Sunday, November 8, 2026 · Customer reviews of US businesses
The Fair Hearing score
Excellent
702 reviews
Defensive Drivers InstituteSelect a line to read only those reviews.
Honesty, pricing, process and quality scores appear once 5 customers have rated them.
Defensive Drivers Institute is a leading online platform providing comprehensive driver education services across the United States. Our organization is committed to promoting safe driving practices and equipping aspiring drivers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the roads responsibly.New York 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing CourseOur NYS DMV approved program is designed for new drivers seeking their first driver's license in New York. This course provides essential training on traffic laws, safe driving habits, and defensive driving techniques. It is conveniently available online, allowing students to learn at their own pace and from the comfort of their own homes.Learn More and Enroll Now!Arizona Defensive Driving CourseThis course is designed specifically for drivers who need to meet court requirements and clear their driving record. Approved by the Arizona Supreme Court, this course allows you to dismiss one eligible ticket every 12 months.Dismiss Your Ticket Today!With our user-friendly online courses, we have helped thousands of individuals become confident and responsible drivers. Our programs are designed by experts in the field to ensure that learners receive the most up-to-date and effective education. We offer a wide range of courses, from defensive driving to traffic school, each tailored to meet the specific requirements of different states.Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction is reflected in our top-rated services and the positive feedback from our valued customers. We strive to offer the highest quality education to foster a safer driving environment for everyone. Whether you are a new driver preparing for your road test or someone looking to improve your driving skills, Defensive Drivers Institute is here to guide you every step of the way.
Defensive Drivers Institute (defensivedriversinstitute.com) has 702 customer reviews on The Fair Hearing, with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5.
702 approved reviews, newest moderated first
It was a bit tedious but it was fine
By GG
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 19, 2026
Thank you for your 3-star review, GG! We're glad the course was fine overall, though we understand it felt a bit tedious at times. Since you found it acceptable, we'd love to know what we could have done to make it less tedious and earn those 4th and 5th stars. We're always looking for ways to improve the experience. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
very convenient and smooth to use. Having ability to take the course on my own time for as little or as long as I wanted was super helpful and IMO a much, much better option then taking the 5 hour course with an instructor in class room or even online.
By Justin D.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 18, 2026
Thank you for this wonderful 5-star review, Justin! We're thrilled to hear you found the course convenient and smooth, and that the flexibility to work at your own pace was so helpful. Your comparison to classroom instruction is meaningful to us. The self-paced format does give students much more control over their learning experience, and we're glad that worked so well for you. Creating a better alternative to traditional classroom-based defensive driving is exactly what we aim for. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
This course was really helpful and made me understand all about the law of driving in the state of New York. I’m grateful that I’ve taken the online course, could pause and go back when necessary. Thank you NYS for this DMV course, I will recommend it to all beginner drivers.
By Renita T.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 17, 2026
Thank you for this wonderful 5-star review and recommendation, Renita! We're thrilled to hear that our course helped you understand New York's driving laws and that the flexibility to pause and go back when needed made a difference in your learning. Your appreciation for the online format and your willingness to recommend it to other beginner drivers means a lot to us. Creating accessible, effective defensive driving education for students at all experience levels is exactly what we aim for. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute. Drive safely!
Very thorough review of how driving privileges must be earned. Recommended.
By Todd V.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 17, 2026
Thank you for your 5-star review and recommendation, Todd! We're thrilled to hear you found our course very thorough and appreciated the message about earning driving privileges. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and wish you safe driving!
Quick and easy
By Nathan B.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 13, 2026
Thank you for your 4-star review, Nathan! We're glad you found our course quick and easy. Since it sounds like you had a positive experience overall, we'd love to know what we could have done to earn that 5th star. We're always looking for ways to improve. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
Everything about the actual learning experience was great. Perfectly paced for me BY me. Quiz placement was intentional with questions from previous topic to make sure you are actually paying attention. And in general, the dashboard and mechanics of it all were super easy to navigate. Completion took me roughly 5-6 hours, I had a busy schedule so that was partly my fault. However, the only part that was not my fault was the initial sign on/onboarding experience. I signed up, created the account, PAYED for my course, submitted all necessary documents and was verified in a very timely matter. Went to begin my course and all of a sudden, it was blocked. My main gripe with this whole situation is that I tried calling the help support line, no joke, over 20 times. 20 TIMES. That's pretty wild in my opinion. I used the live chat box, no reply. I was calling for over an hour, and every call ended with "there is no one available..."I tried leaving a voice message like they said, NOTHING. My only savior at this point was the email option where all they replied with, after 30 min was "Thanks for reaching out! I have already unblocked your course, you should be good to log back in and continue with your course. Thanks for your time!" I will take it because at the end of the day I was able to complete my course but having to try to get a hold of someone, or something for over an hour is just something else. Totally understand, this is my ticket, my problem, my issue. It's just the lack of urgency that bothers me the most. This is purely feedback and I am not trying to completely bash the institute because I was helped at the end of the day. Just was not the greatest customer support experience I've had.
By jessica S.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 13, 2026
Thank you for this honest and detailed 3-star review, Jessica. We really appreciate your fairness in acknowledging that the course itself was great, but more importantly, we want to sincerely apologize for the customer service experience you had. You're absolutely right to be upset. Getting no answer on 20+ calls, no response on live chat, and no response to voicemails is inexcusable. That's not acceptable service, especially when you needed help accessing a course you'd already paid for. The 30-minute email response was also too slow given the urgency of your situation. This is feedback that stings because it's accurate. Our phone and chat support dropped the ball, and you shouldn't have had to spend over an hour trying to reach someone. The fact that you were eventually helped doesn't excuse the lack of responsiveness on multiple channels. We're taking this seriously internally. This kind of failure in support response is unacceptable, and we're committed to doing better. You deserved faster help on the first attempt, not the third. We're glad you were able to complete the course successfully, and we genuinely appreciate you sharing this feedback so constructively. It helps us identify where we're failing our students. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute, and again, our sincere apologies for the support experience.
I enjoyed the course. The use of audio visual, life experience videos, explaining concepts, the tests at the end of each topic and quiz after each module was great for me.
By Cordelia O.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 9, 2026
Thank you for your feedback, Cordelia. We're confused by your 1-star rating, as your written review is entirely positive. You mention enjoying the course and praise the audio visual content, videos, explanations, tests, and quizzes. It seems there may have been a mistake when selecting your star rating. Could you clarify whether the 1-star was intentional, or if you meant to leave a higher rating that matches the positive feedback you provided in your review? We'd appreciate the opportunity to understand your actual experience. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute.
The experience was 5 out of 5 stars. I was able to complete the course little by little since i am a stay at home mom with a business on the side. The course was very important and i am glad this system was implemented in order to keep us all save on the road.
By Priscilla B.
Response from Defensive Drivers Institute· Jun 8, 2026
Thank you for this wonderful 5-star review, Priscilla! We're thrilled to hear that you found the experience so positive. We're honored to be part of keeping you and others safe on the road. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
