Pass first time, with instructors who know the roads you'll be tested on.
Family-run driving school covering Ballybrook, Naas, Newbridge and the surrounding villages. Full EDT, pre-test preparation and mock tests, manual or automatic — and we'll collect you from home, college or work at no extra cost.
Four RSA-approved ADIs · €45 an hour, manual or automatic · Free pick-up and drop-off
Starting from scratch?
- Full EDT, 12 lessons €520
- Logbook included Yes
- Logged on RSA MyEDT Every lesson
- Manual or automatic Same price
- Split into two payments Just ask
What we do
From your very first lesson to the morning of your test
Whatever stage you're at — learner permit just arrived, half your EDT done elsewhere, or coming back to driving after years off the road — there's a way in.
Essential Driver Training
All 12 mandatory EDT lessons with one instructor who gets to know you, so you're not starting over every week. We log each lesson on the RSA's MyEDT system as you complete it, and the logbook is included in the package.
Manual and automatic
Two manual Toyota Yaris and two automatic Hyundai i20, all dual-controlled and fully insured for learners. Same price either way. Bear in mind a test taken in an automatic gives you a code 78 licence, so you'd be restricted to automatics — we'll talk it through before you book.
Pre-test and mock tests
A mock test run exactly like the real thing: document and technical checks, a full test-length route with manoeuvres, and a marked report at the end so you know precisely what to tidy up. Most of our learners do at least one before their appointment.
Test car hire
Sit your test in a car you already know. We bring you to the centre and wait for you, and the car is set up the way the tester expects — valid NCT, tax, insurance, L-plates and the second interior mirror. Book it the day you get your test date.
Refresher lessons
Licence in the drawer for a few years? Moved home from abroad and finding Irish roundabouts a shock? €45 an hour, the same as any other lesson, and there's no minimum — take one hour or take six. Niamh does a lot of this work, and we build the lesson around whatever it is you want out of it.
Gift vouchers
A very popular birthday and Christmas present. Any amount, or a specific package — a single lesson at €45 or the full EDT at €520. Emailed straight away, or we'll post a printed one out. Valid for twelve months from the date of purchase, and the value holds even if our prices change in the meantime.
Reduced EDT
If you already hold a full licence from a country Ireland has no exchange agreement with, you may qualify for reduced EDT — six sessions instead of twelve. Our reduced EDT programme is €270 and the logbook is included. Check you're eligible with the RSA before booking, because it can only be used once, and bring the foreign licence in so we can go through it with you.
Double lessons
EDT sessions are always one hour — that's how the RSA structures them — but ordinary practice lessons can be booked as a double: two hours for €85 instead of €90. They come into their own for longer routes, dual carriageway work and the run-up to a test. For your first few lessons we'd stick to single hours; concentration tends to go before the time does.
Motorway sessions
Learners aren't allowed on motorways, so most people pass having never driven on one — and the M7 and M9 are right on our doorstep. A two-hour session for €85 covers joining and leaving, lane discipline, overtaking and what to do if something goes wrong. Best taken in the first few weeks after you pass, while the habits are still forming.
Prices
Clear rates, no surprises on the day
Pick-up and drop-off anywhere in our service area is included in every price below. Manual and automatic cost exactly the same.
Single lesson
€45 / hour
- One full hour behind the wheel
- Manual or automatic
- Pick-up and drop-off included
- Pay at the lesson
Full EDT package
€520 / 12 lessons
- All 12 mandatory EDT lessons
- EDT logbook included
- Every lesson logged on MyEDT
- €20 cheaper than booking singly
- Can be split into two payments
Block of 6
€260 / 6 lessons
- Just over €43 an hour
- Ideal if you started EDT elsewhere
- Or extra practice before the test
- Same instructor throughout
| Test preparation | Price |
|---|---|
| Pre-test lesson — usually the day before or the morning of your test, on the roads around the Naas test centre | €50 |
| Mock test — full test-length route, manoeuvres, document and technical checks, marked report | €60 |
| Test car hire — the car plus an instructor to bring you to the centre and wait for you | €80 |
| More lessons and packages | Price |
|---|---|
| Reduced EDT — six sessions instead of twelve, if the RSA confirms you qualify. Logbook included | €270 |
| Double lesson — two hours in one go, for practice lessons outside your EDT | €85 |
| Refresher lesson — for full licence holders, no minimum number of lessons | €45 / hour |
| Motorway session — two hours on the M7 or M9, once you have passed your test | €85 |
| Gift voucher — any amount or a specific package, valid twelve months | Any amount |
Paying: card in the car, Revolut or cash — whichever suits. Single lessons are paid at the lesson, packages are normally paid up front, and you'll get a receipt every time. If the EDT package is a stretch, ask us and we'll split it in two.
Cancelling: we need 24 hours' notice to move or cancel a lesson, and there's no charge for that. Inside 24 hours or a no-show is charged at the full rate, because we can't usually fill the slot. If you're sick or something urgent lands, ring us early and we'll be as fair as we can.
Running late: ring or WhatsApp your instructor as soon as you know. The lesson still finishes at the scheduled time, because there's usually another learner after you, so a late start means a shorter lesson at the same price — and if we haven't heard from you fifteen minutes in, the instructor moves on and it's treated as a missed lesson. If the instructor is ever the one running late, you get that time back.
Included in every price: insurance for you as a learner driver while you're out with one of our instructors — during lessons and during the driving test itself if you hire our car — along with pick-up and drop-off anywhere in the service area. It doesn't extend to private practice, so if you're out in a family car between lessons you'll need to be added to that policy as a named learner driver.
Before you book
A few things worth knowing in advance
Better said here than halfway through a phone call. If none of this covers your situation, ring us and ask — we'd far rather tell you straight than take a booking we can't do justice to.
We don't teach motorbikes
We're a car school only, so there's no IBT here and none of the motorcycle categories. There are approved IBT instructors in the area and we're happy to point you towards one. If you're learning to ride as well as to drive, the two are completely separate processes with separate training requirements.
No adapted vehicles
Our four cars are standard dual-controlled vehicles without hand controls or other adaptations, so we can't cover every situation. What we can do is teach in an automatic, which suits a lot of learners, and Niamh in particular has worked with learners who need a slower, more structured approach. Ring us and describe what you need before booking anything — we'll tell you straight away whether we can help or whether a specialist school would serve you better.
Seventeen to start driving
You need to be 17 to hold a car learner permit, and we can't take you out without one. At 16 you can sit the theory test, so the permit is ready to apply for the day you turn 17. Plenty of learners do exactly that and have their first lesson a week or two after the birthday — ring us a few weeks beforehand and we'll pencil you in.
In a hurry?
We'll run your lessons close together if you're up against a deadline, and we don't charge extra for it. What we won't do is compress EDT into a few days and pretend that's a driving education, because the whole point is practising with your sponsor in between. Two or three lessons a week alongside regular private practice is the fastest sensible schedule. Tell us your timeline and we'll be honest about what's achievable.
Trying us out first
We don't do a free lesson, but we'll happily talk it through on the phone for as long as you need, and there's no obligation after a first one. Most people book a single hour at €45 to see how they get on with the car and the instructor before deciding on a package — and if you then take the EDT package, we don't double-charge you for that first hour if it was an EDT session.
We don't quote a pass rate
And we'd be careful with any school that does. The figures schools advertise here are self-reported, and they tend to count whichever group of learners flatters the number. What we can tell you is how our instructors prepare people: a mock test under real conditions, a pre-test lesson on the test-centre roads, and honest advice about whether you're ready rather than whether the date has come around.
The waiting list
Book your test early — we'll have you ready for it
The wait for a driving test appointment is the single biggest hold-up for learners in Kildare, and it's out of everyone's hands. What you can control is being in the queue sooner. Here's the order we'd put it in.
- Get the learner permit sortedTheory test first, then your permit. We can't take you out until you have it, and we'll need to see it before your first lesson.
- Start your EDT straight awayDon't wait until you feel "ready" — the 12 lessons take time to work through around school, college or shifts.
- Apply for the test before you finishYou need six months on your permit and your EDT complete on the day of the test, not the day you apply. Get the application in while you're still working through the lessons — the queue is long and there's nothing to gain from waiting. We'll help you with the application and there's no charge for it: we'll tell you when you're far enough along, walk you through it, and check your EDT sessions are showing correctly on MyEDT first, because a gap in that record will hold the whole thing up.
- Keep driving while you waitPractice with your sponsor, and a lesson every few weeks stops the rust setting in. We'll tell you honestly if you're not test-ready yet.
- Mock test, then pre-testA mock a few weeks out shows up what's still costing you marks. A pre-test lesson right before the appointment settles the nerves and warms you up on the actual test roads.
Your test centre: Naas
Naas is the only test centre the RSA lists in Co. Kildare, so nearly all our learners test there — and our instructors know its routes, its junctions and the roundabouts that catch people out.
Once your appointment comes through, tell us the centre and the time and we'll build the last few lessons around it. If you've been given somewhere else entirely, let us know and we'll plan for that instead.
Ring us the day your date arrives — test car hire and pre-test slots around test appointments go quickly.
And if the RSA cancels or moves your test, whether for weather, staffing or anything else, you won't be charged: we move your car hire and your pre-test lesson to the new date free of charge. Just tell us as soon as you hear, so we can free up the slot for someone else.
The instructors
Four RSA-approved ADIs, and you can ask for the one you want
Every one of our instructors carries their ADI credentials with them. Most learners prefer to stay with the same person right through their EDT, and honestly, we'd recommend it.
Seán
Owner · Manual & automatic
Teaching for over 18 years and still enjoying it. Handles most of our pre-test and mock test work, and knows every last roundabout on the Naas routes.
Aoife
Manual & automatic
Our go-to instructor for nervous or anxious learners. Endlessly patient, and very good at getting people who've had a fright back behind the wheel.
Marcin
Manual
Teaches manual and gives lessons in English and Polish. A great help if you'd rather have the trickier bits explained in your first language.
Niamh
Automatic
Works a lot with mature learners and drivers coming back to it after a long break. No question is too basic — that's rather the point.
Would you prefer a female instructor? Aoife or Niamh will look after you — just say so when you book and we'll match you up, subject to their diary. If Polish is your first language, ask for Marcin: he gives lessons in Polish as well as English. You don't have to sit the theory test in English either — the car theory test can be booked with a voiceover in a range of languages, Polish among them, and you choose it when booking. It can't be changed afterwards without cancelling and rebooking, so get that right first time.
And if the fit isn't right, ring the office and we'll move you to someone else. Nobody takes it personally, and your EDT record carries over because it lives on MyEDT rather than with one instructor.
Where we go
We'll collect you — no charge for it
Pick-up and drop-off anywhere in the service area is part of the lesson price. Home, school, college or work, and dropped wherever suits at the end.
- Ballybrook
- Naas
- Newbridge
- Kilcullen
- Sallins
- Clane
- Kildare town
- and the surrounding villages
Just outside the area?
Ring us anyway. We can very often fit you in around a route an instructor is already driving, so it's always worth the phone call.
Lessons built around your test centre
Wherever we collect you from, the later EDT lessons and all pre-test work happen on the roads around your test centre. Naas is the only centre in Co. Kildare; if you are given one further afield — Leixlip, Tallaght, Portlaoise or Carlow — tell us and we will plan around it.
Rather meet us somewhere?
Most lessons start with a pick-up, but if it suits you better to meet, the usual spots are outside the office in Ballybrook or the main car parks in Naas and Newbridge town. Say which at booking and your instructor confirms the exact spot by WhatsApp the day before. A test-day pre-test lesson normally starts near the test centre itself.
Get in touch
Ring, message or drop into the office
If we're out on a lesson when you ring, leave a message or send a WhatsApp — we'll come back to you the same day.
- Phone & WhatsApp+353 45 998 412Same number for both
- Emailhello@ballybrookmotoring.ie
- Office14 Main StreetBallybrook, Co. Kildare
Opening hours
| Monday – Friday | 08:30 – 18:30 |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 09:00 – 14:00 |
| Sunday | Closed |