ELITE Driving School Croydon
Join the thousands of people that have learnt to drive with our automatic and manual instructors in Croydon.
ELITE Driving School was actually founded in Croydon in 2007, and before relocating to Redhill 2017 our office was based in Airport House on Purley way. As such we have a well established team of both manual and automatic driving instructors providing driving lessons in the Croydon area, including coverage in surrounding areas of Wallington, Sanderstead, Purley, Thornton Heath and Coulsdon.
Croydon is a busy area, and driving around it can be challenging, especially with congested traffic, buses, trams, cyclists, electric scooters, and pedestrians. Our knowledgeable local driving instructors know the area well, and can help you navigate all of these challenges.
There are several large roundabouts to negotiate, one way systems, as well as no entry and pedestrianised areas. Therefore reading of traffic signs and road markings is a vital skill that your instructor will help you to develop from an early stage in your driving lessons.
The Croydon driving test centre in Canterbury Road closed in 2022, but there was Mitcham test centre located just down the road. However, that too was closed for safety reasons in mid 2024, and tests have been conducted from a temporary centre located at the Hilton Hotel on Purley Way since. Other Nearby test centres include West Wickham, Bromley, and Morden which are also within a reasonable distance.
Below you’ll find all of our instructor profiles, which include a short biography about each instructor, photos of them and their cars, and most importantly reviews from previous pupils that have taken driving lessons with them. We provide this in order to help you find the perfect driving instructor to suit you. To book just simply complete our short enquiry form and we’ll get straight back to you with availability.

Driving lessons with ELITE are normally 2 hours long. Taking 2 hours at a time is proven to be most productive for pupils, as this allows for repetition of manoeuvres, the ability to experience multiple driving environments, especially in congested areas like Croydon, and normally this accelerate learning, and results in fewer hours needed overall. However, if after the first lesson you have an issue with 2 hours then you can discuss it with the instructor and they can normally shorten future lessons to 1.5 hours.
We provide our free Theory Test Pro App to all of our pupils to help with preparation for the theory test, plus you’ll get our free Total Drive App to help track your bookings and monitor your progress, as well other useful learning resources and tips to help you pass your practical driving test.
Croydon Driving Instructors
Croydon Driving Lessons Testimonials

Congratulations to Eleanor for passing your Automatic drivnig test at West Wickham with Sylwia, and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Congratulations to Eleanor for passing your Automatic drivnig test at West Wickham with Sylwia, and thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
“I just bought my first car today and it’s all thanks to Elite Driving school, especially Sylwia. She made learning to drive such a fun and positive experience for me, particularly as someone with high anxiety. She was also supportive and believed in me even when I couldn’t. Would highly recommend to anyone!! Thank you! :)!


Nice one Stan for passing your test with instructor Sue in West Wickham today, and many thanks for the review
Nice one Stan for passing your test with instructor Sue in West Wickham today, and many thanks for the review
“Massive thanks to Sue , you were a brilliant driving instructor.”


Another great result for instructor Sue. Congratulations Lottie for passing your manual driving test at West Wickham
Another great result for instructor Sue. Congratulations Lottie for passing your manual driving test at West Wickham
“Passed first time thanks to my amazing instructor Sue who I loved every lesson with and felt extremely prepared for my test. I would highly recommend, my sister also used elite and passed first time with Sue they are amazing!”


Joe passed after taking manual driving lessons in Croydon with Sue. Thansk Joe for leaving a review, it’s really appreciated.
Joe passed after taking manual driving lessons in Croydon with Sue. Thansk Joe for leaving a review, it’s really appreciated.
“My driving instructor was Sue, she really put me to ease and was a great instructor very patient and would highly recommend.”


Olivia passed after taking automaticdriving lessons in Croydon with Sylwia. Thansk Olivia for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot to us
Olivia passed after taking automaticdriving lessons in Croydon with Sylwia. Thansk Olivia for taking the time to leave a review, it means a lot to us
“I passed my test first time with Sylwia, I would highly recommend her as an instructor. She was very patient and good at explaining everything. Thank you so much Sylwia!”


Huge congratulations to Richard, he passed his test today after taking automatic driving lessons in Croydon with Anna. Thanks so much Richard for the recommedation
Huge congratulations to Richard, he passed his test today after taking automatic driving lessons in Croydon with Anna. Thanks so much Richard for the recommedation
“Wow what can I say about Anna, she is an amazing instructor and a lovely person. I definitely would not have passed my test if it wasn’t for her, she is calm and reassuring and always put you first and helps you where you need it the most. I will miss our lessons together, 1000% recommend Anna.”


Huge congratulations to Richard, he passed his test today after taking automatic driving lessons in Croydon with Anna. Thanks so much Richard for the recommedation
Huge congratulations to Richard, he passed his test today after taking automatic driving lessons in Croydon with Anna. Thanks so much Richard for the recommedation
“Wow what can I say about Anna, she is an amazing instructor and a lovely person. I definitely would not have passed my test if it wasn’t for her, she is calm and reassuring and always put you first and helps you where you need it the most. I will miss our lessons together, 1000% recommend Anna.”

A massive well done ot Laci for passing his test after taking manual driving lessons with instructor Matt in Croydon, and thanks for leaving a review about your learning to drive experience with Matt
A massive well done ot Laci for passing his test after taking manual driving lessons with instructor Matt in Croydon, and thanks for leaving a review about your learning to drive experience with Matt
“Just passed my driving test with 1 minor – all because of the amazing guidance of Matt! I could not have wished for a better instructor than him. He has been super friendly, patient, thorough and calmed me down every time I got frustrated with myself. He would find for every obstacle different ways to explain it until I understood. He always stayed calm and lightened the whole experience with his amazing sense of humour. I could have not done it in a million years without him!”

Akash passed his test in Croydon after taking automatic driving lessons with ELITE instructor Anna
“I would to like to express my gratitude to my Instructor Anna Allahverdi who I believe is the most supportive when it comes to pass my driving test at Mitcham. Anna is a good listener, she obeserves everything you are doing whether is a fault or not and then will provide you with meaningful feedback which creates building blocks for your learning and ultimately preparing you for your Driving Test. I cannot think of passing my Driving Test without Anna’s support, she really excels as an instructor and knows exactly where improvements are required in order to be successful. From calming your nerves to boosting your confidence, Anna puts you at ease and believes that you can do it. Every lesson with Anna is a delightful one. Thank you Elite for linking me with Anna and I consider myself to be very lucky to have Anna as my instructor during my journey towards getting my driving licence!

Congratulations Tom on passing your manual driving test with ELITE instructor Matt at Mitcham, and thanks for the review!
Congratulations Tom on passing your manual driving test with ELITE instructor Matt at Mitcham, and thanks for the review!
“Matt has been a very good driving instructor, especially with delving into why we do procedures on the road and I managed to pass first time with him as my instructor. If you really want to learn how to drive a manual car, I would highly recommend him.”

Laura passed her test at Automatic Mitcham test centre after having driving lessons with instructor Anna at ELITE
“Just got my licence with Anna, who has been nothing but supportive and excellent all round. She is a Mr Miyagi-type, in that she won’t take much bullshit, is direct and will point out faults, but after a couple of instructors who built my confidence up to then destroy it too late and too close to the test, she is just what I needed in keeping things realistic, work on what needed to be worked on, and get me road safe. That care and deep focus translated into me passing with 3 minors, on my first attempt with her as an instructor (and second attempt on the whole). Strong recommend.”


Driving Lessons in Croydon
“I took my manual driving lessons with Sue from Elite Driving and I would really recommend Sue to anyone! I really enjoyed our lessons each week, Sue made me feel confident and comfortable driving and her knowledge really helped me pass first time! Thank you so much Sue!”

Want to become a driving instructor?
If you’re looking to train as an Approved Driving Instructor then make sure you do plenty of research first. You’ll find everything you need to know here.
Before you start training, read reviews from instructors that have trained and qualified with ELITE. Our trainers have over 20 years experience of training, are DVSA ORDIT approved, and we have a qualification rate far exceeding the national average.
What to expect from your driving lessons
Number of driving lessons
We’re often asked how many driving lessons will be needed before passing the driving test. The DVSA state the average learner takes around 50 hours of professional lessons, plus 20 hours of private practice. In reality most pupils that learn with ELITE take far fewer hours than this. However, it is impossible to answer accurately how many hours are needed, as it varies hugely due to many influencing factors. Firstly, everyone learns at a different rate. Some individuals are naturally gifted with coordination and car controls, and others need more practice to perfect the required skills.
Learning in a manual or automatic
Then there is the consideration of whether you are learning to drive a manual or automatic car. More lessons may be needed in a manual, it all depends how quickly you develop clutch control. Although once you have mastered the basic controls to operate either vehicle type, the majority of learning hours are spent developing the skills needed to read the road, plan, anticipate the actions of other road users, and manage risks on the road. So whether to learn in a manual or automatic car is a personal choice, and at the moment it’s around a 50/50 split which one people are choosing.
Learning in different areas
The area in which you are learning to drive and taking your driving test could also affect the number of lessons you need. Learning to drive in more densely populated towns like Croydon and Morden will have different challenges compared to somewhere more rural like Redhill. It’s different again in somewhere like Crawley, due to the volume of large roundabouts and high speed dual carriageways. The simple fact is that you should take as many lessons as you need to become a safe and competent driver.
What’s involved
All ELITE instructors will discuss your learning style, objectives, and time frames, and between you work out the best structure for your lessons leading up to a test. You will then be test ready, and confident to drive anywhere after you’ve passed the driving test. We provide a free Theory Test Pro App to help you prepare for your theory test. Plus we provide a free Total Drive App to make it simple to track your driving lesson bookings, get reminder notifications, track learning progress, and payments. There is even a free parent App too.