Escuelas de Manejo en Lakewood

James was really good on instructing me and on the parking, ireally got my confidence , ilove the way driving school, the stuff and the director are all nice. Zikomo im super happy

I was really happy with the service I got today from Francis and James. They were both really nice, patient, and thorough with directions while on the road. They took my appointment within 30 minutes I was technically a walk in because I just called before hand and asked if I could take a test that day and everything worked out 30 minutes later very smoothly. Unlike other places didn’t have any availability today. Their service made me comfortable and calm which was the most important for me because I forget certain things when I’m nervous or think the instructor is nervous or not confident in me but both guys reinstate confidence into me as a driver and as a person and let me know that they believed in me . I definitely recommend their one hour driving lesson service. It was the only way I was able to pass today, thank you both !

I highly recommend this school. The instructor was very kind and understanding. He patiently answered all my questions before the test and reassured me not to feel nervous.

I had an amazing experience especially with instructor Charles, he was calm,collected and patient throughout the training. Scheduling was also tailored to my availability which was a big plus! , I highly recommend this school since all the staffs i met were welcoming and the training was soo smooth, comfortable and fulfilling. The assurance from the instructor gave me confidence to drive on the freeway with ease .

I had a great experience learning to drive with Patrick and James – both were patient, clear, and supportive. They helped build my confidence and made every lesson enjoyable. I highly recommend this driving school to anyone learning to drive!

I took my driving test with this school and had a great experience. Everything was smooth and well-organized. The staff were professional, and my examiner, Michael, was very attentive. He gave me useful feedback after the test, pointing out how I could improve. I passed and got my driver’s license on my first try. I recommend this school to anyone looking for a trustworthy place to take their test.

I recently took my driving test with Thomas, and I wanted to say how much I appreciated his professionalism and calm demeanor throughout the process. Naturally, I was a bit nervous, but Thomas created a relaxed and respectful environment that helped put me at ease. He was clear with instructions, fair in his assessment, and very courteous throughout the test. It’s clear he takes his role seriously and genuinely wants to see drivers succeed safely and confidently. Thank you, Thomas, for making the experience a positive one!

Staff is very patience and kind. Love working with them. Explained this so well that eases the stress I was having for so long. Keep up the amazing work. Thank you very much for everything.

As I walked in, I was greeted by the gentleman at the front desk who was very polite and welcoming. Unfortunately, that was the only positive part of my experience. While checking in, I overheard Thomas (an older white gentleman who ended up giving me my driving test) making extremely inappropriate comments, including using the R-word in a joking manner while a customer was present. This was uncomfortable and unprofessional, and it set a negative tone before the test even began. During my test with Thomas, he was rude, dismissive, and I personally felt targeted. He claimed I failed for not checking mirrors ( I did check ), even though I had sunglasses on and was never instructed to remove them. The following day, I went to a different driving school, passed easily, and was even complimented on my driving skills—saying I could’ve been the one teaching. Based on my experience, I believe this school is more interested in failing students to collect more money than in fairly evaluating driving ability. The lack of professionalism, the inappropriate language, and the hostile testing environment make this place feel like a money grab. I would strongly advise others to avoid this school.

Thomas and Katera were a true pleasure to work with. If you need a driving road test, I highly recommend coming to this school and working with them!! Thank you both so so much!!

Our son took the 6 hour driving course to obtain his license. The staff was incredibly helpful with scheduling and walking us through the process. Melinda was my son’s instructor and she was absolutely wonderful. He really enjoyed all of her tips and fun conversation. We will be back with our youngest son as well.

Excelente decisión tomar el drive test acá. Creo que cuando presentas un examen de tal importancia esperas que el/la instructor/a te den confianza y sobre todo, sean amables, afortunadamente yo recibí ese trato amable y seguro de la instructora Lorena. Agradecemos a las personas que te animan y que hacen su trabajo con delicadeza y pasión. Me quedo muy satisfecha. Además quienes te atienden son muy amables también. Bien ahí por las chicas hispanas. 10/10 🙌🏼👏🏼

Be vary of this place. I did not read reviews before I came here, but I should have. Many of the clearly legitimate one-star reviews state this place will always fail you on your first try, then approve you on subsequent tries. I have taken a drivers test in multiple countries (some over an hour long), and I have never ever had any issue, until I came here. So it tracks. Despite passing the test with glowing remarks somewhere else, having 15 years of experience behind the wheel, over 40 hours of professional complex drivers training with a qualified instructor, with the licence in multiple countries, I failed at this place—with a large margin! It seems questionable to me. I was however reassured upon failing that, if I came back for a new test with them they would give me a discount (barely) and “a different route”. I assume the repeated tries is where they really make their money. So why did I fail you may ask? Im sure they gave a reason? Yes dear reader, they sure did. I was failed because I “didn’t hold the steering wheel firmly enough (despite using the appropriate two-hand grip)” to which they gave me a violation in every single turn for the whole drive. I was also cited for “having gone 26 in the 25 zone”- which is the exact same violation other people point out. I also got a violation because I “stopped” in an intersection with no stop-sign despite only slowing down (not stopping), and slowing down because there was a dip (!!) (which you should do if you value your car). You can always find something arbitrary to cite people for (I.E. you check the mirror for a second too short or a second too long.- How can you challenge that claim?), which is how I take they will always find a reason to fail their first-time customers. They only accept cash, no card or other forms of payment what-so-ever, and they are adamant that you agree with statements that say ‘they don’t fail people, bad drivers fail themselves’. I should have walked out when I got a bad feeling about all this, but I didn’t. Instead I let them scam me out of 80 bucks. Both before driving and during the driving I found them to be very, very reserved and somewhat unfriendly. I didn’t think of it at the time, but I do now. I am convinced they have this attitude because it’s difficult to be friendly and personable with people you are actively scamming from. They knew they were going to fail me before we even got in the car. Listen, I get it. Times are tough. However, scamming honest folks out of 80+ bucks is just not the way to go. Times are tough for everyone. Places like this perfectly illustrate why some argue the DMV should continue to do the testing themselves instead of outsourcing it. Do not take your test here, please go anywhere else, that is, if you value your time and money.

Such a great group of ladies to work with! They were all so friendly and very knowledgeable! I’m so grateful that I went here because all the tips and feedback they provided was invaluable! Thank you all so much! Special shout out to the owner Monica who helped me the most 🩷

Karen is awesome. Worked around my kiddos schedule, helper her get more comfortable behind the wheel and was all in all a very positive experience. Kudos Karen! We will be back!

The service was great! I was so nervous over my driving test. Once I was in the car with sandy my nerves went away. She was kind and fair I appreciated the feed back after my test as well. If you are concerned with where to go I would highly recommend Start Smart Driving Academy. 5star AAA service.

I recently had a driving test here, and I was extremely happy with how it went. I arrived for my appointment and everything was very simple and straightforward, and they even gave me an opportunity to look over exactly what they were testing for, which was super helpful. I had Sandy as my examiner and she was very thorough and helpful during the test. She kept it very simple and gave me clear instructions. After the test was finished, she told me I had passed and gave me great feedback on what went well and minor things I could improve. Overall, my experience was fantastic!! I highly recommend them!!

Don’t be lured by the lower price of their drivers license test and their open availability. This place is a SCAM. They fail you on purpose so that you’ll come back and pay for a re-test. Plus they don’t even respect their own appointment times. Starting well after 15 minutes after my scheduled appointment time is unprofessional. I DO NOT RECOMMENDED. Go elsewhere.

Start Smart was very accommodating and willing to work with my schedule and make last minute changes. Vachelle was extremely kind, informative and patient. The test was very straightforward and fair. If you can't pass the driving test, you should not be able to get a license.

To start I will say all of the staff we worked with were very nice and friendly and we had no issues with them whatsoever. We did the online drivers education classes, tried to take the 2 hour lessons, and did the driving test at this location. The online class was fine, we did encounter some struggles with the technology as to be expected with anything online. The 2 hour lessons is where the first frustrations come. They only allow you to make one 2 hour lesson appointment for the summer months, due to it being their busy season. While I understand that and they notify you upfront, it seems very limited based on their open hours and family schedules. Between the teens being in school and parent work schedules it is very hard to make time work during the school year. I don't have a logistical answer for this. This issue is what it is but I felt mentioning it so others are aware of the difficulties. The one 2 hour session we were able to take was fine. We didn't get a lot of feedback or advice (aka teaching) that would have really helped with the driving test. The driving test is where the main frustration comes. I am not a driving instructor. I do have more than enough driving experience though to feel I have an unbiased opinion on someone's readiness to pass the driving test. The thing is the judgment of the instructor seems to have no quantifiable measurements. A lot of what a driver can be docked for seems to be up to the instructors opinion, not factual driving knowledge or capability. After the test and the feedback, it felt like they are looking for as much reason as possible to not pass drivers. As a school and teachers, I would think they would really be looking to try their best and teach within the moment to help their students pass. The main point we were given is they are looking for confident drivers. Judging someone's confidence is highly subjective, and in a driving test environment where EVERYONE will be a little nervous/ anxious especially teenagers some compassion and understanding would go along way.

I've had 2 instructors for two 2 hour classes so far; Overall, i learned quite a bit. As for the two instructors i've met so far, Sam was great and i would recommend him, but Alonzo made me very uncomfortable.

The payment method sucks. I've been trying to pay for it and my card is always declined. I tried calling, and the people on the phone, either have cognitive problems, or don''t want to do their job. I went to their office on Lakewood, (guess what?) CLOSED. Dude, are you actually a business?

I would rate them a zero if that was an option very unprofessional business with useless excuses. I had to file a Consumer complaint through the attorney general in order to get a response from the business itself. Business claimed it was all the customer fault as usual. Do yourself a favor and take your business else where.

I am learning with Refat how to drive. The best teacher ever . He explain me so good and never , never he is nervous with me. Thank you so much!!!!!!