American Driving Academy

I CAN NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE I’ve been driving in the United States for over six years with only a driving permit, but I recently decided to get my real driver’s license. I made an appointment at American Driver Academy in Aurora, Colorado (in the same shopping center as “El Compadre”) and paid $95 for the test. My appointment was for 3:30 p.m., but they didn’t attend to me until 3:50 p.m. — which I found very disrespectful of my time, but I stayed patient and said nothing. An older lady came out to do my test. She was very unfriendly and didn’t smile once. We went for the drive, and when we finished, she asked how my experience was. I told her I thought it went well. She said everything was fine, except that I went through a yellow light, and because of that, she failed me. I explained that I was only following the same instructions I received years ago when I got my permit — that crossing a yellow light is legal as long as it’s safe. But she insisted that I didn’t pass just because of that. To me, this feels like a scam and a disrespect to people’s time and money. Failing someone for a yellow light is unreasonable, especially when it’s not against the rules. I feel cheated and disappointed by this academy. It’s not about the $100 — it’s about how unfairly they treat people. I was planning to send my employees here to take their tests, but after this experience, I’ll make sure to tell them not to go. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this place.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an amazing experience with American Driving Academy, and especially with my instructor Carmen. She was incredibly professional, patient, and knowledgeable. Carmen made everything easy to understand and helped me feel confident behind the wheel. Her calm and supportive teaching style truly made a difference. I highly recommend American Driving Academy and strongly recommend Carmen to anyone looking to learn how to drive the right way.

I had a great experience with Marissa during my driving test. From the very start, she was incredibly kind and made me feel comfortable. She maintained a professional attitude throughout the entire process and gave clear, easy-to-follow instructions. Her calm and supportive approach really helped me stay focused. I truly appreciate her guidance and would highly recommend her to anyone taking their driving test.

Honestly, I can’t recommend Curtis enough! From the very first moment, he made me feel completely relaxed and confident during my driving test. He explains everything clearly, is incredibly patient, and knows exactly how to help you pass without stress. Professional, calm, and super friendly ,you can tell he truly loves what he does. Thanks to him, I passed my test easily! If you’re looking for the best instructor out there, Curtis is the one. Thank you again, Curtis. You’re the best! 🚗💯👏!

My experience today was perfect. Miss Chelsea is a very fun person and I had a good time with her. She answered all my questions before and after and she made me feel comfortable and definitely less nervous throughout the entirety of my test. I would definitely recommend you schedule with her.

I had a great experience taking my driving test with María. From the beginning, she was very professional, kind, and patient. She explained each step clearly and helped me feel very calm throughout the process. I truly appreciate her attitude and dedication. I highly recommend taking the test with her! :)

Estela was my instructor. She is very kind and informative, I really appreciate her feedback. Came in and completed my driving test within a 30 minute time frame which was great and efficient. Will be bringing my sons back to this location so that they can get the proper training. Will recommend to anyone who's in need of getting a license, thank you!

Terrible experience, the first instructor I had was a female, extremely unpolite ruining the mood in general, the instructor ignored every question after the test, before, and during making the entire atmosphere nonexistent but rather a unpleasant experience. Only experience good was with a guy named Kurt and he had a cool Disneyland shirt and showed actual empathy rather then taking the time to criticize my race, movement, and in general likeability. Edit: After reviewing the reply sent on my comment, I've taken the time to realize this is exactly the place I've went to. This review is not mistaken and it's to be taken exactly at this location where this review is typed and placed. My name is not Josh King I'm sure you typed my alias in with absolutely no results. I am however in your system and will choose to appear anonymous, your employee named Kurt is not an actual name. His real name is Curtis English and he appears definitely and profoundly in your system. He's again an amazing man, I believe he keeps the spirits up and is the entire reason I can back to try again. However the same cannot be said for one of your female instructors which I will keep private just out of respect which profoundly demonstrated a resentment and racial discrimination towards my kind. I notice this based on how she treats other clients while waiting compared to ignoring my previous questions and questioning my ethnicity in my capability to drive. I will definitely give a one star due to one terrible experience because I don't know how many other people like me have received the same treatment. So in this case I believe this is exactly the right place, I definitely meant this review, and I definitely had a terrible experience so one star.

My 16 year old daughter did an online course for the written test and we used ADA for the 3 state required lessons spread out over a year in different seasons. (3 different instructors) The last lesson was a week before the test (which she also did with ADA). We requested the instructor give her a good review for the test. My daughter came away a little upset because that last instructor was extra picky...but she was REALLY prepared and did a great job on the test the following week. ADA is quite a bit cheaper than the other school which my older son had attended and is more flexible with the dates/times of lessons throughout the year. Great job ADA!

I understand that this is a place of a business and they are here to make money but not really in an ethical way. My wife came to take a driving test. She has been driving for over 18 years in another country. She did take one earlier at another school and didn't pass it. Whether it was her fault or the other school's, it doesn't matter. Whatever happened, happened. This school had scheduled the test for the same day but when we came to take the test, they said that it is a Colorado law that you cannot take the test twice in one day. We didn't know. They are the school. It is their responsibility to know these kinds of laws, not ours. Anyway, they have canceled the test but to reschedule, they wanted another $55 since we didn't cancel prior to 18hrs. How could we cancel it prior to 18hrs if we have scheduled it 3 hours prior to the test? They stated that it is not their responsibility to make sure that you an eligible for the test!!!! I didn't get the refund back. I lost my $95. In another world, this would be considered fraud but apparently, Department of Revenue is OK to do business with unethical company. If you want to keep your money in your pocket and then spend it wisely, I would advise you not to do business with this "Academy".

I came here to take my driving test and unfortunately had a very negative experience with Carina. From the moment I walked in, she made me feel uncomfortable. The Colfax area is under heavy construction, and despite only being a few minutes behind, she was already ready to cancel my appointment instead of showing even a small amount of understanding. Taking a driving test is nerve-racking enough, but instead of professionalism or support, Carina's attitude was rude and dismissive. It set such a negative tone that it made the entire experience horrible for me. I accept the mistakes I made on my test -- that's part of the process -- but no one deserves to be treated with such little patience or respect, especially when they're already anxious. I hope this feedback prevents others from feeling the way I did.

Pretty annoyed that Colorado doesn't offer tests through the DMV anymore. These companies charging close to 100$ makes it difficult for people. We ended up choosing ADA mainly because they showed up open during hours that were easy for us to get to. The process was super easy (can book by location, day, or person) and the process was pretty straight forward. They communicated several times leading up to the appointment and thankfully took my daughter's "my Colorado" app because she'd recently misplaced her hard permit. (I suspected they should, but one never knows). My daughter tested with Beth who was straight forward, but nice and encouraging at the same time. Things ran on time and efficiently.

Tracy was an amazing instructor! He explained everything perfectly and made you feel comfortable behind the wheel throwing in a couple jokes before and after the test, so that was a plus! Absolutely will recommend this to many more that need a behind the wheel test. Thank you. Amazing experience overall. And they offer coffee!!!

I absolutely DO NOT RECOMMEND American Driving Academy!! Driving instructor Beth English, is a rude, disrespectful old lady!! She yelled at me AND my poor son and refused to allow him to take his driving test AFTER I paid $100!!! Management condoned her rude, unprofessional behavior and refused to refund my money or compensate me! If you care about your kiddo and your money, scratch this place off of your list! UNPROFESSIONAL SCAMMERS

I took my wife to this driving school about a month ago. Their instructor Ilse didn't hd the patience to teach my wife and cancelled her class in 30 minutes.She was also late by 15 minutes to start her class. Then I wrote a review on google. The owner calls me and promises a full refund. But they now are charging me $55 for their fault out of $420 I paid on 6/24/2024. You can also see his words on google review.

Went for my drivers test and Keith was my instructor. He was very nice and has a great sense of humor. Highly recommend that you try and get him as your instructor!

It's horrible, they don't approve of you for something insignificant. María has scraped me because I have to be 5 meters away from the car, as far as I know is that you can see the rear tires of the vehicle in front and a line of the road between the car and me. I think he did it because of racism. you lose your money here.

Beth was amazing! She was such a great instructor and tester. I took the refresher course and driving test. She really helped me understand how i can be a better driver and was a calm tester. After I passed she also helped me fill the dmv form for online submission so i dont have to physically go to the DMV. She was calm and collected and helped ease my nerves. Absolutely great!

If i could give zero stars I would, massive pieces of you know what. My mom crashed the car on the way to pick me up for the test so I decided to stay here to make her feel better with the shock, also I was going to be late anyway. I call just not to be a no show and they STILL CHARGED ME THE 65$ cancellation cause I DIDN'T CANCEL BETWEEN 48 hours. Luckily my mom has definitely decided to crash. With all the happiness in the world they tell me that that doesn't matter and i still have to pay. Of course I called the bank to dispute money. Not enough words for describing these "people" and with that empathy they think they can decide who drives. F

What a scam. My son took their driving lessons, praised him about how great he did and then come time for their "test", a different, older woman with a cane, failed him for stuff that was ridiculous. She MADE him adjust his seat so he could barely touch the pedals and "scolded" him for not knowing to do this! I mean, wtf, he should have the seat where it's comfortable to HIM as the driver!! Now he has to pay more money to retest? There is a disconnect that smells like a scam to make money. Save yourself, your money, time and disappointment - GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!! This instructor should retire!!!

I don't know why this gets so many bad reviews, On google you can actually see the smart people that had good experiences, So many people mad at themselves for not knowing simple rules, but for me? Oh my god where do I even start, I had a driving lessons with miss Marisa just to be sure if I was capable of the drivers test and she provided AMAZING feedback, She made me feel so comfortable and we had nice conversations while I was behind the wheel. She said I didn't have to take any more classes and that I was ready and that's what I did, I booked a Driver's test with miss Melissa, Although I wished Miss Marisa was a proctor, Melissa was also just as amazing and she made me feel comfortable and calm during the test. I passed! Afterwards she provided feedback on Things I need to improve on and that was that, Im glad this school was the first one I ever found because I don't know if other schools would have these amazing teachers, Thank you guys.

This fucking driving school failed me three times and it was really unfair. This old lady named Beth failed me two times because she was very hard on the way I drived and criticized how long I practiced driving before coming to the driving school. She was a bit of a prick. I took a lesson from that school and it improved my skills on driving but did not help on my third test. This nice lady named Candice was chill with me but after the test she said I passed on points but failed the overall test but I didn't give enough space to vehicles in front of me and didn't make complete stops. That's really weird to me

BTW driving is a scam to begin with but required so here I am. First scheduled appointment with ADA for 4:00 pm, we were at the office at 3:55 with a closed sign on the door. In looking at e-mails and calling their office, they cancelled the appointment at 3:51. They can charge $55 for a cancelation and being late but I will get nothing for my 1 hour round trip drive time nor gas money. Since we are just starting and like a fool I paid for all 6 hours up front I am stuck with this company. I will update my review as we progress but it is going to take something special to make up for this crappy treatment.

My daughter took lessons with 2 different instructors. She was given different instructions and recommendations from each. She took 2 lessons with Lamont and he assured her she was ready to take the test. We scheduled it with Gary and it was a disaster. She approached a school zone (even though school is out in the Summer) and was doing 25 when she got to the sign (as she was slowing down from 30) and he hit the breaks and told her she was speeding and should have already been at 20. Her instructors told her she should slow down to the speed after the sign. At the end he did not give her feedback on what she should improve and just told her she needed more lessons. Seems like he was just trying to get more money from us (which we won't do). Very disappointed with the test experience, even though Lamont seems to have been a good instructor. Going to try DriveSafe next, since a friend recommended it instead. They need to improve communication and consistency between drive and testing instructors...

Rude and useless. Go elsewhere. They won't help you and the staff is misinformed about their own policies. Ridiculous.

Great Driving school A good alternative to waiting weeks to months for a Drivers exam at the Dmv. They had Same day appointments avaiable. Friendly and very helpful instructors. Wish the Dmv was this courtesy fast and friendly. Definitely recommend

Keith is the best and the sweetest! Was so helpful and understanding of my nerves, best driving teacher I've ever had and best driving school! 10/10 would have to recommend.

Very professional operation and my wife's tester Byron was the best, a thorough gentleman who ensured the whole experience for her was calm and relaxed. Needless to say, she passed her drivers test with ease. Thank you Byron! Highly recommended business!

Keith was the best passenger I had ever been in the car with ! I know it was just a drivers test but I had so much fun. I was nervous in the beginning but he made me feel comfortable and confident on my drivers test and the pricing is good !

I had a decent experience. Nice person on the phone making an appointment. Very helpful with letting me know what I needed to have in order to take a driving test. The person that I took the test with made me throw out my drink, but gave me a drink when we got back. I didn't mind, but it was nice. The instructor let me know what I was suppose to do well before I did it. I felt bad that my a/c didn't work and it was pretty hot. She was still very nice though.

The instructor was very rude and she didn't even bother to introduce herself. It almost felt like I was begging for her business. I wouldn't recommend this place if this is your first time taking the test. I was very disappointed since I heard many good things about this place.

Today was my behind the wheel test I was there 30 min early the lady named Beth entered first thing she did she start a fight with a gentlemen that was asking for walk-in, then she asked for the 11:30am appointment I told her that was me, then she brought me the Schedule my name wasn't there !!! Now let's return to the day of the appointment I called them it was a men who answered he took my info, the weird thing and I didn't noticed he made fun of my name I thought that was fun, but when I think of it he was racist and he didn't put me on the schedule, I called back today the lady who answered told me I wasn't in the schedule and there is no record of me. In another way I am lying, well consider Before going there. It is cheap but the service is too.

Do not take a drive test here. Take you a route you can't see if cars are coming. Then fail you cause you moved up to see. I took it at the DMV and got a perfect score.

My daugher took her driving test here today. Even thogh we were late and missed our appointment, Lynn worked with us and got us rescheduled for the same day. Lynn was very curteous and helpful; very professional. She made our experience pleasant and made my daughter comfortable taking the test. Thanks, Lynn!

This class provides the best information and factoids most people don't rarely even think to mention. They also interact with their students the best way they can by, having surprise gifts for people who dress up or participate in their competitions! It's just a fun way to get the students more involved! The teachers and staff are so generous and caring. They just want the best safety for all their students! Highly recommended! I'm now ready to take my driving test (;

"This is not the school to entrust your child. I found the instructor to be very rude, which could have been excused but combined with a hour plus wait... Unacceptable!"

American Driving Academy- I aced my test 100%! The staff is really friendly! They will help you with any questions that you have. They are conveniently located right next to the DMV so once you get your paperwork you can go to the DMV after! You get an instructor and schedule an appointment to drive with them which is great to drive with someone else other than parents. My instructor was Lin and she was very very fun! She made the experience really fun for me! Don't think I would've gotten such a good score if she hadn't worked so hard to teach us so much!