Reviews of Top Notch Driving School of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Carpinteria (Driving School)

Ryan Lack

super great course!! my driving instructor herbert was very helpful and chill. The tips he gave me, specifically about how to stay focused on the dashboard and use spacial awareness, are things I won’t forget. Definitely recommend!

DANIEL CORREA

Great learning experience With the driving teacher Mike

Bao Tran

Love every detail of these driving lessons with Herbert. This is my first time learning how to drive so I want to take a driving school, even my friends keep telling me that they can teach me with their cars. No way, I want to drive properly with an instructor so I can drive with confidence, either on the freeway or on any road. Herbert is a wonderful instructor, his lessons are really great. After only a few lessons, I can drive with confidence and I learned all the tips to be a safe driver. He cares about your driving skills and is very chill and nice to drive with. He explained everything things so well and let you practicing several times if you made a mistake until you felt comfortable. Thank you very much, Herbert, I will keep you updated about my BTW test in the next 2 weeks. I strongly recommend this driving school and Herbert. Time and money are well spent.

OLIVIA LAPIERRE

Great experience! I had Herbert as my instructor and he’s a great teacher. Passed the DMV test after 5 lessons

Jennifer Spinnin

Excellent instructors and it is also affordable.

Richard Cummings

So pleased with my daughters Drivers Training. I can see the confidence the instructors at Top Notch Driving School have helped her gain. Her skills within the 3 lessons have grown so much.

Adam Spradley

The driving sessions were fun and educational, they really prepare you well for the test.

Rio Tanizaki

I was impressed at how Herbert teaches and many tips he gave me even though I thought I was kinda getting used to driving when I took Herbert's lesson for the first time. He knows how DMV sees an applicant and what kind of route they are asking. So we can practice driving with the reality and I actually felt that the examiner's instructions sounds easier. Highly recommend for anyone who wanna know about driving!

Jason Spievak

We had a great experience with Top Notch Driving School. Our daughter's instructor, Herb Cook, was awesome. He was reliable and showed up on time. He understood what her needs and concerns were and prepared her well for the license test. She passed on her first try. Thanks Herb!

Piper La Rocca

I had a wonderful experience learning how to drive at my own pace. Herbert, my instructor, let me get comfortable with turning and gradually speeding up/slowing down before introducing me to the streets of SB. He let me learn, and experience driving at a good pace, which is really helpful...I wasn't pushed into going straight onto the freeway, or driving downtown. He was a very nice instructor which made the whole experience better as well. I hope to take my driving test soon, and I want to thank Herbert for prepping me!!

Dan Watkins

Top Notch was an excellent choice for us. They are courteous and helpful. Our son worked with Herb Cook and it was the perfect fit for us. He was patient, knowledgeable, and spent time instilling a strong foundation from which we can build on. Our son is a confident defensive driver and there are no white-knuckles for his parents when he drives. Thank you Top Notch and Herb!

Ma Lianne Gil

Excellent school and Instructor. Very thorough and detailed! Highly recommended!

Niko Cvitanic

Herb Cook is a fantastic driving instructor. He's calm, informative, and always manages to keep you safe no matter what situation the student puts them self in. Overall Top Notch is a great driving school and I recommend it to any new drivers!

Mimi Vorosmarthy

Herbert was a great instructor! He knew all the vital real life info on how to drive safe but also the theory in which we'd most likely be tested on, so instead of just knowing how much the DMV wants us to know, we learn much more valuable applicable irl skills for being a defensive driver! Super enjoyable lesson, highly reccommend :-)

Emily Donelan

Herbert’s the best

Miles Marcelline

Herbert was a great instructor and a super chill and easygoing guy. It makes it a lot easier to get good at driving with a guy who knows as much about the fundamentals as he does. Would definitely recommend this school to anyone.

Theresa Koenig

They give great tips for parents practicing driving with their kids which can be challenging the first few times of driving. All parents should hear these tips before they let their child drive on today's busy streets. Downtown Santa Barbara is a very challenging place to drive since there are many one-way streets. Not only does Top Notch prepare students for passing their basic DMV test but also teaches students to be defensive drivers in any city their whole life. Don't go anywhere else for your Santa Barbara drivers education!

Marianna Riabkina

I had a very positive experience with Top Notch driving shool and instructor Herbert Cook. I took one 2 hours lessons to practice and get useful comments and advices for passing a behind the weel test. I am new to Santa Barbara and came from a different country, I felt very unconfident driving in town leaving alone to pass easily a test . I got many very useful advices not only how to pass a test successfully but also learnt about defensive driving techniques that are very useful for my day by day driving. For me it was worth the money spent and now I feel much more confident in driving. I recommend this school , they are doing a great job.

Odessa Stork

All of my experiences with Top Notch Driving School were professional, prompt, and extremely helpful. Herbert was my instructor, and I feel thoroughly ready for the test after my lessons. Top Notch Driving School has my highest recommendations for anybody in the area!

Alexandra Augustin

Herbert is an exceptional driver. He’s very patient and calm which is what I needed since I was very nervous being an older driver. He taught me how to drive safely and confidently and I passed my driving test with flying colors. I couldn’t recommend Herb highly enough!

Aditya Malik

Herb is an excellent instructor. He really knows hiw to teach and is easy going. Much recommended

Andy Nguyen

I usually don't write reviews, however my experience with Herb as an instructor has been phenomenal. He remained calm and collected and in control throughout all of my lessons and trained me not only for the driving test-- but also to be a safer driver in reality. Covering all the nuances as well as common driver mistakes, advanced driving techniques, and even how to repair a car-- Herb is extremely well experienced in not only everything about cars however knows the area like the back of his hand. Thanks to him I passed the Drive Test on my first try!

Tyler Lewis

Herbert was my driving instructor. He was great and thouroughly taught me how to be a quality driver. He gave me valuable tips on how to pass my driving test and is also an overall fun person to spend time with.

Philip Nordblad

It was a great learning experience. I had Herb and he was great! I felt calm and relaxed while he was giving me great advice

Jean-Baptiste Bouhier

Very pedagogical instructor. Clear communication and very pleasant administration if you ever need to reschedule lessons. Would drive again.

Lamont Stiff

My driving instructor was Herb, and he was great! He taught me a lot about defensive driving and was fun to talk to. Passed the test on my first try!

Gabriel Arteaga

Instructor was great! Taught me a lot about safe driving and was very relatable

Oliver Zuchowicz

Great teaching about collisions and general road safety. Herb is very experienced and your time in the car with him will be chill.

Izabell B

Giving high marks to this school. The scheduling was the easiest, instructor Herbert was very helpful, highly qualified, but most importantly - he cared! Not only he spent some extra time and attention during lessons, he even followed up after to make sure that my young niece passed the test! Great service, courtesy and consideration. BEST!

Anthony Willis

Best place, right price and best instructors !!!! My elder son had 3 classes with them and he learnt driving so easily. Instructors are so kind and well Trained. Perfect school to learn driving !

Laina Graf

topnotchdriving was excellent! For a great instructor ask for Edie!

nallely rios

my experience with instructor herb was awesome! he has so much patience with all his students. i have learned everything i need to know to drive safely on the road because of him !

Carla Mager

My son Drove with Herbert, he was very thorough and left my son with documents to review and supported him while drive on the freeway which was very nervous to do for the first time. I would recommend him as a driving instructor. They were also very good at following up and making sure you had what you needed to finish the course.

Ioana Cristea

I had a wonderful experience with the Top Notch Driving School! I enrolled in the Fast Track session and, as advertised, I learned how to drive after 5 classes (10 hours). Herbert Cook was my instructor and he was awesome! I am very grateful for his patience and chillaxed way of instructing. I was very anxious when I first started, but by the end of the first class he already managed to make me feel comfortable behind the wheel. He instantly figured out my weak points and worked on them one step at a time. Needless to say, I feft significant improvements at the end of each session. He also gave me useful feedback at the end of each class, advising me on what I still need to work on in between classes. He was also very reliable, always showing up on time and flexible with the pick-up locations. This was an awesome experience thanks to my instructor. Thank you very much, Herbert!!

Arielle Holtz

Herbert was great, he was super patient and chill and made it really easy for me even though I'm a super inexperienced driver he really knows what he's doing when it comes to helping students advance while still focusing on saftey. I felt super safe knowing her was there in case I was unsure about anythjng and he just made the whole process of driving( somthing that I had a lot of issues with in the past) so much easier I can't wait to keep driving with him and am super happy I found top notch

Liam Mundy

Teachers know their stuff. Really helpful and friendly people.

Shannon Yates

I had a great experience with one of the driving training teachers, Herbert. The two main things he taught me that I found extremely helpful was how to safely change lanes as well as getting on and off the freeway. If it wasn’t for this driving school, I wouldn’t have passed my test to get my license. I would definitely recommend this driving school to anyone who is preparing to take the test to get their license!

Mary Raven

Top Notch was easy to work with and the instructor Herb was great with our daughter. He provided things to work on between lessons and being the passenger became less terrifying as she progressed. Our daughter passed her driving test the first time with only two minor errors. Yea!

elsa rivera

Top Notch Driving School has been the best! They’ve been so kind to me and my instructor Herbert was excellent. I was taught so many things on how to become a defensive driver and have become more confident when driving. I would totally reccomend Top Notch!

Vanessa Neale

Top Notch were great. Herb, the instructor, is very calm and knowledgable. Both of our daughters passed their driving test!

Lauren Hovey

My experience with Top Notch Driving School was great! I had zero driving experience before my first lesson, but Herb was a great instructor and was able to show me the ropes. By the end of my third lesson I was more than prepared for my driving test.

Pempa Dema

Hello.How could I apply for this?

Ryan Sze

I was nervous and worried about driving around the area as well as on the freeway, but then with Herbert’s clear instruction and necessary control over the vehicle, he made the environment very calm and encouraging. It was a great first experience for a driving lesson.

Rosie Valencia

Top notch driving school was an amazing experience thanks to all three of my instructors especially terry! She gave excellent tips that she had about my driving specifically on what to improve on and answered all my questions comments and concerns without a doubt! Kind and experienced teachers that will help you step by step on how to pass your test. It’s the little things that people don’t catch or habits we need to get rid of that will definitely assist you in the long run in your driving life!

Herb Cook

Hi! I'm Herbert Cook the driving instructor. I have 6 years of experience working with over 4 thousand students. I'm familiar with all the challenges of the Santa Barbara and the Goleta community. Learning to drive downtown Santa Barbara is a good opportunity. 2 vs 4 stop signs is a great skill. Merging onto freeways & One Ways are easy for me to teach with the easy going techniques ive developed. There are 3 no right on red signs and 3 no left turns signs in the SB area and i teach students how these scenarios relate to inching and edging. Spacing is key to no rear ends. I know what the Inspectors are looking for at both the Santa Barbara & Goleta DMV. I'm very easy to drive with.

John Smith

I was learning for a few months with weekly lessons. I looked forward to every week and I progressed every week onto new stuff. My instructor was always very relaxed and his teaching enabled me to pass first time with only three minors. I would recommend him and the school to anyone who wishes to drive.

TheIronLegion

Great instructors and very friendly! They know what they’re talking about

Seth Echavarria

Herb is a top notch instructor. I appreciate how calm he is in the car with a rookie.

Isabelle Chartrand

I had a great experience with Top Notch Driving School. Herbert was a great instructor and helped me get over my fear of driving and pass my dmv test. Would recommend to anyone in need of driving lessons.

Kai Hansen

Lessons were very helpful when preparing for the behind the wheel test. It made passing first try less stressful.

Rose M

My experience with Top Notch has been excellent. I purchased a fast- track package of 5 lessons. Herbert is a great teacher, and he instills the confidence to be a good driver, but also one that drives safely. I have seen gradual improvements with my driving, my turns, and being aware of my surroundings while driving. Each lesson is 2 hours long. I like that every lesson not only introduces a new skill to work on , but also builds on what i've learned in the previous lessons. Herbert is great at making one practice on smooth driving, even if that means doing it over and over until I get it right. For me, Top notch has been worth paying for!

Van Vo

I passed the driving test and was even complimented on how great my driving was by the tester at the DMV and it's ALL THANKS TO HERB! My permit was going to expire in 3 weeks and I freaked out because I had little to no driving practice at all! I called the number listed on this Google page and the sweet lady over the phone was more than cooperative when booking the three driving lessons (2 hours each = 6 hours total) and made sure that I would be able to take my driving test on time! Herb was my instructor and he was super easy to work with and went above and beyond in educating me about driving etiquettes, definitely more than what I needed to just pass the test! But what shocked me the most was how based off of just SIX HOURS of practicing with Herb (yes, I didn't even practice on my own outside of lessons because I didn't have a car!), I was able to pass the test with flying colors! He did a splendid job drilling important skills they were going to test me on and made sure I mastered them in time for the test. On the day of the test, he made the best of the little time we had before my appointment and had me warm up and review all the skills he taught me. I am more than happy to recommend Herb to ANYONE who wants to become a great, safe driver! He truly cares about his students' driving and taught me way beyond the driving test level.

caden scheiblauer

Herbert was very helpful. He taught me what I need to know not only to pass the driving test but to be the best defensive driver for a lifetime. Would defiantly recommend to anyone learning how to drive.

Hayden Carlson

I had three extremely and very positive three lessons with Herb and Joe. They are very good instructors and I learned very much from them. They were the most perfect instructors, and I can’t thank them enough for the help.

Cheryl Jose

Thanks to Herb from Top Notch Driving School, I got my driving License in the first attempt!!! I did not have a lot of experience in driving previously and I just enrolled for the Fast Track driving course. I asked if I could get my driving lessons from Herb after reading the reviews about him from yelp and I can gladly tell he is the indeed the best and the coolest instructor !!! With barely any practice and experience, I was able to get the driving license and that's because of him. Thank you Top Notch and Thank you so much Herb !!

Diego Salcedo

great learning experience. instructors are very out going. eddy and herbert. great guys, highly recommend this driving school is one of the best in town

Ryan Kaldi

I had Herbert as my instructor, and I couldn't have made a better choice. Herbert is a very supportive and informational instructor. He's very detail oriented and teaches you everything you need to know, without being too overbearing for new students. He'll really help you understand driving rules, as well as what to expect for your driving test. Great experience, would definitely recommend to anyone looking for driving lessons new or experienced.

David Morales

Amazing teacher and safe environment to learn how to practice driving. Goes over all rules of driving and how to safely follow them. Great service!!

Kaileigh Pardo

The best driving experience ever! Each lesson was very educational but also very enjoyable. Herbert was coolest and chillest teacher ever but had very useful tips that I will never forget.

aden capps

Herb is a str8 boss. My only critique is that he is too good at teaching people to drive

Karen Martin

Ask for Herb. He is so nice, respectful and chill in the car. No yelling! Both my twins passed their test the first time. Easy peasy

Elena Kozitsina

I had my first driving practice lesson with Herbert and was very happy with how it went, I learned a lot and gained more confidence driving. Request Herbert if you want to pass the driving exam. Good luck, everybody!

ava sutherland

I recommend this driving school to everyone. I had Herb, a great driving instructor. It was fun and chill. He was fun and taught me very well.

LouisVids 9

Top Notch has the coolest drivers education. They know all the best places to drive.

C Parker

I had a great experience with Top Notch & with the chill instructor Herb. He taught me how to check all 3 mirrors before changing lanes and how to safely merge onto and off of the freeway. Also tons of practice parking, turning, slowing down, all good things. Highly recommended!

Julia Biederman

Herbert was my driving instructor. He was funny, professional, he is good at being critical but at the same time being nice. He has definitely made me feel more prepared