How to check your driving instructor is DVSA approved

Anyone you pay for driving lessons in Great Britain has to be on DVSA's register of approved driving instructors, or hold a trainee licence. That is the law under section 123 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

To check the ADI register for your instructor:

1. Look for the badge in the windscreen. Green means a qualified ADI, pink means a trainee.
2. Search for them on DVSA's find driving schools, lessons and instructors service.
3. Not listed? Contact DVSA with their name and ADI number and ask whether they are qualified.

That's the whole check, and you can do the first two before you hand over any money.

We run an instructor directory, and Orbit does not verify instructors, so these checks apply wherever you found yours.

Green badge, pink badge: what each means

GOV.UK says instructors have to display a badge in their windscreen to prove they're registered with DVSA.

A pink badge is legal, and trainees can charge for lessons. You should know which you're getting, though, because the rules around trainees are tighter. According to DVSA's rules for trainee licences, a trainee:

• can only give lessons from the training establishment named on their licence, so they cannot work independently or run their own school
• must describe themselves as a "trainee driving instructor" in adverts, name the school they work at, and give the school's contact details rather than their own
• must not make it seem like they are fully qualified

So a pink badge holder advertising as a fully qualified instructor with a personal mobile number is breaking the trainee rules. Our page on how the trainee driving instructor licence works covers the scheme from the instructor's side.

No badge at all on a paid lesson is a different matter. GOV.UK says it's illegal to charge for driving lessons if you are not qualified and registered. There's more on reporting that below.

Checking the badge in the windscreen

The badge goes on the passenger-side edge of the front windscreen. That's the rule for ADIs and the "nearside edge" for trainees. Look at it when you get in for your first lesson. It takes ten seconds.

What to look at:

• The photo and name. DVSA uses a photo when it issues a badge (a replacement needs the photocard licence photo or a passport-style one), so the face should match the person in the driver's seat.
• The colour. Green or pink, and does it match what you were told when you booked?
• On a pink badge, the school. A trainee licence shows the name and address of the training establishment. It should be the school you booked through.

It is worth asking for their ADI number too (DVSA calls it the ADI personal reference number). You need it if you ever ask DVSA to confirm their status, and DVSA asks for it in a complaint.

Two rules from DVSA's page on managing ADI registration are useful to know. Someone can be prosecuted for using an invalid ADI badge or one that isn't theirs. And an ADI who has lost their badge cannot give driving lessons until they have a replacement, which costs £3. "I've lost it" is not a reason to teach without one.

The new code of practice adds one more: instructors should display the badge when you take your driving test, whether in their car or yours. DVSA says this helps the accuracy of the instructor's test data report, the report of how their pupils do on test.

Check the ADI register with DVSA's find a driving instructor service

GOV.UK's find driving schools, lessons and instructors page lets you find DVSA-approved instructors near you and check their grade, if they declare it. Use the "Start now" button on that page.

The catch is in the small print: ADIs choose whether or not to be on the service, so not all of them are listed. An instructor who isn't there is not necessarily unqualified.

For anyone not listed, GOV.UK's route is to contact DVSA and ask. Have their name and ADI number ready if you have it.

Contact details from GOV.UK and DVSA's webchat page, checked 11 October 2026.

What the grade means

The grade comes from the instructor's most recent ADI standards check, where a DVSA examiner watches them teach a real lesson.

An instructor who fails three standards checks is removed from the register. Grade B is a pass. A grade A is a good sign, but an instructor who hasn't declared a grade isn't hiding anything by default, since showing it is their choice.

Questions to ask before your first lesson

The badge tells you someone is allowed to teach. It doesn't tell you whether they're any good for you. Finding a good driving instructor comes down to a few direct questions, asked before you pay for a block of lessons:

• What's your ADI number? A qualified instructor will give it without fuss. A trainee should tell you which school sponsors them.
• Can I have your terms in writing? The new code says terms must cover contact details, the price and length of lessons, cancellations, refunds, how they handle your data and how to complain, and should be given in writing before lessons start.
• What happens to money I pay upfront if I stop? Ask about refunds on unused prepaid lessons before you buy a block, not after.
• How will you track my progress? Under the new code, instructors must keep records of lessons and hours and tell you clearly where you are and what training you still need.
• Do you teach in a manual or an automatic? It decides which licence you end up with. If you're after a specific type of instructor, our guide to finding a female automatic driving instructor covers how to search.

Clear, specific answers are a good sign. Vague ones on price and refunds are the first item in our list of red flags that your driving instructor is ripping you off. If you have never had a lesson before, read what happens on your first driving lesson so you know what normal looks like.

What the ADI code of practice says instructors must do

DVSA published a new mandatory driving instructor code of practice on 23 September 2026. It says it will be introduced sometime between late 2026 and early 2027, replacing the ADI register guide and the current voluntary code. As of 11 October 2026 the document is still titled "effective date to be confirmed", so we don't know the exact start date yet.

Most of it describes what a good instructor already does. The parts a learner can see from the passenger seat:

• Badge: displayed in the windscreen during paid lessons (section 9).
• Phones: no phone or hand-held device while instructing, and no calls, including hands-free (section 8).
• Behaviour: no inappropriate language, no aggressive or intimidating behaviour, no unnecessary physical contact, and no inappropriate contact outside lessons, including on personal social media. Instructors must not have a sexual or romantic relationship with someone they're teaching (section 5).
• Money and lessons: protect money paid in advance, give the instruction you've paid for, and keep accurate lesson records (section 10).
• Tests: instructors cannot book, change, swap or cancel car driving tests for you. You book your own (section 7).
• Complaints: deal with them promptly, make sure you know how to complain about a driving instructor, and keep a record of complaints and how they were resolved (section 14).
• Trainees: must not work independently or suggest they are a qualified ADI (section 16).

If an instructor doesn't comply, the ADI Registrar can issue a formal warning, carry out a standards check or investigation, or suspend and remove them from the register. Our plain-English guide to the driving instructor code of practice goes through each section from the instructor's side.

How to complain about a driving instructor

Start with the instructor if you can. The new code says they must deal with complaints promptly and try to resolve them quickly, and some problems (a lesson that ran short, a mix-up over a cancellation) get sorted with one message.

If that doesn't work, or it's something you shouldn't have to raise with them, here's who handles what.

Service or behaviour: DVSA's driving instructor team

GOV.UK's complain about a driving instructor page says to contact DVSA if your instructor:

• gives lessons shorter than agreed
• keeps cancelling or arriving late
• doesn't give lessons you've already paid for
• uses their phone while you're driving
• shouts or swears at you
• uses inappropriate language, in person or in messages
• uses unnecessary physical contact

Email instructorconduct@dvsa.gov.uk, or write to DVSA, PO Box 967, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE99 2GU (the postal address is listed for service complaints).

It helps DVSA's investigation if you can give your name and email, the instructor's full name and driving school, their ADI number, their phone number or email, their car registration, and any evidence such as receipts or screenshots of messages. DVSA says it won't make you report anything to the police unless you want to.

DVSA can raise the matter with the instructor on your behalf, but it cannot help you get money back.

Someone teaching without a badge

To report someone charging for lessons who isn't a qualified ADI or licensed trainee, contact the DVSA intelligence unit at enquiries@dvsa.gov.uk or 0800 030 4103, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Getting your money back

Ask in writing first. If that fails, in England and Wales a court claim for money (what used to be called the small claims court) is the route; Scotland has its own process. For unfair terms or a business breaking consumer law, you can report it through the Citizens Advice consumer service, which passes reports to Trading Standards.

Danger or anything criminal

If you've been assaulted or feel in danger, contact the police.

Where Orbit fits

Orbit's instructor directory and postcode search help you find instructors near you and compare them. They don't replace any of the checks above. Instructors enter their own ADI details and Orbit does not check them against DVSA records, so treat a profile like any advert: a starting point.

Browse driving instructors near you, then check their badge at your first lesson.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.