Lexington Driving Academy

Negative experience: I would not recommend them due to the disrespect I received from the owner, Dottie. My daughter did a total of 6 hours behind the wheel with a different instructor whom said she was doing really well on the road. They signed off on her driving certificate stating she successfully completed driving test and knowledge test. She did the road test with Dottie and returned about 10 minutes later stating that my daughter made a mistake on everything and she didn’t practice at home. I explained to Dottie that neither of my children practiced much with me because they were very nervous with me and that’s why I decided that driving school would be best for them. My son went to a different school and passed everything on the first try while he was in high school. Unfortunately that school wasn’t available so my daughter chose this school. Dottie continued to tell me that she’s been doing this over 20 years and she has never seen a teenager pass a road test with only 6 hours behind the wheel. I said “well would you like to meet my son”? I explained that she signed up for driving lessons so she would be comfortable, able to ask questions, and most importantly to make sure she was ready to drive safely. I wasn’t expecting to pay them over $300 and still have to teach my daughter everything. I also asked why wasn’t she offered additional lessons (that we would have happily paid for) but I was ignored as Dottie said she had to leave because she was late getting to Batesburg. She grabbed her things and rushed out the door!!

Fantastic experience: We had a fantastic experience with Lexington Driving Academy! The staff were informative and helpful in every aspect. Mr. Bouknight, my daughter's instructor was friendly and made accommodations to work around her schedule.

Fantastic experience: My daughter just complete her course with Lexington Driving Academy. I can’t recommend them highly enough. From the moment we made first contact with them till the drivers test, it was nothing but a very positive experience. The instructor was friendly, making my daughter feel very at ease. The price was comparable to other schools. When my youngest daughter gets ready to start driving, she will be coming straight to LDA!!!! Drive straight to here.for a great experience!!!!!

Fantastic experience: Laura Pearson is amazing!! Very professional, polite and kept me well informed. She has to be amazing, to willing get in a car with a teenager! But my son learned a lot and I am thankful.

Fantastic experience: Great experience. Ms. Laura was incredible and so very kind and helpful.

Fantastic experience: I highly recommend Lexington Driving Academy if you need a 4 point reduction or driver's training! Very knowledgeable, and friendly instructors!

Fantastic experience: Thank you to Lexington Driving Academy. Special Thanks to Ms. Sharpe, Sandra and Ms. Libertini! Sandra your customer service and genuineness is unmatched. Ms. Sharpe and Ms. Libertini again thank you for your patience, professionalism and positive feedback you provided my daughter during driving training and test. I will definitely recommend Lexington Driving Academy!

Fantastic experience: We loved our experience with Lex Driving Academy. Robbie was my son’s instructor and was awesome from the first day. He is very laid back, and helped my son feel comfortable and at ease, all while teaching him the mechanics behind being a safe driver. They are willing to pick your child up from home or school which can be a huge help for busy parents. They also provide all the paperwork needed and a checklist for the DMV on license day. We chose to do the driving road test with Robbie as well, which I think is so nice bc your child gets to know these people and the vehicle, and it’s a great option for an otherwise stressful event that can end in you spending hours at the DMV. Huge thanks to everyone for all the help, especially Robbie!

Fantastic experience: I have no words for how much I love my experience here so far. When I took the 8-hour Saturday class, it may have been a little early for my brain, but Lisa (she taught the class that day) made it so much more fun for me, she inserted comedic elements to the class and made it easier for me to pay attention, I have done 2 driving lessons so far with my instructor (Heather) and she has to be one of the few people I felt super comfortable with while driving, she never seemed tense, she made AMAZING conversation, she never distracted me, she gave very clear instructions and answered any questions I asked, she was patient when I asked questions or was having trouble with something, and she eased my nerves so much. I was incredibly nervous for my first lesson but within 5 minutes of talking with her in the car I felt so much better and ACTUALLY looked forward to my future lessons, even when I texted her about schedule changes or anything of that sort she responded quickly and with clear intent and directions, not once did she say something and I had to re-question what she meant, I am coming up on my 3rd lesson and I’m more excited than nervous which is EXACTLY what I hoped for when taking driving lessons… 10/10 recommend Lexington Driving Academy for your child or you!!

Fantastic experience: Motivating, encouraging and professional. Got my son road ready! Ricky was a wonderful driving instructor. Highly recommend Lexington Driving Academy for your teen drivers training.

Fantastic experience: Awesome staff! Robbie was the best and made the experience concise and easy!

Negative experience: Unfortunately, I have to give them one star for an interaction I had with the owner, Dottie. My son came home from his last driving lesson an hour early and visibly upset. He said he had failed his practice exam. He is not normally an emotional person, so this raised some concerns. I called the driving instructor and he explained what my son needed to work on. We drive with him to practice, and some of the things he did wrong were things he knows, so we wondered if he was nervous with the instructor he had or just nervous with anyone besides us in the car with him. We were still concerned why he would be so upset just from a practice road test. I called the owner and asked if my son could try to drive his last hour with a different instructor, just to see if maybe another person would be a better fit. She was immediately defensive and rude. Questioning what was wrong with the driving instructor, didn't I practice with him, and did he read his driving manual. She also said she doesn't switch driving instructors. I made it clear there was not a problem with the instructor, we just wanted to know if someone else would make a difference. She didn't want to hear me, so I hung up. My husband called her back and eventually she said she would drive with him his last hour. After careful consideration, we decided we wouldn't put our son through that situation. If she could go off on another adult like me, I didn't want her to say or treat my son the same, and ruin his driving experience. The sad part is I would have never given them this review, even if they wouldn't switch his instructor. This review is soley based on the owner's reaction and response to a parent concern.

Fantastic experience: Definitely recommend for anxiety reduction. I do admire their professionalism.

Fantastic experience: Lisa is one of the most awesome teachers there is. She was patient , kind , and gave good clear instructions. I would recommend Lisa any day!! This driving academy has the best service hands down and that’s coming from someone who passed from there!! <3

Fantastic experience: This driving school is awesome! I would recommend them to anybody who needs to learn how to drive the correct way! My instructor is Lisa and she is the best! I love how she boasted my confidence and at the same time making sure that I would be a safe driver. Head to Lexington Driving Academy if you need to learn the right way!

Negative experience: I was in the process of looking for a driving school for myself when I came across this company but quickly found out that they refuse point blank to teach adults and will only teach children... that's genuinely the weirdest "company rule" i've ever heard of (and the first time i've ever heard it, i've looked at countless other driving schools and not one single one refused to teach adults and would only teach children) and even worse is they offered it at one point because it's still listed on their website (it just says not available next to it) and the adult prices were WAY higher then children prices... like how does that even make sense? Adults have way more experience, are more confident, more sure of themselves, even if they haven't been physically behind the wheel much or if at all they still gain a lot of experience from being around other drivers when they're riding with other people during all those years (two weeks ago I drove for the very first time in 10 years and I did fine) and are able to handle things if something goes wrong whereas a child will barely have any of that if at all. Add all that together with what other people have said in the negative comments and it's straight up odd. I'm glad they're ageist and don't teach adults because I clearly dodged a bullet here ‍♀️

Negative experience: When we arrived for my daughters driving test Dottie said we were an hour late! Thankfully, I had her text message confirming we were on time (actually a few minutes early.) Dottie said she would squeeze her in. They weren’t gone 15min ($50 later) when they walked back in my daughter was in tears saying she didn’t pass. Of course this was ok with me as I understand how important it is to know how to operate behind a wheel but my daughter became increasingly upset & spoke to me out loud in frustration. Dottie overhead her and in front of the entire room of people got very loud with my daughter who was still shaking and crying. I was aware that my daughter had a moment of frustration but I tried to keep the peace between them. My daughter did apologize to Dottie. Dottie continued working on the front desk iPad/computer so I assumed she was going to finish up with what my daughter needed to work on, etc….but she did not so after a moment of silence I walked up to the desk and Dottie looked at me and said, “May I help you?!!” I said, “yes what are the next steps to her trying again?” She said, “I’m not working with your daughter again” I followed up with explaining to her that she was very shaken and upset but she was very sorry (even apologizing) for her reaction and that maybe she could work on forgiving her. Dottie then said, “Do not preach to me & get out of my business!” So I politely left. The reason I’m writing all of this is because it’s VERY UNPROFESSIONAL to speak to another adult who’s trying to keep the peace between a student & teacher in such a degrading way. I will never condone my daughters moment of frustration but I was absolutely beside myself with how unprofessional this business owner was. :(

Fantastic experience: Took the 8 hours class and lessons here. Class was very educational and helpful. Got Papa John's pizza after. Mr Rob was a very good instructor and helped me through everything. His great instruction helped me pass the test. Very highly reccommend for teens looking to obtain a license.

Fantastic experience: I wish I could do more than 5 stars! Mrs.Dottie is the best I love her. She’s a great driving instructor and I love her personality, she’s so sweet. If your looking for a school to do driving classes go here!! Everyone in the office is kind as well and I felt so welcomed and very comfortable like I could just go home with them lol.

Fantastic experience: Mr. Bradley was the best! He gave great instruction that really helped on my test, I couldn’t done it without Mr. Bradley.

Fantastic experience: Very professional and knowledgeable about what they do.

Fantastic experience: My son had a very educational experience. He felt fully prepared to attempt the test after the session.

Negative experience: Tried to call and gather information about what all I needed to do to get my child enrolled in classes. Called several weeks in a row and left messages with no call back. Finally today they called back and left a voicemail, in the voicemail a woman was screaming at me the entire time , talking very condescending, basically calling me stupid for calling and trying to gather info and how I should have just gone online and done everything on their website. Rudest and most unprofessional call back I've ever recieved in my life. Needless to say , my business will be going elsewhere.

Fantastic experience: Mrs. Lisa was my driving instructor and she was absolutely amazing! She took her time with letting me drive and didn’t push me out of my comfort zone until I felt confident enough to do so. She gave me multiple chances to practice skills that I wasn’t familiar with and allowed me to move on once I was ready.

Negative experience: These people told us it would cost from $5000 to $6000 to teach our daughter how to negotiate traffic in Lexington South Carolina. IN LEXINGTON SC!!! Not New York, not Los Angeles, not Beirut in Lexington!!! For that much money, she better be able to drive a getaway car for a bank robbery. Prices like that should be illegal. I promise I will steer as many people away from this business as I can. You people are out of your mind.

Negative experience: I am a new driver who is over 18 but certainly under 25. I am of the age that can still benefit from the insurance reduction that the 8 hour beginners course has to offer as I am learning the exact same thing that a new driver at 18 would learn. The lady on the phone called me and didn't just kindly inform me that I couldn't take the beginner course but went on and on how they can't allow an adult in a teen course because there are teens in the room like I am some sort of criminal... and I really felt that even though that rule probably wasn't hers, I think it would have been better if she would have explained that in a kinder fashion. I also learned that this rule isn't typical of other places and it doesn't specify on the website so if you are a new driver over 18 look elsewhere.

Negative experience: Extremely Unprofessional Business! Do Not Go Here!

Fantastic experience: Great experiences with both my boys! Caring, competent instructors who did a great job!

Negative experience: Our experience with this place was less than stellar to be sure. I called first to ask if there was any written test during the schooling because my wife’s English is my wife’s third language. I specifically said she speaks English, just has a little difficulty with the written language so she took her permit test in Arabic. The lady immediately responds with “If she can’t speak English, I can’t help her”. I slowed down, and explained two more times she speaks English just fine, and got the same “If she can’t speak English, I can’t help her” response both times. Instead, I just asked what time they closed, and that we would drive up there to sign up. The lady responded with 5PM and hung up. When we arrived, the same lady (I recognized her voice) was being somewhat condescending to an older Asian gentlemen and his son. When she looked up at us, she completely ignore the mans question and said “Can I help you” to my wife and I. My wife said she wanted to take the driving class, and it was obvious English is not her first language. The lady immediately said “We don’t teach adults, and if we did it would be 100 dollars an hour”. She then turns to my wife and says “Did you understand me? What did I say?”. My wife was slightly taken aback and just froze for a moment. The women then almost demanded to see her permit and when my wife handed it to her she said “Oh, you see this, limited term at the top, that means you have to go to the DMV for this, we can’t help you”. I knew what limited term meant because I looked it up when the license was issued, it means Foreign National and has a shorter term than most licenses. At this point it was clear what was happening and we just said thank you and left. I understand them not teaching adult, but the demeanor was not professional at all. If you want to deal with blatant ignorance and bigotry, this is the place for you. As a side note, a quick call to a few of her friends (Who said they had the same issue there), apparently places in West Columbia are much better and not hostile.

Fantastic experience: Stan did a great job teaching and making this process enjoyable!! Highly recommend especially if student is really nervous.

Fantastic experience: The entire staff is super nice! And the service was very quick. I was able to get my restricted license two and a half weeks after my first class lesson with them. Tammy was extremely helpful and a great instructor!

Fantastic experience: Used them for two of my sons and getting ready to enroll the next one. Good program at a great price.

Fantastic experience: This school offers first rate instructors and also offers a way for the students to take their driving exam with the same instructors they already know. Thank you for a great experience

Fantastic experience: I’m about to schedule our third child to take driving education and the test through Lexington Driving Academy. Our first daughter took at C.O.P.S., which was good but very inconvenient, logistically. We’ve been very pleased with the education and training our kids received at Lexington Driving Academy. Since we are repeat customers, I want to speak to three of the four 1-star reviews I saw, from our personal experience. One of the reviews accused the academy of trying to make money from failing students on the test. Both of our girls, who have already taken the class and test at Lexington Driving Academy, passed on their first try. I noticed two reviews were written by spectators who had no idea what was going on inside the training vehicles. From their reviews, it doesn’t appear they were interested in finding out. They were understandably upset by what they perceived, made some assumptions, and wrote a negative review. They certainly have a right to their opinion, but they are commenting on one brief encounter without context. I just wanted to offer that perspective for those reading these reviews to take into account. My hat’s off to driving trainers everywhere. Whatever they are paid, it’s not enough!

Fantastic experience: Awesome customer service

Fantastic experience: Excellent instructors and great customer service.

Fantastic experience: Mrs. Dottie is an absolute doll!

Fantastic experience: This is the third time we have used Lexington Driving Academy. Each time we have had excellent results with their teaching and instructors. Lisa can train anyone. We had our last one take his driving test with them today. They drove with him and that made us feel more confident in his ability to drive. We watched what the DMV has to do in order to provide safe testing. The Academy was worth every penny. They were extremely safe in Covid precautions. We never had a worry. Thank you to Ms. Dottie and her Team.

Fantastic experience: Mrs. Dottie and her team were amazing. Robbie was my daughters instructor and he was wonderful. Highly recommend Lexington driving academy!!

Fantastic experience: We had an awesome front desk lady help us from the start. It didn't stop there, the instructor, Lisa, was wonderful. She answered questions KS had and showed her the proper techniques on the road. Recommend this driving academy.

Fantastic experience: I had mr rob as my instructor and he’s literally the most chill and professional guy you can meet. With him being former military and me being in the delayed entry program him and I sorta had a bond that helped make him the best teacher

Fantastic experience: I had to cancel a driving test at the last minute and they were able to reschedule my test. They were super helpful and responded quickly.

Fantastic experience: Very professional and kind staff, I had Stan as my instructor, he was very nice! Would definitely recommend! Thank you!!

Fantastic experience: They were very friendly and very helpful I prefer it to anybody what did she say

Fantastic experience: Awesome instructors. Patient, caring and informative. Fair competitive pricing.

Positive experience: great, very informational class. Mrs dottie was an amazing teacher!!!

Fantastic experience: I did my driver's training here and the staff was excellent, the trainer Dottie was really great. Training with her I got my license on the first try.

Negative experience: Their class and lessons are good, but do not take the test with them. They look to fail you because they get $50 every time you retake with them. Just go to the DMV where they don’t look to make a quick buck off you

Fantastic experience: ABSOLUTLEY AMAZING! Friendly staff and amazing drivers. I'm so glad I have such great people to teach me to drive! I love Mrs.Dottie!

Fantastic experience: Mrs. Dottie is great ! Made the 8 hour drivers ed Class kind of fun.Would highly recommend, very nice family owned business.

Positive experience: This is one of the best driving academies around, prices are competitive but not cheap and the employees are extremely nice to customers.

Negative experience: "When a marking at an intersection tells you it is a pedestrian crosswalk, stay behind the line and leave the entire allotted space for pedestrian use." This is the law that I called the number on the back of the car to let the owners know their car was violating, by being stopped in a crosswalk, blocking traffic, keeping pedestrians from crossing, and waiting to turn right at a red light when they already had the clear for a very long time. Only, instead of a courteous "I'll look into it and make sure our instructors know.", I was argued with, told something about Jesus, and was told to give them a break, even though each car has an instructor who should know better. To realize my passion for this, please understand that my husband has been hit in a crosswalk on more than one occasion by drivers who weren't obeying that law and weren't looking for pedestrians or cyclists IN A MARKED CROSSWALK. I'm sure someone gave those drivers a break too, but as a drivers education program, mediocrity and apathy for simple road rules regarding pedestrian safety should not be taken lightly. In fact it should be alarming and addressed as such, All I wanted from this company was an acknowledgement that they knew the road laws and would make sure their drivers would obey them so pedestrians and cyclists don't get hit. Instead I got a belligerent argument from the program owner about a well known law, and an apathetic response to my legitimate concern, which assured me that they really just don't care. They should keep in mind that first impressions are everything and speak volumes about a business and it's knowledge. Personally if I had to send one of my 3 kids to driving school, I'd keep googling. I give them 1 star only because the stars don't go negative.