Phil's Driving School is the best! Highly recommended. Joined the 8 hours Safe Driving class, and some lessons with Gary. Everything is cool, easy, they are nice and helpful. Gary is a great instructor, professional and very kind, the driving lesson was smooth and fun with him. He helped me a lot, explained what needed and answered my questions. Best driving school in CT :) ! read more

I would not recommend this school. It has been a frustrating and disappointing experience from start to finish. The instructors are unreliable. On multiple occasions, we were left waiting for over 45 minutes because of poor communication or lateness. There is no proper office system, everything is handled through text messages, and you only seem to get a response when it's time to make a payment. We tried to get information about my child's classes starting in October, but no one followed up until January, and even then the information was vague and unhelpful. Because of this lack of guidance, my child ended up having to retake all the classes. Shortly after, we received an email saying students were not completing the correct work, which reflects poorly on the school's organization and instruction. To make matters worse, after paying $650 for classes and an additional $125 for the road test, we were surprised to find out we still had to pay the DMV $84 for the license. The school did not clearly explain that their fee only covered the use of their car and administering the test. Overall, the lack of communication, disorganization, and hidden costs made this a very negative experience. I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere. read more

I just want to say my son had taken the 8 hour safety class with instructor Casey, He was awesome! I also had to attend with my son bc he was 17. But, it was great. He makes you feel very comfortable in the zoom as well as leaving his class feeling like you have actually learned something. I would totally recommend him and Phils driving school for the safety and drug course that's needed before you get your license. Thank you Casey and Phil's for making this a great and easy experience for the both of us! read more

I am so happy just passed my driving test. Got my license thanks to Phil's Driving school it's the best. Tip ask for instructor Victor he is very good. He's a real teacher. Trust me. I did not know anything and because of him I pass my test , thank instructor Victor for being patient with me. Thanks a million. read more

My experience was really well. The classes were well informed. Great tips for the road test were given. Instructor was welcoming and respectful. read more

This is one of the most unprofessional driving school in CT. The instructor Gary scares me. He made inappropriate comments about thoughts he was having of me. BEWARE!!! Be careful when sending your kids with these people. They obviously don't care, because there is so much bad reviews on this particular instructor. However, he is still hired by them, and took me on my practice recently. read more

Not good at all. Gary vapes constantly, smells up the car, makes weird comments, and will make you uncomfortable. It was mentally draining to drive with him. He can somewhat teach, but he makes you anxious and worse behind the wheel. Please be aware, especially if you want your teenage daughter to take lessons here do NOT take lessons with Gary. If you make any mistakes he doesn't just yell at you or teach you how to fix it, he has to degrade everything about you while telling you how to fix it. He will call you mental, the r slur, stupid, never gonna be anyone, etc. Also he takes so many bathroom breaks like these lessons are paid for and he wants to take a bathroom break every lesson for too long. My first time going out with an instructor I didn't have Gary and I did really well. So maybe it is just that instructor but he has been there for so long and still isn't fired which makes me believe this place is not credible and worthy to go to. But there are some nice instructors who maybe can teach you, my one star is just for the instructor I got. read more

The management and responsiveness of the owners for scheduling classes are bad. However, for the low price, you couldn't expect much. Instructor Gary, on the other hand, is a great instructor who taught me everything I needed to pass the road test at the DMV. If you take driving lessons at this school, you should ask to do it with Gary, you won't regret it. read more

I recently completed the 8-hour safety course taught by Casey. I took the class during one of the weekend sessions (four hours, spread between Saturday and Sunday mornings). I was not expecting much, given the behavior that I have observed on Connecticut roads since moving here. More drivers seem troublingly laissez-fare about road safety here, on average, than any other place I have been on the road. And let me tell you--I've been around. Casey H. was an extremely careful, patient, helpful, knowledgeable, and dedicated instructor. His evident commitment to road safety and making sure that each student who passes through his classes knows the stakes, and knows how to contribute to making roads safer, is inspiring. I can only hope that all driving instructors are more like Casey in the future. Let's work together to make our road safer :) read more

It is extremely sad that a level of professionalism is not #1 in the mind of instructor Gary who cares less of showing respect and listening to his trainees and belittling a person is not part of driving instruction. The vehicle he uses is a pig's pen as he obviously doesn't care to display any sort of professionalism. He vapes the whole time. On one hand he instructs the trainee to proceed and do one thing and the very next instruction comes out of his mouth yelling as if he was talking with his wife or child. He made sexist comments to me; that simply tells the story of how he feels about women in general. I don't know what needs to happen, but Gary needs help all around, treating people the way he does speaks volumes about who he is. I will never under any circumstance recommend anyone to attend this school, as I wouldn't want them to be expose to what I have had to live. Gary should find another job as driving instruction is not for him. Thanks for nothing Gary!!!!! School refunded me my $ that's the only positive. read more

I am an adult who lived abroad and allowed my drivers license to lapse. As I'm not originally from Connecticut, I had to go through an 8 hour drivers education class. Casey was helpful with 'insider tips' on how to pass the test at the DMV, wisely choose car insurance, and moreover shared tried and true principals about hurt self or others while on the road. He also has wise and effective people skills especially needed when working with teenagers during COVID stress; he mitigated a lot of drama by patiently repeating directions and being understanding and non-confrontational. Thus, he kept the classes moving along not only for the teenagers for but adults like myself that hadn't been in that type of social mixer in at least a decade. A few months later my wallet was stolen, and I didn't realize/remember that my class certificate was in my wallet until the morning of my road test with the DMV. Casey and Ashley were amazingly helpful to quickly email me needed documentation, all while Casey was preparing to teach a class that very morning. Their quick and generous actions made it possible for me to get my license. Thank you both! I would highly recommend considering Phil's Driving School if you are in the market! Was not disappointed. read more

Great, we had a blast teaching the in's and outs of the process of getting on the road. We practiced but more importantly he pushed and taught me the fundamentals of how to park and maintaining your speed. Great time, would do it over again if I have the chance. read more

I just finished the 8-hour safety course, and I am delighted to say that the instructor (Casey) is extremely knowledgeable. He covered hitherto unknown aspects of driving that will help the BTW session and the DMV road test that I plan to schedule very soon. read more

Gosh how can i even start. Phil's was amazing Casey with the classes online really helped me get a sense of the rules of the road and things to do and not to do so props to Casey. But as for Gary he had to be the worst person to drive with. He was fine the first lesson and then i didn't have one and i couldnt practice the things the taught me because i didn't have a space to and he got upset and then yelled saying i need to practice and i did snap back at him. The third lesson went a little bit better but the way he criticises people while they are learning how to drive is how a teacher way. If you can't teach someone with helping them and not just being all upset then don't teach a TEENAGER A NEW DRIVER HOW TO DRIVE. but oh my the last lesson i had with Gary was the worst one yet there should be no reason i have tears while driving or have to cry on my way home because of how absolutely rude he was to me like there is no need to talk to me like i'm worth nothing like he did every single lesson like if you want me to learn you need to teach and not just run your mouth about everything and sing and not even give me feedback and tell me what to change. Gary should not be a driving teacher if he can't help someone. There should be no need to tell me everything i do wrong and not tell me what to do right. He would vape anytime he gets and the car is very messy made me feel like nasty. Don't drive with Gary he will make you freak out and then act like he didn't do it and then smile and look innocent when you drive away from the school, and when you don't do it right you shouldn't judge someone who is still learning and be like i don't understand why you can't just do this right and get all mad like you barley know me and you won't ever know me. I will never and would never drive with gary again. read more

To start off I only signed up for the 8 hour drug and alcohol seminar. I had Casey for the instructor that session. He was nice, but seemed somewhat unorganized and easily distracted. He tries to make examples a lot but ends up wasting time that could be used for other things. Not to mention that he always brings up his previous job as a hospital worker. The 8 hour seminar itself was very simples, it was just self study reading and note taking from a driving book, about 5 chapters. The amount of time given to read and take notes wasn't sufficient for this timeframe as most people didn't make it through the chapters and most got to chapter 3 or 4. The multiple point choice quiz was fairly easy, especially since it's open note from the notes taken from the book to answer questions, you are given about 1 and a half hours to complete it( more than enough time). The thing I dislike but can understand was that when finished you hand in the book and he gives the answer sheet(which is same for every person, no variation in the test), I saw multiple people cheating by glancing at it and the person who had it erasing some answers and putting the correct one in. He gave us a marker to correct it and gave us the benefit of the doubt not to cheat. I appriciate his trust in us, but it didn't work as many cheated as stated previously. Casey just didn't pay attention when handing out the sheets. Once finish he asks how many you got wrong and he takes the test and gives you the form for the DMV while he takes a copy of it himself to bring to DMV so they have it in record. It's improtant to keep the form he gave you because you need to give it to DMV so they can check it with the copy he gave them, so don't lose it as if you do he will have to fill out the form again and give it to you and DMV and charge an additional fee. Final score would be a 3.5/5, 4 since I can't give half stars. Mainly due to ease of ignoring him for self study, availability to cheat, and content. read more

Instructors like Michele, Helen and Casey have definitely made Phil's the best. They are true instructors. Michele is the coolest instructor you can ever have. She is fun loving and very serious about lessons. Casey gave me couple hours of free driving lessons. He is not always after money. I was out with Helen on my test day. I did exactly she taught me when back parking. The result was perfect. Helen was lucky for me. Phil's has experienced, friendly and committed instructors. I highly recommend Phil's Driving School. Here they really take care of you. I am glad that I found them. Lots of good memories with the instructors. Thank you all. I wish you all the success in your professional and personal life. read more

Though it was a very boring class with all the videos and just reading a book and taking notes , it was chock full of great tips and great preparation for people looking to get their license , and or permit I would recommend to anyone needing to get either or get their 8 hr drug and alcohol classes as well. read more

Gary was my instructor, very cool guy made the process very easy for me. Thank you Gary! read more

I just finished my 8 hour safe driving class with Casey and it was great! A lot of people have mentioned that he's disorganized, wastes time, etc. but I didn't have that experience at all. When taking the class you have to understand that the content has to be taught and instructors really don't have much say in it. But Casey made it interesting by showing more updated videos relevant to the real world. There were also snacks, coffee, etc. which made the content more bearable. As for the test that is taken in the class, it really is not that serious, nor is it even required by the state, hence why it is open notes and they are not super strict about watching for people looking at other's sheets, changing wrong answers, etc. It's really just meant to make sure you understand the content before they have you your certificate. You get to take the test over and over until you pass on the same day, and it's pretty easy to pass if you actually read the chapters and take some notes which you're given time to do in class. A lot of my friends went to other schools to take this class and were forced to watch old outdated videos the whole time, had their phones taken away even if they weren't using them, etc. which was not the case here. It's a super relaxed environment and an overall great experience! read more

Phil's Driving School made it convenient to sit for the driver's license test - they have the 8-hour class every weekend so it was easy to book on short notice. I also had a 2-hour driving lesson and borrowed the car for my driving test as well - Gary is a great instructor - he is chilled out but pays close attention to your driving to help you refine your skills and also manages to put people at ease. He is also very invested in the success of his students. read more

GREAT driving school and the best instructors not only in NH county, but in CT. I tried several schools in the State and this is definitely the best one. My instructor Gary gave me the best and real instructions. Passed my DMV test very easy with no stress. read more

I am a transplant from New York City. Brooklyn to be more exact. I can count on my fingers how many times I've had to drive in the past 10 years. So it was with great trepidation that I realized that New Haven ain't NYC and there is no real mass transit system here. Native NH folks will tell you the buses come but you are at the mercy of an inconsistent schedule. So I have chosen to subject myself to the dreaded task of ret-training my driving skills. Torture!! And my skills still suck. Why? Because we don't drive in NY. Well at least those of us who live in the 5 boros and hate doing the alternate side street parking rules dance. It is a nightmare and I will spare the details of that. It makes sense for folks with kids but other than that I can not fathom why anyone would own a car in NYC. With that said I lucked out and have a really great super patient instructor. Patty is a doll. Thanks guys! read more

I received my license through Phil's driving school in 2000. Still to this day I remember small details of the education I received there. " When your looking ahead and headlights from another vehicle begin to blind you, look down and to the right at the solid yellow line. " or " When are roads most slippery? Before it rains? When it starts to rain? When it's been raining for awhile? " -- the answer, when it first starts to rain. Heck, I still know how to parallel park park because of them. read more

Without having family close by to practice driving, Phil's Driving School was a godsend. Phil's managed to make driving finally make sense and laid the perfect groundwork for me to practice with others. Their packages also provided everything that was needed for the Connecticut driver's license. Special shoutout to Gary. I'm more of a nervous driver but he was very friendly and kept me calm in the car. He was always ready to answer my questions and had solid tips for the driving maneuvers. I think the most valuable thing was that he let me drive in a way that I was comfortable. Hand techniques on how to take turns are useful but its another thing to remember while driving. Gary let me do turns comfortably and made driving feel more natural. I ordered the Hamden Road test package (Car for DMV test+ 2 hours) and asked for him specifically on the day of the test. He worked with me through all of the Hamden DMV test neighborhood and helped get my nerves under control at the DMV. I passed that test with flying colors and my license just came in the mail. Thank you Phil's and Gary! I would definitely recommend their services to everyone. read more

I'm an 81-year-old who needed to take a DMV road test and taking a few lessons at Phil's helped me prepare. The owners were helpful and accommodating about scheduling; Gary was a super teacher and also fun to be with. I passed the test with no problem, thanks to Phil's and Gary in particular! I highly recommend Phil's! read more

I took driving lessons with Gary a few years ago and he was really awesome. I was never taught how to drive when I was young so I knew I had to learn eventually as a young adult but was always EXTREMELY nervous about driving. Gary always made me feel less nervous and talked to me while I was driving so I wouldn't think about how scared I was. I was Gary's first person to teach (I think) and he told me to text him if I got my license on the first try and I did! But I forgot to text him and got a new phone so I lost his number so I hope someone can tell him. read more

Epic instruction by Gary. Accept no substitute. Ask for Gary if you want superb driving instruction at the impeccable Phil's. Gary ushered me from driver with zero experience to a driver that passed notorious Hamden DMV exam with a smashing 100%. Gary is patient. Gary is kind. Ask for Gary. read more

I would like to say Phil's driving school taught me the best techniques with driving, I recommend Casey he is the best and when you call ask for Casey! There lessons are affordable and reliable by far the best experience I have ever had and I want to thank him for helping me pass my license test. read more

My daughter recently obtained her license through Phil's Driving School. Here are her comments: "I went here for a few months. Overall, the classes were very informative and the teachers were extremely kind and helpful throughout the process. For new drivers on the road taking driving hours, I strongly suggest using Phil's because they cater to the Driving Test requirements and the instructors are well-experienced in teaching new drivers." read more

A great driving school, the best prices around. I got my licensee using their car. Absolutely no complaints. Everyone at Phil's is very nice, they were accommodating, and all the instructors I had (five in the course of a month) had their own tips and advice. read more

Phil's Driving School has a lot of experienced driving instructors sincerely interested in teaching people how to be better drivers. Casey and Patty were great with decades of experience. I highly recommend! read more

I had a 1-hour lesson with a Gary and he gave me several useful and important tips and I am going to take 2 hours lesson with him before my road test. He is very friendly, cool and talented. read more

I took driving lessons here in the summer. I had one driving instructor who was very nice and helpful, however I had another experience which changed my mind completely. The driving instructor was very rude. She would yell at me and swear at me through out the 2 hour driving lesson. She kept repeating that she should just have to sit back as I drove and not have to instruct, but I am paying a lot of money for driving instructions so this made no sense to me. I think this driving school should look over who they have as their instructors. This instructor kept talking about how she wished for time off and tried to skip as many lessons with students as she could and went about teaching in a very unprofessional manner. Using swear words and screaming is not the correct way to go about this. read more

I am an adult in the process of getting my license. I found Phil's to be helpful on SOME occasions. I went out driving with an instructor and I have noticed that it really depends on who the instructor is. For example, you are lucky if you get Patty; she is friendly, and knows how to teach. If you get Bernard, you might as well just teach yourself, as you might not learn much from him. Great driving school, very polite staff, but in my experience it depended on who my instructor was. I am still un-confident about the drivers exam and I still do not know much about parking because their prices are rather high and I have not been able to go out as much as I would like. But for the most part, my experience was mediocre at best. read more

I used Phil's Professional Driving School in a crunch because the instructor who was recommended to me happened to be out of town when I needed one. The good thing about Phil's was they were available, they agreed to give me the lessons I needed on relatively short notice, the instructors were mostly friendly and I did get my license. However, the issues I faced with them are much more numerous. First - they demand that payment be made first. I really cannot support a business that insists you pay in advance and thus eliminates any requirement for them to offer their best. Had Phil's offered their best afterwards however, I would have overlooked this. Second - They offer very limited packages and make absolutely no effort to accommodate requests for any variation. I just needed some refresher hours to familiarize myself with the area of the test and practice parking. I therefore requested that they let me buy their 6h package, so I could get 2 hours behind the wheel on one day, they could give me an hour's practice ahead of the test and then let me use their car for the test. They refused and made me purchase two 2-hour slots and the test package so I had to spend an extra $150. This I could have overlooked under the premise that they have specific packages and can only give me some combination of them. However, my test time for 10:30 am and we are required to report at DMV 15 minutes ahead of the appointment. It stands to reason that they should have ensured that the instructor arrived at 8:15 am at the latest to accommodate my 2h session prior to the test since they were charging me full price for both. However, despite multiple requests they would only give me an 8:30 am appointment. Third - For the 1st 2-hour slot, the instructor arrived on time but then made me drive way out of town to take the previous student home. As a consequence, I ended up spending all my time driving up and down roads I didn't need to and didn't have any time to actually familiarize myself with the test area and only got to practice parking and other skills that I really wanted to once. Fourth - On the test date, not only did the instructor arrive late, she did not offer an apology. And if that wasn't bad enough, she spent another 10 minutes talking to other potential customers in the neighborhood. I know they need their business and need to take advantage of such opportunities but they really shouldn't be doing it on my time and my dime on my test date when they refused to even come a little early. And all of this without any apology forthcoming. They may be amongst the best available school's here going by other reviews but all that only emphasizes how pathetic the general level of driving schools here are. read more

I am really grateful to my driving instructor at Phil's Driving School Casey who helped me learn not only driving but also removed all the fear inside me. I think I would have never learned driving if I did not learned from him. Today, I enjoy my driving and all this credit goes to him. I would highly recommend my instructor Casey and Phil's driving school to those who want to be expert in driving and to become a safe driver. Phil's driving school is doing a good job for their students as well as to the community by producing safe drivers. I highly appreciate and recommend their services. read more

I love Phils driving school they took me to more places and took time to work with me on things I needed help on the most and they are very friendly! I highly recommend Phils. read more

It is a blessing that we used the Phil's Driving School. And, it is a blessing that my son had Patty as his instructor. She is indeed a MASTER instructor. With her in the car, my son got the courage to try everything. She had my son practice under all different road conditions/situations and had my son practice all different kinds of parking techniques in a real busy parking lot. From local streets to highways to park the car, he got the BEST instructions from Patty. I was told from the beginning that normally one would not take more than 6 hours behind the wheel lessons. And, it was right. My son learned everything within 6 hours training. And, during the road test, the examiner told my son that he is not only the safest driver but also the BEST driver he has encountered. Thank you, Patty. Thank you for helping my son overcome his fear in driving. You have no idea how grateful we are. Thanks millions. And, BEST wishes to the school. And, BEST wishes to Patty forever ...Patty is the BEST!!! read more