I loved having lessons with Jannelle. She is very patient and has excellent feedback. Her advice is always clear, and she understands beginners' struggles. I couldn't have wished for a better instructor, and I can't recommend her enough. The scheduling and billing were straightforward and clear too. I passed the test from the second try; however, I believe I did well the first time too, but oh, well. I passed with flying colors the second time even though my driving hadn't changed. read more

A relative of mines paid $549 for six hours of lessons over three days. I want to start off with the negatives: The experience will be very hit or miss across lessons. Your experience will depend on which instructor was assigned to you. My relative had two different instructors, very different from each other. Soleiman had a nice modern car, but his heart was not in teaching the driver but more of criticizing him all the time. His attitude, I've been told, was as if this job was a side gig to him. Not passionate about teaching, and seems to not be passionate about driving in general. My relative then switched instructors to Mayela. Mayela's car was a tad outdated and kinda dirty on the inside. The good: Business owner Dee, I've been told, is a lovely woman to have a chat with. She is certainly someone who is passionate about teaching, and I'm certain most of her employees are the same. Mayela definitely was someone who shares the passion as well. Kind, patient, understanding. TLDR: Don't waste your time and money on taking driving classes with Soleiman. read more

Such a scam! Warning do not use these people. They are incredibly rude to deal with and will try and hit you with compounding fees. This is a scam'. There are other honest schools avoid this place like the plague!!! Not affiliated with the insurance company. Update; I called on Friday morning to reschedule the appointment on Monday afternoon and you said you'd charge me $65 to reschedule. I call that excessive as your competitors require 24 hours notice. Seems a bit excessive. You said, "Take care sir! This is the policy that help us to keep our business running." Per your text. read more

My young adult son had 3 lessons with Mayela last June. It was his very first experience driving and having a certified instructor for those first lessons helped build his confidence driving. He passed his driving test last September, so thank you! Will use your services again when my other son is ready for his first driving lessons. read more

I took a five day 2 hour each driving lesson course at this school. My first 4 lessons I had with Solaiman Saifi, who was a great teacher. He was calm despot my mistakes and gave me the courage to drive on the freeway. I booked my lessons over the phone without any prior knowledge about the lessons or the teachers schedules. So I booked myself for every other day starting March 18th at 11am. What I wasn't told till the lesson before was that my original teacher didn't work on Fridays so my last lesson which took place Friday March 28 would be with a different teacher. I thought this would be fine so I didn't have any concerns. Unfortunately this turned out to be a mistake. The teacher who picked me up Friday morning was Lorena Rosas. She seems to be a good teacher but all she was going over with me on my final test was the basics I had covered already in my first couple of lessons. Also she was pretty heavy handed with her teachers breaks and even when I was breaking she would step on it because I wasn't doing it to her liking. I didn't complain simply because was busy keeping my attention on the road. It wasn't until I was driving with my mom and tried to park next to the curb that problems arose. My last 2 lessons with Solaiman we were working on curbside parking, but with Lorena we only did parking in a lot. So not only did I misjudge the space I was trying to pull into, I was going at a bad angle. I had to get out and let her fix it. That was when she told me I had a while to go before my curbside parking was up to par. So to remedy this I contacted the driving school to ask for a refund for the last lesson or a remedial lesson. I then got a call from the owner Dee Amanda Wu who said that the teacher probably just taught me like that because I needed the help and correction. When I said I was a adult and I know the basics by now she doubled down on how she felt the teachers actions were appropriate for a last lesson after I spent 850$ to be taught how to drive well enough to pass the test. I thought I would take a chance on this school despite all the poor reviews for the management but I would say unless you are a doormat who doesn't care about your money don't go here for driving lessons. I do not think the owner has any understanding of customer service or satisfaction. She says they have been in business for over 20 years and I think that they have grown lax in caring about their customers. They should have better communication between teachers if a student is going to be going between different teachers. And the breaks should only be used in order to protect the students not when ever the teacher feels comfortable with it. I was really hoping to have a good experience with this process but it had been soured by this. I won't be recommending this to my other friends who are not yet driving. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. I have used Allstate Driving School for behind the wheel driving lessons for both of my children. On the 3rd and final lesson for my youngest, my daughter came home in tears. She said the instructor was falling asleep during the lesson and she did not feel safe or monitored. She was scared to say anything because she didn't want him to be mad. She is not even 16 and in a strange car with a strange man and was just trying to get through the lesson without issues. During the lesson he realized he was nearly out of gas and took them out of the way to go to a Costco to fill up, taking a long time out of their lesson to sit in the line and get gas. When she got home and filled me in on what happened, I immediately called Allstate to make the company aware of the situation. Amanda then called the instructor to get his side of the story. The driving instructor said my daughter was just upset with the feedback and criticism on her driving and made up the story of the falling asleep to try and get him in trouble. She basically called my child a liar and said she was going to stand by her instructor and not what I had to say. Amanda then accused me of making the complaint so I didn't have to pay and called me a scammer. She then lovingly ended the call by telling me to "go to hell" and following up with a text saying "don't bother us again". DO NOT use these people for driving lessons. They are unprofessional and irresponsible with your children's safety. read more

Since you can't reply to the owner I'll go ahead and give another review. I NEVER asked for a free lesson. I used your policy as an example. We had been sitting outside for a half hour and at first you DID NOT apologize. You blamed your instructor and the whole time you never took accountability for your business and you were yelling at me the whole time when I was calm and kept telling you I was not even upset. I kept asking you why are you treating your customers like this it's not a good business model. As I said your instructor did call me AFTER you said you wouldn't do business with me. Why would I give you money after you were so rude to me on the phone. Is that a joke? You still don't get it. When you yell at people who are going to pay you for a service yelling at them and putting the blame on other people IS NOT GOOD BUSINESS. I am not even upset. I never was. You yelling and being rude on the phone is the reason for the review and you alone. Do you get that yet? read more

Helped me past my first time! Loraine was a great instructor and really taught me things that weren't on the test but were great to know for safe driving. Thanks! read more

Thank you Allstate Driving I did passed the behind the wheel and got a perfect score for just one take. read more

Allstate Driving School - I got a perfect score. - Driving Schools Near Me - San Diego, California

First and last lesson. We have previously used Alliance Defensive Driving but they were booked up this month so we went with this company. Lady who answered and scheduled was nice. Got my daughter in within a week. On the day of my daughter's lesson, I was called 10 minutes ahead by the instructor to notify me that she was running late. This made me also late to my schedule today but I wanted my daughter to have her lesson. Eight minutes later I received repeated phone calls that the instructor was outside. Okay, she said 10 minutes so that's when I gathered all the cash and documents. Not a good start. After the lesson my daughter told me that she was given a piece of paper to "study" before the lesson, and that during the lesson the instructor kept saying "you should know this it was on the paper" and then raising her voice and yelling at my student. Listen, if you are going to teach teenagers in a moving vehicle, it is best to remain calm and not yell at anyone. This was such a different, terrible experience compared to my other student's first lesson. I had to pay in cash but would otherwise be contesting this charge with my CC because we didn't get the service that was promised. This is so disappointing that a company can come in, take your student who you are entrusting in their care, and be verbally abusive to them. Please take your student elsewhere for their own safety and driving confidence. read more

Thank you Mr. Joshua Watts (the same instructor for my three kids) for teaching my youngest son three wonderful driving lessons. With the knowledge and tips that he learned from you, he just passed his driving test at the DMV Poway yesterday, for the first time. Thanks and wish you and Allstate with all the best. read more

Solaiman Saifi is patient and helped me pass on my first attempt. Experience over three lessons were smooth

I had Janelle as my instructor and she was amazing! I was so nervous the first time I had to drive and she helped me get over my nerves and pass the behind-the-wheel test in one take! Not only was she a great instructor, I had a lot of fun learning and she gave amazing advice not just for passing the test, but for driving in general! She went through all the possible course routes for the test and helped me be comfortable driving! I definitely recommend Janelle! read more

Did not see the value in this school. The time was shortened and I was supposed to have the full time but the coordinator provided the wrong address and was late. My student did not walk away from the test with an understanding about what they did right, only what was wrong so they did not have a good perspective on what to focus upon. I did not gain a clear outline of what was needed. Basically, everything was highlighted which does not help to prepare but at least we have an stronger outline of what is needed. They did provide better parking instructions. Overall, I think there are better resources out there and was disappointed in the price I ultimately paid and value. Would not recommend. read more

Got my son Thru and licensed. Was convenient in pickup and bringing him back home read more

*** TRIED TO IMPLEMENT A $100 "SURCHARGE" FOR A PACKAGE I ALREADY BOUGHT AND PAID FOR!! *** Extremely disappointed with Allstate Driving School! Purchased both the online and behind the wheel drivers training for my teen back in October. Go to schedule the behind the wheel sessions today and they informed me that I would have to pay an extra $100 ( which is about a 30% increase) for the behind the wheel training because of "inflation." Yes, I understand it's been a few months, but life gets in the way sometimes and it took my teen an extra try at the permit test. Completely ridiculous! I fully understand that costs have gone up for everything, and I would be 100% supportive of them increasing the cost of the driver's training package for new purchases. That's the way it works. That I get. But to add a surcharge to a package I already purchased so I could use it is crazy to me. That's like buying a plane ticket three months before your trip and then the airline saying "sorry, the price went up so you have to pay us another $100" when you show up at the airport. Luckily this is the last kid that needs to get a license as I would not use this school again or recommend it to anyone I know. read more

I cannot recommend AllState highly enough! I had gotten to the point where I had accepted the fact that I might never get my driver's license. I struggle with anxiety and I thought that I'd never be able to overcome my fears surrounding driving. Because of Allstate driving school, I achieved a once seemingly unimaginable goal...having a driver's license! I passed it on my first try!! It is hard to describe the relief I feel! I owe all my success to the kind people who assisted me at AllState Driving School. I am a person that does an extensive amount of research before I make a decision. Before I selected this driving school I called and looked at the website and reviews of every driving school in the SD area. This school by far was the most professional and had the best reviews. When I first inquired about lessons with Amanda she was very helpful. I wanted to be upfront about my concerns and I told her about my struggles with anxiety. In the past, I had had a traumatic experience with a driving instructor who lacked patience with me and I didn't want to go through that again. Amanda assured me that my anxiety would not be a problem and that they are used to working with people who aren't the most confident drivers. I told her I wanted to think about it and call her back since it was a big decision. She was very patient with me! I called back a few days later and she was able to set up lessons for me within a reasonable period of time a couple of weeks later. Some driving schools tell you that you have to wait a few months before you start! She always checked in with me to make sure that I had my lessons set up and that I got the instructor I preferred. I owe a lot to Josh who was my instructor throughout the process! Josh has: - An extensive amount of experience teaching all types of students. -Is able to adapt to a number of learning styles. I told him I was more of a visual learner who benefited from repetition and he was able to teach me a number of visual techniques that greatly assisted me in mastering the different skills. He repeated a lesson as many times asked him to so that I could make sure I mastered it. - Genuinely wants you to succeed and he takes pride in his teaching. I never felt that "he was going through the motions." -Is very patient!!! He never pushed me to do things that scared me and he was extremely calm and reassuring. When my anxiety started to get the best of me he always encouraged me to keep going. He never made me feel embarrassed. -Was very punctual he always called me when he came to pick me up and we always came back on time. -Honest, he never attempted to get me to buy more lessons than I needed to. I wanted to take the driver's to test a month later than ultimately did and he told me I was ready to take it sooner. A less reputable driving instructor could have easily taken advantage of my anxiety and gotten me to take more lessons than I needed to pass. -Professional, my parents were worried about me getting into a car "with a man I didn't know" but when my mom met Josh she was immediately reassured and felt comfortable with him teaching me. -Helped me become a defensive driver. When we were driving he made sure to point out the cars around us that were doing the wrong thing so I would be able to recognize and handle a potentially dangerous driver. You will use your driving skills the rest of your life and its something that's worth investing your time and money into. I am a careful spender but I feel that the money I spent could potentially save my life or someone else's. Allstate driving school helped me build a strong foundation of driving skills. read more

I amazingly passed my driving test on the first try, with absolutely no prior driving experience thanks to this school. I paid for 16 hours of classes, and paired with several hours of self-practice I had all the experience needed to get a passing score. The instructors are excellent at teaching you everything to look out for during the test, and thoroughly going over the test route. Of course, skills like road courtesy that can only be learned with lots of practice aren't taught, the instructors only focus on what the test will cover. But if you're looking to earn your license as quickly as possible, then honing your skills on your own afterward, this is the right place. The instructors all have an additional brake pedal installed, which they will use if they need to intervene on your driving. I found this very assuring, and it made me feel proud as they used it less and less as the lessons went on. :) Additionally, you have insurance coverage during lessons (well needed, as I almost crashed my instructor's car once). I had multiple instructors. Highly recommend Eric and Kelly, they are incredibly easygoing and create a low-stress learning environment, even when you make severe mistakes. But I would have to say, I personally did not like Dan's teaching style. He has good intentions, but can come off quite harsh. If you do not work well under pressure like me, I do not recommend him. I also borrowed a car from them for my test day. I got to familiarize myself with the car and go over the test route several times before it was time for the exam. No problems there. The cost was $138, same as a 2 hour lesson, which is a decent price for the service. Customer service was fantastic. Dee made scheduling classes simple and straightforward, and quickly cleared up mishaps eg. like when an instructor was late. I even forgot my permit in another location once, and decided that I would just pay the cancellation fee and reschedule. But Dee went above and beyond to incorporate driving to retrieve it as part of the lesson, not charging me extra at all. Overall I had an amazing experience with this driving school, and have and will continue to recommend it to others. read more

The middle-aged asian instructor I got was THE rudest person I've ever met. I guess his name is Dan Tan Kim because he never even introduced himself. He has this disgusting condescending attitude and gives no shit whether you pass or not. Zero communication and always on the phone yelling, the rest of time being impatient and fidgeting. He literally doesn't even bother to say anything and I had to guess what to do the whole time. Car is also dirty and stinks. It's a joke that this guy is in the pictures the business owner uploaded ten years ago. Apparently some nepotism of the owner's otherwise he would have been fired years ago. Speaking of the owner, she is also the one on the phone and the one replying on yelp. This is the second rudest person I've ever spoke to. Hard to understand and immediately got annoyed after she got my credit card number wrong over the phone. I've never been so angry and annoyed for some service I paid for. Steer away from this driving school. Go anywhere else and you literally cannot get anything worse than this. read more

Without this place I would not have passed my driving exam first try. I was initially apprehensive about Allstate Driving School due to the yelp reviews, but after my first lesson all my worries went away. Are these people seriously going to leave 1 star reviews for the service? As long as these folks are professional, answers their phone calls, and can teach you how to drive, that's good enough for me. And luckily, they were. Dee, who is normally the receptionist, was actually really kind and understanding. I got sick w/ a huge headache before my first appointment so I called and said I didn't feel safe driving. I was worried I was going to be charged since I was just a bit under the 24 hours policy. But Dee told me not to worry and rescheduled me, and I really really appreciate that. I scheduled two driving lessons - one for the day before my exam and one during my exam so I could use their car. I actually never drove in San Diego Clairemont before so he helped me familiarize myself with Clairemont's driving quirks. (Despite past lessons with other instructors in San Jose, I was not familiar with all way stops, for example, which is very common in San Diego.) I actually learned a lot from him, and I can definitely say that if not for Gene I would not have passed my exam. I really recommend Gene and this driving school. Especially if you're not familiar with the location you'll be taking your test at. Just one extra lesson might save you a repeat exam. read more

I had call this place in the morning to cancel my first driving lessons for Monday, and the lady who didn't even clarify her name was very rude and such a asshole, and to top it off, she was yelling at me even though I was trying to explain the reason about canceling. She had told me it was going to be a fee for canceling and I agreed that I would pay it sometime today and instead the rude lady gave me rude sounds on the phone and hung up on my face. Also, I still didn't make an agreement about paying the fee, and they are trying to overcharge me. Honestly, this was the worst customer service, and this business deserves to be shut down permanently. Next time, I will definitely read reviews. read more

Jannel is a wonderful instructor, she had so many great tips for the driving test! My daughter passed on her first try! I would definitely highly recommend her services!! read more

I'm on my 2nd driving lesson and Jannel she was very helpful and patient. She made me comfortable throughout my driving lesson.

First appointment came half an hour late, second appointment didn't come at all and I had to call them to arranged a new appointment a day after, third appointment had no problem. A little unorganized, the only way to book an appointment is to call them and I have no problem understanding the receptionist at all, though a lot of people do according to the review. I got Mayela first time, then Dan, and finally Roy. All of them were nice and friendly to be honest, nothing went wrong. If there is anything I can suggest, it's for them to make appointments available to be book through the website besides just calling. read more

Tom was an excellent instructor for my son. We used a different school a few years ago for my daughter, but I am very pleased with Allstate driving school. My son's first two hour lesson was covering a great area of San Diego and all sorts of driving situations. The school we used for my daughter not give her such wide area instruction on the first lesson. My son said that the instructor, Tom, was very patient and kind. Highly recommend. Easy to schedule and they show up at the house. What else do you want? read more

Thanks to Allstate Driving School, I was able to pass my test the first time! The staff was communicative for easy scheduling, and they helped me book 10 hour packages throughout the month. As an adult driver without easy access to a car and bad experiences with driving instructors in the past, the idea of getting my license always felt impossible. However, after my first lesson with Kelly, I was immediately at ease because of her calm, professional, and supportive instruction. She helped me gain confidence and motivation since she planned a variety of routes and skills for me to work on. It was a great balance between prioritizing the main skills for the driving test while being exposed to other long-term skills that would help me after getting my license, such as parallel parking, u-turns, freeway driving, parking lot driving. Kelly never overwhelmed me because she could gauge my progress and the skills that I was ready to build on. During one of the last lessons, we drove through the DMV parking lot and surrounding neighborhood to give me extra preparation for the test. If you want to get your license quickly and confidently, I highly recommend taking lessons from this driving school! read more

Wow. Where do i begin? I'm upset that zero stars isn't an option here. We paid for 3 lessons up front. My daughter has her drivers exam on August 11 so she need two more lessons before August 11. We had an appointment on Tuesday. The instructor (very nice guy) shows up and asks us to fill out this form about Covid (under penalty of perjury). One of the questions is if we've traveled Internationally within 14 days of the lesson. I honestly filled out yes. He wanted to continue with the lesson but then he calls his boss (Dee Wu) and she tells him he can't give the lesson because we've been out of the country within 14 days. I understand so I call Dee to try to reschedule for an appointment after 14 days have gone by which would be August 9. I even send her my itinerary of when we got back on July 26 (because she didn't believe me) and sent her 2 negative Covid Tests before and after the trip (2 negative Covid tests for me and 1 for my daughter). The location that we traveled to also only had 20 cases total and wouldn't have let us in unless we could prove that we were negative. She starts making up stories and says her drivers don't feel comfortable getting in a car with her unless 4 weeks have gone by (even though her questionnaire says 14 days). 4 weeks would be well after my daughter's DMV drivers test. I ask for my money back and still haven't heard from her. This lady was not logical, unethical, and a complete cheat. Avoid this company like the plague. It's hard to believe she's even in business read more

Allstate Driving School - Here's an email from her. I talked to the Instructor personally and he had no issues giving the lesson. - Driving Schools Near Me - San Diego, California

This driving delivers everything but teaching how to drive. They send in new instructors for every class, mostly who can't speak English ( either Spanish or Mandarin) , please don't go , you will end up wasting koney . read more

Great school. My daughter is well prepared for her driving test. Her instructor is professional...patient..and personable. Thanks very much Josh...you were great. read more

The instructor was nervous and fidgety with our ward and kept taking incessantly. Very poor experience and unfortunately we are in the middle of an extended session with still a few classes to go. They need to review the training they provide the instructor so that he or she is more relaxed, patient and calmer. The student gets nervous and reacts adversely to such shenanigans during course read more

I had my first lesson with Josh on Wednesday and I cannot rave more about what a positive experience it was. He quickly and accurately accessed my weaknesses as a driver and gave me some helpful pointers before we got on the road. His voice was very calm and soothing throughout our lesson. I even joked he should become a yoga instructor. He helped me build my confidence on the road and I'm feeling great about our next lesson and my ability to pass my exam in April. read more

The woman I talked to on the phone was rude. I asked the question second time to confirm, and she said "I thought I made it really clear, what's the problem?" in a condescending tone. A very bad experience. read more

Had a great experience with this school, passed drive test on first try and Josh was amazing with explaining everything and taking the time to make me a safe driver. The SD freeways and roads here can be crazy! Thank you again! read more

The most horrible school. I have nieces nephews and two of my own children that had classes but this one is the worst. My daughter was crying for an hour after her lesson. read more

The person I talked to on the phone was so rude, he was yelling me almost the entire time we were on the phone. He also tried to overcharge me an extra $45 because I was trying to reschedule and when I said I would go somewhere else he said "oh never mind that's fine we'll just reschedule it". Then he was trying to get mad at me when I did nothing wrong and told me to call back later and hung up on me. I don't recommend they have very bad costumer service read more

Josh was my instructor and I found him extremely knowledgeable and well mannered. I took 6 hrs lesson and it was more than sufficient to clear the road test! First two hours he judged my driving habits and gave his valuable inputs and remaining time we worked on it. I really appreciate his punctuality. Always found him few minutes before time! If you are looking for a decent and knowledgeable instructor then I would highly recommend Josh for it. They are a bit pricey but it is worth! read more

Wanna know a secret? I only learned how to drive a couple of years ago. Trying to find a driving school online was no piece of cake. Hardly any school had a website or even a webpage. Of the ones that did, one had non-working contact numbers and one had the number listed incorrectly so that i wound up on some "San Diego chatline". But I persevered. My instructor showed up at my house, gave me a quick tour of the car and then had me on the road in heavy traffic within minutes. I saw parts of San Diego that I never knew existed. In other words, I had no idea where we were most of the time. After an hour, I got a 5 minute break and she said she thought i was ready for the freeway. I said that I'd rather practice some more lane changes before doing it at 65 miles per hour so we agreed to do the freeway the next day. I was happy that she at least thought I was ready and didn't seem to think I would kill us. My only complaint was that she kept getting phone calls from potential customers and it made me nervous when my instructor wasn't giving me 100% of her undivided attention. I guess I am an attention whore or more likely, paranoid that I needed constant instruction. After a couple more lessons, I passed my driving test with flying colors, only 10 days after I started my driving instruction! Allstate Driving School was definitely worth the time and money. A better website and less time on the phone by the driving instructor would bump them up to 5-star status. read more

I highly recommend this school. Its a one stop shop. The school offers classroom drivers ed training or the online option, behind the wheel training, and on day of drivers test service. I'll review this from my teenage son's and from a Mom's perspective (Me). I signed up my teen last summer for the Classroom Drivers' Education which is located in the Convoy area. In my opinion, its better to learn from a classroom setting vs online when it comes to driving. There are a lot of classroom dates during the summer. My son felt that it was very informative and it helped him pass his written test at the DMV. During the time he had his permit, I made sure as a parent that we (husband and I) had our teen practice behind the wheel with us for quite a bit before hiring the required Driving Instructor for the 6 hrs behind the wheel training. Let me tell you as a Mom with no patience whatsoever, I felt like I was gonna have a heart attack every time my son was behind the wheel. I was having flashbacks when my own dad was teaching me at 16! The horror!! I for one, have a lot of respect for Driving Instructors with the patience to teach amateurs young and old. Anyhow, I perused their website and read the Driver Instructor bios and the previous reviews from YELP and already had a instructor in mind based on my son's personality. I felt that he needed a patient and calm instructor who doesn't appear to be flustered by teenagers. Call it a hunch, I chose Darol because of his specialty in training senior citizens fixing their bad habits to pass the DMV test and his years as a driving Postal Worker. That's years of amass patience if you ask me. I called the company, spoke with Dee (the Office Manager), asked to have Darol as the Driving instructor, and had 3 appointments set up within a 2 week period just last month (August 2014). No problems. Payment was taken beforehand on their website. My first impression of Darol when I met him was that he was very punctual and was 5 minutes before scheduled time of arrival every time. He was very polite. I was initially impressed. According to my son, Darol made him feel at ease and taught him the necessary tools to be a proficient and safe driver. Darol has a more quiet/calm demeanor, very patient in his teaching, never yelled/got flustered at minor mistakes, and makes key points and professional advice in an easy to understand way for you to remember. That was my son's experience of Darol's teaching. If you're expecting a more animated/talkative instructor, there are several to choose from on their website. After the 3 appointments were done, I scheduled the behind the wheel driving test at the local DMV, and called them again. I asked if their company provides service where the instructor picks up my son, takes him to the DMV, and utilize their vehicle for the DMV behind the wheel test. After all, my son had been practicing on Darol's vehicle (newer Honda Civic) this entire time. Dee (Office Manager) said yes, they provide the service and it cost $118. The instructor picks up the driver 1 hr before scheduled DMV appointment, do a practice run around the area, and head over to the DMV. Of course, the instructor also drops off the driver to their home. I paid for that service and its worth it!!!! Especially, for parents like myself and my husband who works and doesn't need to take the time off to do it themselves. With that said, my son did not pass the first time around. Not because he was an incompetent driver. It was nerves. Whether you're a teenager or an adult, it gets the best of us. My son was upset and kept replaying the scene over and over. I spoke with Darol afterwards and asked if he felt that my son needed more training. Darol said "No", that I should just reschedule his next driving test and go from there. He felt my son was a safe driver and that other than driving on his own with an adult a few more times prior to his next DMV test, he'd do fine. That spoke volumes with me. Darol could of easily said "Yes" and I would be handing the company even more money than I should. That speaks integrity right there. What to do..I called the company again, spoke with Dee again, and scheduled my son's DMV test, and paid the $118 over the phone. Just so you know, Dee texted a photo receipt to my cell phone as proof of payment since I couldn't get a hard copy. Anyways....my son was picked up yesterday (9-17-14) by Darol, they did a practice run near the area, and proceeded to the DMV. My son came home and not only did he PASS, but he passed flawlessly! 100%. No errors. I'm very impressed and obviously, so was Darol. That is my honest and very thorough experience with this company. Sorry so long! Highly recommend! read more

Allstate Driving School - Darol, my teenage son's driving instructor. (Pic from Allstate website) - Driving Schools Near Me - San Diego, California

I have read some of reviews and they speak highly of the instructors - which is the priority, however the woman who answers the phone; the OWNER apparently, is so rude and aggressive, she speaks at you. Also, I submitted an enquiry form and she claimed she never received it. She sounds of Asian origin and told me her drivers are foreign, some American. It is a shame, as we all know first impressions are everything and she was so abrupt to me when I tried asking some questions politely and then pushed to get me to book when I was just enquiring. When I hesitated after she told me to be quiet whilst she responds and I may speak when she has finished, (who's the customer?!) I told her I would need to think about signing up, to which she curtly stated, okay thanks for calling and hung up on me! I'm sure the instructors are great and maybe you can do it all online, however as the front person, she is a business/customer service disgrace and if it were not for the instructors, she wouldn't be in business. read more

Like Nadine, I am a surprisingly new driver. I got my license just a few months ago, at the age of 26. Also like Nadine, I had difficulty finding even remotely reputable driving schools in my web searches. The ones I found seemed to be geared toward teens. Lucky for me, I found Nadine's review. I already had my permit, so I signed up for six hours of behind-the-wheel training (three lessons of two hours each). For each lesson, the instructor brought the vehicle to my work, I drove with them based on their directions, and then drove home where they dropped me off. Most of my lessons were conducted by Dee, the owner, who is a former examiner for the behind-the-wheel test at the DMV. This means she knows exactly what new drivers need to know and be capable of to obtain their license. The school also offers the use of one of their vehicles for the driving test itself. I found this service particularly useful, as my only other option was a manual, and I didn't want the extra challenge. When I purchased this service, Dee made my DMV appointment for me, picked me up early for some last minute practice, and accompanied me through the whole DMV process (except the test itself). It really took a lot of the stress out of the situation. I did not pass the test on my first attempt. However, this was not because I wasn't taught better, my problem was nerves. Dee offered to make another exam appointment right away. I decided to take a few more lessons first. I did pass on my second attempt, and I am really thankful for all the help Allstate provided. For me, it was definitely worth the money I spent on it. read more