Reviews of Brookline Driving School (Driving School)

Sean Augustine-Obi

Ilya is the best! I failed my road test in another state but passed thanks to him!

Anthony Cato

Ilya is awesome and he is the main reason I passed my driving test. An hour before I was scheduled to take the road test, I took a lesson with Ilya where he showed me how to drive to pass the test. Today, I am a licensed driver.

Christian Bracher

My instructor for drivers ed was a great guy and made it very intriguing for a subject for a topic that seems dull. Class was a grind but for sure not a wasted week.

shireen jan

Guaranteed Learning experience all staff members want you to be able to learn for lifetime not only test. Also the road test is in a great area. passing road test is 100% through them which is awesome.

paul wiggins

It's a must. This school was very helpful and calming in taking my road test.

Lisa lopez

An unpleasant experience. The guy answering the phone is very rude. You have to be lucky to get a professional instructor

Diana Eusse

Please avoid this school. Overcrowed, difficult to schedule and rude. But let me tell you one more that absolutely crossed the line. My daughter was asked to drive to a very busy area and the instructed asked her to park the car at a Marshall’s. The left her alone for over 15 minutes while he went into store. When we called to addressed this innapropiate behavior, the excuse was the driver was in the bathroom. Not only she was alone in the car with a stranger (we were told there were always with other students), she was left alone in parking lot, and she was never told about a bathroom break. It is totally unacceptable, irresponsable. The cards only have signatures (instead of printed names) so we cannot even get the instructor’s name to disscuss with owner of school. Again, as a mother of a young woman, this is absolutely unacceptable and the school has to address this seriously.

fredens altine

Just pass my road test the instructor were very helpful I will recommend taking your road test there.

sage lapides

my experience with the driving school was amazing. the instructions are very friendly and helpful, they talk you through everything and make you feel comfortable and ready to take your road test.

Krista Son

I had a great and positive experience with the Brookline Driving School! I signed up for the 10 hour private lessons and I was happy with all of the instructors that I got... James, Viktor, Eric, Juan, and Ina . The beginning of each lesson was practicing for the road test and the rest of the time was spent navigating the local roads. Each instructor had their own tricks and ways of teaching, which I loved! I also passed the road test on the FIRST try! I would recommend this driving school to everyone!

Preethi Padmanaban

I had a good experience with Brookline driving school. Road test was easy to schedule. I recommend working with Boris.B and Eric. They explain well and easy to learn from.

Olga

I have new skills through school instructors. It was good. Thanks guys.

Inga Yengoyan

I want to THANK VICTOR for his wonderful lessons which helped me to get my driver's license. He is very professional, excellent instructor who made me confident in my driving skills. Thank you for the lessons and I highly RECOMMEND this school to others who want to be a good driver and get their license from the 1st time.

Hussien Zahran

A great learning experience, even if you are a driving master they will learn something new, had the privilege to get a driving lesson and passed the exam after following the tips and tricks.

prattana nunprasit

Bad experience. I booked drive test today. They said i booked difference date next month. How possible that the school manage all the booking. Soooo disappointed.

Serge Soucy

A few words about Brookline Driving + they did help me pass the road test - although there isn't much to the road test to begin with - can be quite pricey + pretty good instructors + and I felt good behind the wheel with most of them - except for this one man named Ygor, if you end up driving with him then prepare to have some patience. He's a bit hard to understand and driving with him was difficult. So as with many driving schools this place isn't too bad but it isn't great either from my experience. Although if you spend just a few minutes looking at drivers in Boston, you'll see that everything you're taught is dismissed by everybody else, so with that in mind I try and give the school some support. Please drive safe.

Tao He

Never go to this school to take road test any more. One of the examiner, an old guy, the ID/signature of him is "TN11", has failed me 3 times in a row. I have many years of driving experience, I can't believe he is so mean to me. I am a Asian, though I am not good at complain, I have to give this review to share.

M C

Positives: - I was prepared to pass my road test after a few driving hours. (I also practiced at home. If you want to practice 3 point turns or parallel parking, then you must ask the instructor specifically otherwise the only thing you'll be doing is driving around). - They pick you up from your house and drop you off again (once you pick up another student, however). - Cars are small and easy enough to navigate for first-timers. - The owner and very few instructors are friendly. - They take you to the Brookline High School to practice a few times before the actual road test which was very helpful! - Drivers I recommend: Eric and Ilya(?) or Yuri(?) (a woman) Negatives: - Customer service is awful - the staff is rude (especially on the phone! Prepare to be put on hold for a while. They are quite difficult to talk to). I understand they they are busy, but everyone is a paying customer. - Unprofessional (sometimes they show up late, or stop you in the middle of the lesson so that they can get something to eat, don't care about your schedule etc.). - Out of the several instructors that I had, half of them were not friendly, and they did not create a positive atmosphere when driving. - Expect at least 30/45 min for the other student to drive you home or wherever you need to go, so plan your day accordingly. Despite all of these negatives however, I've also heard that they are one of the better driving schools in the area.. As long as you stick to the good instructors, then you'll be fine.

Fawzia Nur

not professional at all...........

bost sam

Passed my road test today. Amazing school,nice instructors ... thanks so much Brookline Driving School.

Rahul Nair

Really friendly teachers , helped overcome the anxiety of the driving test. The instructor was very friendly before the test and went through every point. Passed on the first try!!!

Charlotte Vedrenne

I was very anxious about driving (never driven before) but the instructors made me feel confortable and prepared me well for the road test as I have just passed.

Khayi Bright

Staff can be inconsiderate and have a tendency to rush you. I took 8 driving classes with them, on one particular session my instructor was late and I lost part of my hour. As for the driving test you'd be better off, taking your test with the RMV because Brookline Driving School has you pay $130 (for "sponcer", car and driving test itself) and if you fail they you still have to pay the RMV $35

Alex Park

I had two instructors and one of them was fantastic. She was humorous and very thorough with her instructions. The other person was cranky and had such an attitude. I felt really uncomfortable and even had to try not to be upset while driving because of how he was treating me. Make sure you drive with an instructor that has good reviews here. The nice lady was Margeret(not sure but was something like that) and the other instructor’s name was Yuri. Also at the road test, the examiner was rude but the staff was really nice. He made sure people weren’t nervous before the exam, and gave some great last minute tips. The staffs I talked on the phone with were all nice too. I have such mixed feelings about this place.

Shalom Tsur

Amazing team!!! Thanks again guys:)

Tamara Shevchenko

I took several lesson to restart driving after long brake. It was great experience : proffecional paition teachers ( 2 of them on different dates) .I wish to thank my driving teacher for give me confidence and refresh my knowledge . Thank you very much!

Fahimeh Baftizadeh

I practiced with "Boris B" two times, he is really a good instructor! I would recommend him. He is tough but you will learn a lot from him!

Kayla Cody

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT do business with this establishment! Worst experience of my life! Because I'm from the Boston/Brookline-area, I thought it would be best to give Brookline Driving School a chance. I REGRET THIS DECISION! The staff is horribly rude and unprofessional. I have been yelled at, scorned, and disrespected on more than one occasion. My last driving lesson was with a man named Igor. He (and the vehicle) reeked of stale cigarettes. He even smoked a cigarette during my lesson! Ridiculous! This instructor was also extremely unhelpful - I told him specifically what I wanted to work on (parallel parking, 3 point turning, and driving in reverse) but we barely worked on ANY of these components. Igor yelled at me while driving and often gave me wrong information. For example, I was driving 30 mph in a 30 mph zone, yet I was told to speed up because other cars were behind me. He said I was slowing down traffic. What kind of sense does this make? Another instructor I had with Brookline Driving School was just as bad (I forgot his name). He kept talking and talking, but wasn't allowing me to actually drive. I paid for a 1-hour lesson, but only 15 minutes were used to practice what I wanted to practice. On another note, both instructors were late picking me up and didn't offer to extend my driving time due to their tardiness. The instructors over talked me, often ignoring whatever it was I was saying. I could not believe the level of disrespect I experienced with this driving school. The owner is also very short-tempered and doesn't value the customers that keep his business running. I will certainly look into switching driving schools because I refuse to do business with these people anymore. I also plan on contacting the BBB to report their unprofessional misconduct. Horrible experience!

Mokhidilkhon Abdullajanova

I passed the road test thanks to the coaching of James!

Shail Shah

Rude on the phone. I made a reservation and they didn't show up. Wouldn't answer the phone or emails. Finally I somehow got a hold of them and they were rude yet again. Would not recommend.

H. Alexander Chen

This driving school unfortunately left a mediocre experience for me. I do admire the fact that the instructors are friendly and willing to help. However, they often, or almost always, show up late and end early, and uses class time inefficiently.

Esther Oh

Staff is extremely impatient and rude. Most of them just get mad at you for making mistakes. There are some staffs who are very nice and teach well, but a lot of them aren't. I had a very unpleasant experience and I don't recommend it AT ALL. Also, they all teach you different things.Every instructor has different ways of parallel park and they yell at you when you don't follow their style. Not only that, a lot of the staffs teach you obviously incorrect things to you and yell at you. I had one instructor who told me to stop right behind the car in front of me when I was stopping at a red light. Like, RIGHT behind that I couldn't even see the car's back tire or bumper. The same instructor also constantly grabber my handle and drove with no reason. Another instructor yelled at me for going slow when I was driving at 20 mph in a school zone. He also yelled at me when I was going putting some distance between the car and a school bus in front of me even though the bumper of the school bus clearly said, "keep 100 ft". Don't recommend this school AT ALL and I would give negative stars if I could.

Leena Kaikkonen

Scheduled my road test through Brookline driving school. I got rapid answer to my email inquiry, and my road test was in 2.5 weeks. Everything went smoothly, a man from driving school was supporting us while waiting for the test. Very friendly service, thank you!

Peter Tuan

Some great instructors, particularly John. Terrible lady receptionist that represents management. Rude and mean to customers. I signed up for a road test for $120, heard that it was cancelled by the RMV, and she says explicitly that it would be an additional $20 for them to reschedule but demands that I pay the $120 again. When I asked how that makes sense since I had not received the service, she refused to answer. I don't mind that the road test was canceled, that happens. But it doesn't seem fair to me that my $120 goes to waste and it would only cost them $20, in their own words, to rearrange the road test. Most convenient school for residents in Brookline. It's too bad that they put money making over fairness and treating customers like human beings.

Ross Webber

Completely disorganized. Rude staff. Booked a private lesson. Guy showed up 10 minutes late and immediately started arguing with me that he was on time and I was late, what? When I tried to plead my case and ask him to add the time on to the end of my $100! Lesson he refused and accused me of having "no common sense".

Amanda Hill

I had scheduled a driving lessons and on the day of I became sick. When I tried to call to let the owner know that I was sick and had tried calling him to cancel prior to the appointment, he screamed at me for not showing up even though he never called to let me know someone was on the way. The appointment was scheduled before hours so I couldn't reach them to cancel. At the end of the conversation he hung up in my face. He is a very disrespectful insubordinate jerk and he needs to take some of his own damn lessons on how to treat people. He has very poor customer service skills and he is getting $0.00 from me.

Kevin Palmer

Completely unprofessional. I've had appointment times changed with no notification, last minute cancellations, rude instructors, incorrect pickup locations, too many problems to list. The instructors aren't bad, but the bookkeeping and office staff are terrible. Would not recommend.

Gabriele Oliaro

I just got my driver's license. I had a very good experience at Brookline Driving School, and I definitely recommend it!

A Andres

Mary is indeed a wonderful teacher. She was very patient told me more than I needed to know. Mary was prompt and on time. The school itself charges you exactly what they say they'll charge. I highly recommend this school. Especially if you prefer private lessons.

K V

I took the drivers education course at Brookline Sriving School and had a generally positive experience. The 30 hours in the classroom were not the most fun thing in the world, but the instructor did her best to keep it interesting. It covers the material you need for the written test so I think it would have been more helpful for me if I had taken it before I got my permit. With the Driver's Ed program, you also get 12 hours of driving with an instructor. All the instructors are different, so some will obviously be better than others. I will admit I had some pretty bad experiences with certain instructors, but I also had some really good ones with others. I would recommend asking for either Mary or Manny. I enjoyed my lessons with these two. Both were super nice and really helpful. The school also helps you with scheduling the road test. They provide a car and a sponsor and the test takes place in an area where you would have likely already practiced in during lessons. Brookline Driving School really prepares you. I'm glad I found it and learned to drive with them.

WellGround

Great class. Love the teacher - very funny and keeps the class engaged.

yanshen xu

Had such a great experience with BDS. The coach Ina (forgive me if I spell your name wrong) was funny and patient and knowledgeable. I had five hours driving lesson and passed the road test on 4/29. Strongly recommend. Worth the money and time. Thank you, BDS!

Brett Wakley

Had a great lesson with Mary, passed the road test first time. The whole process was really efficient.

Amy May

Very unprofessional!!! If I can give negative star I would! They have no problem scheduling for you and rushing you to a class and take your money but when they schedule the wrong time they still expect you to go! I am sick and couldn't go and wanted to cancel but the office was closed and don't know who to call, also the lesson was 5:30-8pm but the driver got to my place at 6:30! Then today the guy I talked to for scheduling my classes called twice and was very rude! Saying I didn't go to the class and didn't let me explain why or care that I sound sick! I tried to explain I was sick and wanted to reschedule but didn't know who to call but instead he interrupted me yelling "are you going to go you have a class today! " I replied "no I'm not-" interrupted again "THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT!" HANG'S UP! This place is very unprofessional and I saw some reviews where they overcharge you on your card! I'm so glad I didn't give them my card seeing how I will be charge and will have to fight for my refund after that terrible service! The guy had a accent which made it hard to understand him on the phone and if you ask him nicely to repeat what he said he'll yell at you! That's what happened when I was calling to schedule my classes. Worst service ever!!!! What professional would yell at you on the phone just because you asked them to repeat the information and yells at you to want to cancel due to you being sick which you have no control over!!!!! Just make sure you pay after a day of the school and see if you like it, if not you can cancel and just pay for that day, or hour of class instead the full amount!

satyaki prasad

Ask for Emanuel or Eric. They are great teachers!

Anthony Pierre Jr.

I was comfortable driving on the road with my father teaching me. But I was even MORE comfortable when I was taught by Brookline Driving School. The instructors were great and I learned a lot of road skills and tips. Passed the road test with flying colors, and I am happy I passed because of this driving school.

Shanita Sullivan

Great experience. Receptionist was helpful and courteous. My driving instructor Vitaly was great. Very knowledgeable and friendly. I will recommend to everyone who needs practice for a road test or extra experience.

Gene A.

I had a road test scheduled on September 10th. When I arrived to the location where the road test takes place that day, Ilya told me that I was not on the list for that day for some reason. I was really surprised to hear that cause I've paid full price for the test when I first got to BDS office, it was about a month ago. Anyway, Ilya said I can't take the test because of the mistake that one of the employees made not including me on the list. And honestly Ilya and BDS did absolutely nothing to resolve the issue that they caused. This way I wasted a month and wasn't able to take the test at the end. Needless to say that it wasn't the result I was looking for.

Bram Willemsen

Fantastic experience. I have a foreign license, but put off getting an American one for many years since the road tests are so hard to book and you need to have a patient sponsor. At Brookline Driving School booking the exam is much easier. Also, I just took a single 2 hour refresher class where we practiced at the exam parcour. Knowing all the tricks and routine operations asked during the exam, the entire procedure was a piece of cake. Passed in a single attempt. Highly recommend this place

Dramar B.

This class was a lot more informative then I thought it would be and I learned a lot that I did not expect to. I learned how many different precautions you must take in different adverse conditions. Overall I actually enjoyed this class more then I expected to. I enjoyed how you had real-life stories and examples to show and teach the points you were making.

Ella Harty

I went to Brookline drivers school boylston street to prepare for my road test, I took the five hours driving training and I had learned so much.. I learned and was so pleased and comfortable with Eric on on the instructors took me twice for driving lessons.. Eric was very accommodating and helpful and actually taught me so basics I will carry with me my whole life. Elias works at the office orgzing all documents and appointments, he was great solving problems and made me feel comfortable, if you are looking for a school to learn driving I recommend Brookline driving school! They prepared me so well to pass my road test and answered all my questions, and I did passed! Thank you all for helping me to get my drivers license and teaching me all the valuable lessons :)

Karan Jain

I had a great experience with Brookline Driving School. I took a class and the road test with them. An hour of class would cost $50 and the road test was $130. My class instructor was very polite and very resourceful. As I already knew how to drive, She gave all the tips necessary for the road test. On the day of road test, the sponsor/owner is present to give you last minute tips and guides you not to make silly mistakes. Overall, I would strongly recommend Brookline Driving School over any other Schools out there.

mehtap piral

The school quality is high. I learned a lot but Mary is the best instructor ever. You’ll pass the test easy and very quick after taking classes with her as I did! More than 5 starts for you Mary!!!

王今朝

The teachers at this school are dedicated, humorous, and really helpful!

Rotem Hemo

Ilya was a great driving instructor and the service was fantastic. He explained all needed to pass the road test on the first attempt!

Victoria Racine

10 out of 10 would recommend, I just finished the week long intensive course, my instructor was incredibly kind and not to mention hilarious, making class time enjoyable and engaging.

xiu ming he

Generally speaking, I enjoyed learning driving with this school. I passed the road test thanks to the coaching of James, a nice instructor who cares about his students' life and spares no efforts to make them good drivers. A five star goes to James and may be a four star goes to the school.

Google User

Ilya made driving school as enjoyable as it could be the material is obviously not so exciting but nothing can be done about that. Ilya makes class more fun and his upbeat attitude and funny or sad stories make class go by faster. All in all Ilya was a great teacher and completely made the class. Thank you.

Marta Banuelos

Brookline Driving School is the best!!! My experience is nothing short of outstanding! We had a negative experience with AAA Driving School because of scheduling on their end and no show teachers so we gave up and switched. Brookline Driving School exceeded our expectations. As a business owner myself who deals with teaching clients and improving client confidence, I can honestly say the quality, the instructors, and the scheduling in phenomenal here. The instructors build confidence on Day 1 and make new drivers feel good about their learning process as it really takes time. Our instructor showed up to our second lesson in a car the size of mine - just brilliant! I am so impressed I even called and thanked them myself. If you are not sure if a school is the right fit try a one-hour lesson and see with these guys first. Our pickup spot was convenient to our home, safe, well thought out and even on a T stop. They really do a great job and I highly highly rate them beyond 5 stars here. I am very pleased putting my money here as a Boston resident because I know how scary driving here can be. The student really needs a positive instructor and they have them. We booked 5 hours worth of lessons and if we find that more is needed we won't hesitate to book. Thank you Brookline Driving School staff, you knocked it out of the park!

Shuang Zhou

Just passed my road test. It was an enjoyable experience with this driving school. Awesome teachers and very helpful instructions. Everything went smoothly. Highly recommend!

maria Estevez

I really recommend scheduling your driving lessons with Mary or Eric! They're very patient instructors!

Sarah T

The owner yelled at my daughter, made her feel extremely uncomfortable, and more nervous than she already was. This is not the kind of place you can trust to do a good or professional job. I am astounded that they have received good reviews because this was a terrible experience for my daughter and myself. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR LESSONS WITH BROOKLINE DRIVING SCHOOL. Try Cam's Auto instead.

Dung Le

I think the man (the owner? idk) is very nice and professional towards his customers and actually care. Some instructors are great (I recommend Victor), some are rude and unprofessional. But yea overall I'm happy with the experience with the place.

Angelice Canales

I loved Brenda! she was my instructor! and then when I went on Saturday to get my road test done they were very pleasant and nice and explained in detail what they might do and what the might not do in terms on performing behind the wheel. I loved it and had a great experience 5/5 they're amazing.

Carolina Schott Olivo

The Drivers Ed theory class time experience and having Ilya as a teacher was amazing! All the information we were receiving was very applicable and easy to understand. Great teacher!

Patrick Gallo

Great course. Ilya, the instructor, was experienced and he knows what he is doing. This is undeniably the best value and quality of any driving course in greater boston.

Sheridan Williams

Great school. They prepare you well for the test which is easy compared to their lessons, and they tell you exactly what you have to do to avoid failing. Over 95% of people pass. Also for people who don't like the guy answering the phone, he is actually very nice, I was short like 2 bucks but he allowed it.

Jennifer Turpin

Mary is an awesome instructor. She's very natural and at ease in her lessons which is wonderful! Also, the benefit of being able to book your driving test through the school. Finding a vehicle with a center hand brake is tougher than thought. Booking through the school allows you to use their vehicle while taking the test in Brookline, on a Saturday and earlier than the RMV offers (my options were 4 week wait to take the test in Haverhill or a 5 week wait to take the test in Lowell, Boston and Cambridge weren't available for months through the RMV website).

The Titan Wolf

Called in to let them now i wouldnt be able to make a class 24 hours prior, they recieved the message but didnt relay it to the instructor, im in the wrong and penalized 100$ for their mistake, if your looking to take classes here, think twice and fine alternatives.

Mariia Yelizarova

My experience with the school: EXCELLENT Number of lessons: 9 (bought ten pack, had to miss one for business) Teacher: Viktor (I requested to have the same teacher for all 9 classes as it was important to me for continuity. If you do not request this, you might have different teachers each time) Road test: passed on the first try last Saturday Scheduling experience: I read all the reviews about scheduling mistakes, so I made sure to double check every lesson and exam time on the phone. I had no issue with this, all my lessons were on time and went as planned. Administrators were super friendly. Lesson Experience: Viktor was very patient, taught me everything I needed to know for the exam. Explained how to parallel park, do a K-turn, drive on state routes and in the city. Answered my hundred questions about rules of the road, intersections, etc. I was really scared of driving, so I appreciated a very calm, "safety first" teaching approach. Exam: when I went into the exam I was super nervous, but I warmed up by driving for an hour or so before the exam. Viktor and Ilya were super reassuring and calming while everyone waited. Ilya reminded us of common mistakes and pitfalls. This was useful because going over the familiar info over and over again helps distract from exam nerves. Conclusion: recommend. Will be signing up for highway lessons with them after I get comfortable driving downtown.

Xiaoying Zhu

I'm really glad that I took driving lessons at Brookline Driving School before the Road Test. My intructors (Inna and Juan) were terrific: Encouraging, accurate, and attentive. I received a lot of very helpful tips on how to be a better driver from Juan, Inna, and Ilya! I would not have passed my Road Test on a snowy day if I didn't take the driving lessons. Thank you guys!!!

itay nevo

Great school! Keeps you interested and aware.

Asel Tulesheva

I totally recommend this driving school! I couldn't pass on my own 2 times at RMV, and my friends advices me to take 2 lessons here and then I passed it easy. Especially there is a good driving instructor his name is Boris. Very patient.

A Google User

Learned a lot. Teacher was fun and made very boring material enjoyable. I would recommend BDS to a friend.

Farah Ali

Had a very good experience with Brookline Driving School. My instructor Eric, was very patient and taught in a very encouraging manner which helped me to pass the test in the first go.

Christian Buscemi

Horrific customer service, hit or miss instruction, rude and unacceptable management robbed me. Avoid and go somewhere else!!!

meghana nadig

Amazing driving school. Learnt my driving here from the basics. The staff are very supportive and Jiri is a nice guide.

Reem Chamseddine

Convenient location and timing for road test! I needed to take the road test but quickly realized that the RMV books out test dates far in advance and that the location of my road test would be quite far from Boston.... Furthermore, the RMV schedules tests in the middle of the day(very difficult if you have a job) and requires test-takers to bring a licensed driver with a registered car that has an accessible emergency break... It seemed like a such a hassle/inconvenience and thus I decided to go with the driving school to schedule my road test. They tell you which Saturdays are available (usually 2-3 weeks ahead, no later) and they provide the "sponsorship" (i.e. car and licensed driver to sit in the car while the test takes place). The test takes place near Brookling high school. As for the test itself, there is an examiner (or two) who comes from the RMV to see how you do just like a regular road test at the RMV. I do not know if they go easier on students taking this test off-site or not, I think they follow similar procedures everywhere and examiners everywhere have slightly different expectations/strictness standards- but it is a little more relaxing to show up knowing what to expect and not having to get somewhere 15 miles away from the city first thing in the morning.

Bhavana Chandradhara

I took 5 hours of driving lessons from this school. They are very effecient in their job. They were very patient with me and taught me all that I needed to know for my road test and also basic skills. Mr Katov was my instructor for all my classes and he is a very good teacher. I was able to clear my road test in one go.

Annie Winton

Clueless secretary and unfriendly service... I gave them the name of my driving instructor who told me how to make my driving appointments and she snaps at me for it... Huge disappointment.

Jin Cui

Overall I have very nice experience taking their driving lessons as well as road test on a weekend. After a few months of home-schooled driving practice, I failed my first road test because I was too nervous and wasn't clear about certain rules. Then I decided to take some driving lessons. The driving school is at a very convenient location and they pick you up, drop you off every time. I had lessons with instructor Carmen for three times - after the first lesson I had very good experience so I asked to book another two lessons with her. She is a very experienced instructor, has been teaching for many years, gives very good instructions and most importantly very nice and patient. I see myself becoming more confident and skillful at driving after taking the lessons. Then the road test is no longer nerve racking. As other reviewers mentioned, for the driving lessons they have the student drivers to pick you up and drop you off, which may take longer. It's probably not the best but if you get prepared for it, it's actually not too bad.

Hilal Guzma

I thought that the class was really entertaining and it made learning fun. Everyone warns you that driving school is very boring but this class was awesome. Thank you so much I learned a lot.

Akanksha Gupta

Excellent teacher and very helpful school.

Upahar Jung Shah

Called to schedule an appointment for a driving class. One who answered the phone was horribly rude. Won't go there.

Charlotte Clinch

The school was great, most driving instructors were great and everything is supplied for you for the road test.

Lital Yodla Lumbroso

I took 1 driving lesson before my road test (already have a license from abroad) and it was vary helpful. The road test was scheduled for 3 weeks from the time I called. The guy who answered the phone is vary rude and not nice.

Ari Gofman

I had one very good lesson with James. However, the company's communication is incredibly rude and unprofessional - I had a road test scheduled and they cancelled it without even letting me know! I only found out when I called to confirm details. I received no apology. They behaved even worse towards a friend who was also taking lessons, yelling at her when she asked basic scheduling questions. Go elsewhere.

John Farnsworth

Brookline Driving School Is the best driving school in the Boston area!

Megna Kuverji

Really good instructors, help you prepare for the exam well. Call to confirm and for any changes. I did my lessons and got my license within a month. I would've liked to get more info about what materials to bring before the test, but other than that I would really recommend this company.

Ketki Joshi

With Brookline Driving school my road test was a piece of cake. They have great instructors. I would specially like to mention Ilya and Eric, they both are excellent instructors and very approachable. I was fortunate to have Eric 1 day before my test. The school made sure to give me reminders before each lesson, they made sure to call me a day before to let me know any changes in the schedule. I would definitely recommend them especially for beginners like me.

june sass

Absolutely one of the worst places to learn to drive. The majority of the staff is extremely hostile, disrespectful, rude and unprofessional. I am not one to write reviews online (especially nasty ones), so this should show you how horrible of an experience i've had with this place. They consistently mis-scheduled my lessons and repeatedly charged me for their mistakes. They yell at you on the phone and take forever to respond and schedule lessons. It took me about two years to finish the Drivers Education course when it should have taken about eight weeks.

Rachel Hadari

A very positive experience with Brookline Driving School. I had a prepsrayory lesdon with Ilya, who was informative, supporting and thorough. Before the test someone was there to take care of paper work support and advice. I definitely recommend.

Mahsa Zehtabian

I took a practice session with Brookline Driving school before my road test, and had a great experience with them. They were very caring and polite. The instructor stayed on site until I finished my exam to make sure I am doing fine.

Lev Persits

Great driving school! Thanks a lot for the advice and the preparation for the test. Passed first time!

ivy moore

Staff is very rude. My daughter had called three days in advance to switch her driving hours and the person on the phone proceed to raise his voice and tell her that she couldn't switch her lesson even though she was calling well before their time period to switch lessons. By far one of the worst costumer service I have ever experienced.

Yasemin Gülhan

Never go to this school again to take road test! The examiner, an old lady, was soooo rude. She made me uncomfortable and nervous. She asked one question and I asked her to repeat cause I couldn’t understand. She raised her voice for nothing. I’ve just asked her to repeat the question for God’s sake! They don’t have right to act like that. I do not recommend!

Trinayan Baruah

I had a really positive experience with Brookline driving school. I did driving classes for 10 hours and passed the road test. All of the instructors that taught me (Yuri, Bat Erdene, Boris, Juan and Vitaly) were really good teachers and taught me the different skills required to drive properly. The teachers were always on time to pick up and there was never any missed classes or late classes. Highly recommend everyone to enroll in classes here if you want to get a positive driver education. You can also book road tests through them which is also very straightforward. Overall really good school and fantastic driving instructors :)

Gimiraldo Mendoza Alberto

I had a good experience with this school. I got my skills better and I recommend to those people that never have driven.

Larysa Davis

I want to THANK Victor, Boris and James for their wonderful lessons which helped me to get my driver,s license. These guys are very professional, excellent instructors who made me confident in my driving skills. Thank you for the lessons and I highly RECOMMEND this school to others who want to be a good driver and get their license from the 1st time.

Margarita Meer

Most of instructors are good. I had four of them, and I recommend Inna and Many. But! Management/customer support is terrible! Most of it is done by the owner, so there is no way to fire him. You have to be ready for this: - A person (a man) on the phone is extremely rude - Another instructor comes to your class, nobody tells you. So, you can't reschedule. In my case the instructor I liked a lot was replaced by the one I didn't like at all. - Instructor is late for your class, no compensation policy - You reschedule the class, but the manager doesn't let the instructor know about it, so you arrive to the meeting point, and there is no one - They lie to cover themselves. For example: they tell you on the phone that the instructor is stuck in traffic, but there is no traffic, and it turns out that they didn't tell him about your class. Or: they tell you your instructor couldn't make it because of emergency. But the reality is that they put your instructor to two lessons at the same time. I had 6 lessons, 3 were screwed up in one way or another. I would only recommend this school for the road test, but not for learning.

Rohan Balakrishna

Very dissapointed by these negative reviews. I have just completed the Drivers Ed course and the teacher, Ilya made the course incredibly enjoyable while also teaching us the imortant aspects of driving. Thanks for a great week!

Zavon B

Passed my test with them, but the person I worked with was quite rude. If you rather not talk, connect, and teach people... DON’T get a job where you have to talk, connect, and teach people.

Igor Sereda

My wife and I came from another country and we needed a to pass driving test to get U.S. driver licenses. Brookline Driving School was recommended to us by a friend and they didn't disappoint. We took a 1-hour lesson each where the instructor walked us through the exercises that we'd need to do during the test. As we had quite a few years of driving experience, we didn't need more lessons, but that one lesson was very helpful in understanding local rules and how the exam is carried out. At the exam day, when we were waiting in the line, the instructor once again went over the important things to remember to make sure we make it. Having this guidance, we passed the test easily. I can highly recommend Brookline Driving School to anyone in the same situation.

Sibendu Dey

Passed my road test today. Awesome school, even better instructors. They will help you work on the weaknesses ( Parallel Driving for me. ).

joanne lau

There are some really bad reviews of Brookline Driving and some great one's but there were some consistently awful ones that made me hesitant to commit. But a friend of mine highly recommended Lester as she had a great experience with him, so I decided to book one lesson to try it out. I am an experienced driver in the UK (but need a US license), but being able to parallel park has always eluded me having no spatial awareness. I was mostly nervous about getting it right straight off, with no touching of curb etc. Lester was absolutely fantastic, he was so laid back and patient, and explained the maneuver in about a thousand different ways so that I eventually got it. I asked if we could just mostly focus on that, so I often spent entire lessons parallel parking, until I could do it 99% of the time. Also for me getting used to driving a larger car etc. Lester is great at working on whatever your weakness is, and bolstering your overall confidence on the road, and I always felt comfortable and enjoyed the lessons. Also after reading some of the yelp reviews I decided not to commit to a block but book lessons on a week by week basis, you do have to pay for the classes that you book, e.g. so if you book more than one you pay for all when you are picked up for your first class, otherwise you pay on the day. In the end I think I only booked 5 lessons with Lester, over 2 weeks. My overall experience with BDS was really good. The office is run by the Russian owners, I always got a phone call or voicemail reminding me the time, date, and fee to bring, before each lesson. A few days before the test, they call to remind you to bring the paperwork, time etc, emails were always answered. I never had any trouble booking lessons by email, or phone. You can get test dates within 2 weeks. I don't know if not handing over all my money in advance had anything to do with the good administrative service ;) But in the end, all you want is to get your license as quickly as possible, and this really boils down to how good your instructor is, Lester was great, and I couldn't recommend him more highly.

Michelle Cruz

This school is a rip-off they schedule my road test so they said and I went to the Brookline high school for it and when I get there they tell me that my permit expired so how did you book a test with a expired permit still took my money and hit me with late fees on road test that I never even had scheduled don’t trust these people and whenever they make the mistake you take the fall for it and lose out on your money and road test and they don’t give refund and for a reason cause regardless if they make the mistake they keep your money got hit with 300 fees at RMV cause of them

Yisha Chen

Brookline driving school gave me really bad experience overally speaking. Very disappointing. Strongly not recommend. The building and the office is very sketchy and one of the employees picking up the phone makes people really nerve wracking, present himself unprofessionally, and mischarge my credit card once which made me feel they are not very trustworthy. Plus, one of the male instructors sexually harassed me,and I don't feel comfortable having any male instructors any more. I don't remember his Russian name and his signature on my card was obscure. He knows that I am an international student and I don't have any relatives or family members in the U.S. to back up for me, so he disgustingly touched my inner thigh. And I was afraid of speaking up about it. If I were not that busy, I would sue him. Just want to remind girls that all women should be careful to be with a man one on one.

Victoria Ruvkun

I loved Drivers Ed at Brookline Driving School! Nancy, the teacher, was absolutely hilarious! i suggest Brookline Driving School to ALL my friends, and they've all loved both Nancy and the school! There are some kind of harsh teachers, but you definitely never forget the lesson they taught you; but overall, almost ALL the driving instructors are wonderful and really, really nice!

Breyana Ellis

The day of the test I had to wait over an hour on the sidewalk in the freezing cold. I get in adjust my mirrors take a turn and I am told to parallel park. I am rushed to do this and i hit the curb and that's the end. What happened to students being able to take their time? The road test instructor was horrible. Waste of 130.

Mhango Masuzyo

I only had one lesson with the Brookline Driving School, in which the driving instructor reeked of smoke, and had trouble even telling me what to do. We spent at least 10 minutes just sitting there, while he got all the paper work done (which should have only taken a minute). During my lesson after asking me to park on a hill we sat there while he tried explaining to me the rules of parking on hills. the entire time I was at wheel I was uneasy. And when my lesson was up he picked up this girl who had arranged a 5 hour lesson and spent another 15 minutes filling out the paper work and taking the time to have a smoke during her time of course, meaning while being paid for the time smoking. So in the hour I paid for, we spent maybe 25 minutes driving and ten minutes learning a rule that could have been explained to me by someone who knew English in 30 seconds

jaya rajaiya

I called to book lessons for my daughter. The guy was rude from start to end. Gave me dates and time and was in a hurry to get my credit card number. Kept asking me whether I care about the safety of my daughter, like he freaking does. He won't even let me look at my daughter calendar to confirm the times he offered for classes. Finally, he threatened that my daughter might fail the road test if she did not take all the lessons from them! This place is a racket. Thank God my daughter is not learning from them!

Colleen Hughes

I had a very good experience with Brookline Driving School. I'm an adult and was learning to drive for the first time after being beyond terrified of it for my whole life. I signed up for the 10 lesson "Beginner's Course," which is really just ten lessons--there's not a set "course" with specified techniques covered in specific lessons. I very luckily had James for my first lesson, and he was so great to work with that I ended up requesting that all of my lessons be with him. I cannot recommend him highly enough. I told him straight-up that I was a nervous wreck, so we started out with three-point turns, parallel parking, etc. on the first lesson because being on the road was terrifying. By my third lesson, he had me driving around Brighton and Newton, and I feel like it was in that lesson that I really started to get over my fear and feel like I was in control of the car. After that, we spent most of our time practicing around Brookline High, where the road test is if you schedule it through the school. I got to practice the route of the test over and over again, which was beyond helpful. I was ready to take the road test after those ten lessons. At first, I wasn't going to schedule it through BDS because it was so expensive, but the RMV was booked for over three months out, and even then the only availability was in Springfield or Greenfield. So I went through the school and luckily passed the first time so I didn't have to pay to take it again. James told me to just show up first thing on the morning of the test even though my appointment wasn't scheduled until 1:30, claim that I had forgotten what timeslot I booked, and that they would just tell me to get in line. Which is exactly what happened. He showed up on the test day and told me which of the two examiners to take the test with. The car used in the test was the same model I'd been using for lessons (a Camry) but was a newer car, and I could feel a big difference in the engine. I was so shaky pulling away from the curb and making the first right turn because the car felt so weird, but then I settled into it. I may have just nicked the curb when I was parallel parking, I'm not sure, but I adjusted and the examiner didn't count it as hitting the curb (which is good because I'd never hit the curb once during my lessons). And I passed! If you are nervous about learning, whether you're an adult or a teenager, I recommend asking if James is available, because he was great. He also said his friend Manny was good, but I never drove with him. He was patient and fun, he never yelled or made me nervous, and he got me to drive, which is something I never thought would be possible. I think a lot of your experience here can vary depending on which instructors you have. If you find one you like, definitely request to be with them for your future lessons. Also, I agree with the reviews about the receptionist service being awful. I recommend emailing them and letting them call you back. That worked well for me. The only time I had trouble with the "email first" approach was the very first time when I was just trying to sign up for lessons. I had emailed, and a day later, I got a call from a random 617 number, and when I answered, the woman just said "How can I help you?" I was beyond confused and was thinking "umm, but you called me?" It took me a few seconds to clarify that she was from the driving school, but after that I was fine.

Anthony Albert

Good teachers, really help you prepare for the exam well. Decent sized cars that help you get comfortable driving really soon.

walter levin

The classroom course was very informative and enjoyable, going above and beyond the RMV's curriculum requirements. Having Ilya as a driver's education instructor was a wonderful experience. I feel prepared and excited to start driving.

Bendishee

Thank you so much Brenda! Honestly I thought this class went amazing. You were a phenomenal teacher in explaining the information and then showing the videos. Thank you for an awesome week.

Jessica Foster

I recommend taking your lessons with Mary or Juan. They were very polite and give you a lot of information about the road test. DO NOT TAKES LESSONS WITH IGOR. HE IS VERY RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL. AS YOU DRIVE HE WILL CONSTANTLY GRAB THE WHEEL FOR NO REASON, HE WILL TELL YOU TO SPEED UP PAST THE SPEED LIMIT. DURING MY LESSON HE STOPPED TO GET GAS AND BOUGHT FOOD AND ATE IT DURING MY LESSONS. OVER HE WAS VERY IGNORANT.