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Holborn School of Motoring

Holborn School of Motoring

4.8(432 reviews)See reviews ↓·London

About the company

Holborn School of Motoring is a driving school in London. It was established in 1965 by two brothers, Valentino and Alessio Varani. In 1974, younger brother Vittorio joined the partnership. In 1998, nephew Roberto joined the company and today oversees the business.

The school has taught up to three generations of the same families. Its instructors are DVSA fully qualified and DBS checked. It offers tuition in Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Urdu, Punjabi, Albanian and a little French in addition to English. It provides tailor-made driving tuition plans for London residents.

What customers say

Based on genuine customer reviews

Learner driver training in Holborn and the surrounding London area is the service that customers repeatedly praise, with many describing how tuition is tailored to their particular needs, whether they are complete beginners, mature learners or holders of an overseas licence converting to a UK one. Instructors named in accounts include Kemal, Shefi, Elisio, Khurram and Blert, and reviewers often highlight their patience, calm manner and clear explanations, noting that lessons built confidence rather than simply teaching test routes.

Various customers describe passing the practical test at the first attempt, some with no minor faults, and one thing mentioned again and again is the reliability and punctuality of lessons, alongside straightforward communication about scheduling and payments. The Pass Plus course is mentioned as a useful follow-on for newly qualified drivers, and the wider administration is described as efficient and personable. Reviewers also value the professional yet friendly balance maintained throughout tuition, the flexibility offered to those fitting lessons around work, and the sense that they were taught to drive safely rather than merely to satisfy an examiner. Learners who began as nervous drivers credit their instructor with making them feel competent behind the wheel.

Holborn School of Motoring — Customer photo

Reviews

Reviews are taken from publicly available sources.

EN
Emma Nedelcu8 August 2026

I have a new instructor now and in retrospect realize the one from Holborn driving school was not at all well informed or good at teaching. It resulted in me learning much slower than otherwise. this instructor didn’t put in a lot of effort in actually teaching. We repeated the same roads over and over. They just kept saying I need more practice and just left me drive. The new instructor is constantly challenging me to think about hazards and what I need to do in every situation. It’s a huge difference. this instructor wasn’t respectful of my time either. They went on 2 weeks holiday with less than a day notice to the next lesson, and just never came back. They always finished 5 mins early and once were late 20 mins without giving me a heads up. EDIT: I have redacted the parts that the business addressed in their reply below out of fairness. What remains: it seems like inadequate training was provided to the instructor, the instructors should first be observed/ do a mock run with the School that they need to pass before being allowed to work with so many students. The impact is quite great otherwise. In my case, this has really caused a lot of trouble.

DM
Donik Mehmeti6 August 2026

Excellent driving school with professional, patient, and knowledgeable instructors. Lessons were well organised, easy to follow, and helped build my confidence behind the wheel. This is exactly what it’s about! I would highly recommend Holborn School of Motoring to anyone looking for high-quality driving lessons. Thank you for a great experience!

DC
Dearbhla Cantwell21 July 2026

Would really recommend using Holborn School of Motoring. My driving instructor Blert was an excellent teacher, providing clear instructions throughout our lessons. Blert was very patient and calm at all times, and boosted my confidence as a driver which I feel definitely helped me pass my test on the first try. I also completed the Pass Plus course with Blert and would highly recommend this to all new on licensed drivers looking to build on their skills and become a more competent road user.

JT
Joshua Toner Cawte17 July 2026

Amazing driving school. Thank you so much to Rob and the team and especially to my instructor Khurram who helped me pass my manual practical first time around. They are fair, honest, and reliable so it’s no wonder the family business has been around so long. I highly recommend.

DR
Dorothy Ren10 July 2026

Shefi was a great instructor! I was a really nervous driver when I started, but he taught me how to drive with confidence and made everything easy to understand. I passed my test first time, and I genuinely feel like he taught me how to be a good driver, not just how to pass the test. I'd definitely recommend!!!

LC
Lisa Combs10 July 2026

I had a fantastic experience learning to drive with Holborn School of Motoring. The team was had great communication which made it easy to make payments and to schedule lessons. While I previously had my US license, I wanted to obtain my UK license. As a working professional, I was able to schedule lessons before the workday and be dropped off at my office very conveniently! Shefi was a super instructor with calming presence yet provided strong tips and encouragement that helped me pass my test first-try. Thank you!

A
Alix30 June 2026

Recently passed my test at the Wanstead test centre. Thank you so much to Holborn School of Motoring and to Shefi, my instructor. Shefi is a brillant instructor who made me feel calm and competent ahead of my test and I passed first time!

Driving schools in London compared

Ordered by rating, weighted by the number of reviews — businesses with only a handful of reviews do not jump to the top automatically. 12 businesses in this category in London are compared.

RankProviderRatingReviewsOpen Sat.
1London Driving School★ 5,0561Yes
2Marylebone Sohel's driving school★ 5,0389Yes
3Ahmad Driving School★ 5,0281Yes
4South East London Driving School★ 5,0189Yes
5Drive Smart Driving School★ 5,0173Yes
12Holborn School of Motoring (this page)★ 4,8432No
Contact
+442078379707www.holborndrivingschool.co.uk178 Clerkenwell Rd, London EC1R 5DD
Working hours
Monday09:30–17:30
Tuesday09:30–17:30
Wednesday09:30–17:30
Thursday09:30–17:30
Friday09:30–17:30
SaturdayClosed
SundayClosed