its courses primarily online, their classes have been designed to be easy to understand, maximize engagement, and minimize boredom. This means videos, activities, and a self-paced online course that allows users to take it anytime, anywhere. Courses are approved by the states’ DMV offices and count toward requirements for driver’s licenses and learner’s permits. The company also has hands-on training for people that live in most parts of California, which includes free pickups and drop-offs at home or school, which is ideal for parents needing to get their teens into a program. The lessons are customized to drivers’ skill level and age, and are highly rated for younger drivers especially.
How Long Does an iDriveSafely Course Take?
There are many variables here, most dictated by individual states. The course offered by iDriveSafely can be as short as four hours, but some are six or eight hours. It all depends on the course you choose and the requirements in your state. The good news is, iDriveSafely adheres to those requirements and runs its courses to the minimum number of hours and no longer.
How Much Does iDriveSafely Cost?
Driver's Ed:
iDriveSafely, as a company, has a somewhat confusing structure. The company offers driver’s ed and other courses directly in some states, driver improvement courses in others, defensive driving in certain areas, and traffic school in certain states. Outside of the areas that iDriveSafely operates directly, DriversEd.com picks up the slack and offers courses that are nearly the same. There are also commercial driving practice tests and motorcycle permit practice tests available.
Since iDriveSafely’s product offering is broad, pricing can vary greatly depending on your state and the type of online driving course you take. For example, while online driver's ed in California costs $34.95, the same course in Tennessee costs $19.95. Texas drivers are offered a parent-taught drivers ed course that starts at $89.95 and an adult driver’s ed course that starts at $34.95. Georgia teen driver’s ed starts at $29.
Click to see iDriveSafely pricing and discounts in your state >>>
Defensive Driving:
Defensive driving courses teach drivers to anticipate problems and to be proactive in their driving styles, rather than reactive. The classes are meant to help drivers avoid accidents, and to handle potential threats before they become major problems. Most drivers take these types of courses in response to a traffic violation, as a way to either reduce the point impact on their driving record or as a way to reduce the fines that have been levied against them for the violation, but some take the course as a way to improve their driving or for other reasons.
iDriveSafely offers defensive driving courses in several states as a way for drivers to rehabilitate their records after a speeding ticket or other infraction. The company’s courses are offered 100 percent online and are able to be taken at any time. iDriveSafely says that its customer service is available seven days a week as well.
Pricing, like the other offerings from iDriveSafely, varies. In California, defensive driving courses start at $19.95, but in other places like Florida, pricing can range from $6 for a four-hour course.
iDriveSafely Reviews
The first thing to note about iDriveSafely is that it’s not offered everywhere, so if you live in a state that isn’t fully serviced by the company this review won’t matter to you. Secondly, there are several online driver’s ed courses available in all states with similar pricing, so you may be better served shopping for one that is specific to your area. The company has serviced millions of drivers over the years and maintains a 2.0-star rating on Yelp, and a 5-star rating on TrustPilot. It’s important to note that those ratings can include customers that were upset with their purchase for reasons outside of the company’s control, but it gives a good baseline for the quality of service you can expect to receive.
Many buyers mention that iDriveSafely’s customer service leaves much to be desired, mostly because there is no clear way to reach them, but also because it’s difficult to get refunds or help when needed. On the upside, the company wins high marks with most users for its convenience, depth of information, and because the lessons are clear and easy to understand.
People hoping to sign up for defensive driving lessons were disappointed at the difficulties they encountered when trying to figure out how to sign up for the services. Some users report that the course could not be taken without an actual ticket or court date, despite the fact that the course is advertised as being offered for anyone wanting to lower their insurance rates or just become a better driver.
No matter the service, users report that the company’s videos and other course materials make it easy to follow along and help reduce boredom with the program. The information is easy to understand and is written for almost anyone to comprehend.
iDriveSafely Course Offerings By State
Depending on the state, services may be offered by iDriveSafely’s partner companies DriversEd.com and Aceable. Defensive driving, traffic school, driver improvement, and driving record courses are offered mostly by iDriveSafely in its primary states of Florida, Georgia, Texas and California.
Courses are offered in most states (but which ones offer state-approved courses for driver’s education, traffic school, and defensive driving may vary and you should check to make sure):
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington D.C.
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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Car Talk's Choices for the Best Online Drivers Ed Courses
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of 5
IMPROVLearning is a great program geared towards keeping the student engaged in the materials. Classes are a mixture of text, audio and video and hold the attention of the user using comedy whenever possible. The site is user-friendly and engaging.
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Aceable is not only an excellent program in terms of content, it is incredibly user-friendly and engaging. Classes are available on any device, have accessible audio and video and manage to make the subject matter interesting and fun. The site itself is easy to use and intuitive.
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4.3
of 5
This solid program is less flashy than others in the industry, but is a good choice in terms of content. The site is easy to use and self explanatory. The program tracks your progress and helps you along with prompt questions throughout.
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3.7
of 5
This program is filled with all the information you need to pass the tests. The site is a little slow and simple compared to others in the industry. This content is timed, and users are expected to get through the material at a set pace. An audio option is available for a price.
3.2
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This program is the basic offering in terms of frills. IDriveSafely has all the information you need, and no extras or distractions. The user-experience is very basic, but the content is complete.
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