Guide
Best driving instructor management software in 2026
The management side matters once you have a full book: pupil records, progress against the DVSA syllabus, payment tracking and reminders that cut no-shows. Here is how the main UK options stack up.
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1. Lesson Diary
£9.99/moBest all-rounder for a solo instructor who wants one login and one bill.
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2. DriveSchoolPro
Free until 31 Mar 2027, ~£22/mo expected afterBest for instructors who live in the DVSA syllabus detail.
Lesson Diary vs DriveSchoolPro → -
3. Total Drive
£18–£26/mo (4 tiers)Best for teaching aids and accounting sync.
Lesson Diary vs Total Drive → -
4. MyDriveTime
£19/mo solo (free for PDIs)Best for a growing multi-instructor school.
Lesson Diary vs MyDriveTime → -
5. GoRoadie Pro
£15/mo (free for PDIs)Best for a long, no-risk trial.
Lesson Diary vs GoRoadie Pro → -
6. Passly
£14.99/mo, drops to £8.99 laterBest if you want to take card payments inside the app.
Lesson Diary vs Passly →
The full comparison
| Lesson Diary | DriveSchoolPro | Total Drive | MyDriveTime | GoRoadie Pro | Passly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price & terms | ||||||
| Monthly price | £9.99/mo | Free until 31 Mar 2027, ~£22/mo expected after | £18–£26/mo (4 tiers) | £19/mo solo (free for PDIs) | £15/mo (free for PDIs) | £14.99/mo, drops to £8.99 later |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial | Free early access, then a 14-day trial | 30-day free trial | 30-day trial + 6-month money-back | 60-day free trial | 14-day free trial |
| Cut of your lesson money | £0 — we never handle pupil payments | Stripe fees only, no platform cut | Card fee set at sign-up, not published | No card processing in the app | 1.9% on app-raised payments | 1.5% flat + Stripe fees |
| Everything on one plan | Yes | Solo plan; per-instructor add-on for schools | No | Per-instructor discounts for schools | Yes | Yes |
| Cancel yourself, anytime | Yes | Yes | Web form, ends at period end | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Diary & scheduling | ||||||
| Works on the web | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Mobile-first, limited web | Yes |
| Recurring lessons | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Working hours & time off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Double-booking flagged | Yes | Yes | Not advertised | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone calendar sync | Via the mobile app | Partly | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gap alerts between lessons | Yes | Partly | Enhanced tools on higher tiers | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| Booking & getting pupils | ||||||
| Pupils book online themselves | Yes | Yes | Ultimate (£23) and up | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| Booking link & QR code | Yes | Partly | Partly | No | Partly | Partly |
| Booking widget for your site | Yes | Yes | Not advertised | Partly | No | Yes |
| Draw your pickup area on a map | Yes | No | No | No | Partly | Partly |
| Approve, defer or decline requests | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| Pupils & progress | ||||||
| Pupil records & lesson history | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Progress notes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DVSA syllabus tracking | Yes | All 8 categories, 27 skills | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mock tests, marked DVSA-style | DL25-style, live pass/fail | Partly | Yes | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Per-pupil pricing & packages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pupil portal | Web, no download | Web, no download | Branded native app | Student app | Pupil app | Web, no download |
| Waiting list | Yes | Partly | School feature | Partly | Partly | Partly |
| Theory & practical test dates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Money & admin | ||||||
| Who has paid, who owes you | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payment records & financials | Yes | Income & pass-rate reports | Yes | Yes | Finance + tax exports | Yes |
| Export pupils, lessons & payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic lesson reminders | Yes | Email (WhatsApp coming) | Yes | yes, plus SMS | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-instructor / school mode | Focused on solo — no bloat | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
A note on fairness. We build Lesson Diary, and it is one of the tools on this page — so read the comparison with that in mind. Every rival figure was checked on 27 August 2026 against each company’s own website. Prices and plans change; if you spot something out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
Sources: DriveSchoolPro, Total Drive, MyDriveTime, GoRoadie Pro, Passly
The management tools without the overhead
Pupil records, DVSA progress, payment tracking and reminders — one login, £9.99 a month. Free for 7 days.