Top Driver Driving School

Negative experience: Buyer beware. Watch out for the "policies". I signed up my 15 year old for Driver's education and purchased the Gold package for $655! That includes 8 sessions BTW. But the problem the policy limits 2 a month to be scheduled. Taylor at customer service reminded me firmly about my contract and I had to fight to explain that their method of scheduling BTW sucks! The dates/times are released 1 time a month. So the parent gets online at noon like they are buying concert tickets in 1999 to schedule something they paid premium for their kid to drive with an instructor which is mandated by the state of Illinois for a driver under 18. I should look up that policy too. So if the parent or student (who's in school during that time) is lucky enough to score a spot in the schedule. Never mind that the student may have difficulty working around that 1 hour appointment. Because as a customer of Top Driver you get what you get and don't throw a fit. So, with this ridiculous policy of scheduling BTW that clearly shows Top Driver is selling too many packages and not caring about anything but their policy and oh well if you can't get your license in time! But you can buy an extension on the contract! Yeah, I call BS. You have been officially warned.

Negative experience: ⭐ 0 Stars – Avoid at All Costs! The classroom portion was fine, but actually scheduling a behind-the-wheel session has been an absolute nightmare. We've been trying for FOUR MONTHS to book a session—we paid for 10 and haven’t had a single one. Customer service is completely useless, offering nothing but empty promises and excuses. If you value your time, money, and sanity, go somewhere else. This place is a total scam—they take your money and then make it impossible to get what you paid for. Frustrating, disappointing, and a complete waste of energy. I was told by your customer service person a manager would be reaching out.....that was 9 days ago. Just give me my money back

Fantastic experience: My daughter loved Top Driver, fantastic instructors, they’re all so friendly! She also took her driving exam with them. I’m so glad they offer this, it definitely helped her nerves because she knew the instructor.

Negative experience: This place is a scam. The in class was easy and direct. My son did it over the summer without issue. The scam comes in where each student is promised 6 in car driving lessons. They tell you they will pick up and drop off or you can drive to the location for the lesson. They do not have enough drivers to facilitate the students. You will be driving your kid to Bartlett or Schaumburg an hour and waiting two hours for the lesson to end. I can’t believe we got suckered into this place. My youngest will NOT be taking lessons here and I will steer as many of my son’s friends clear from this disaster as possible. Save your money and go anywhere else.

Negative experience: DO NOT RECOMMEND!!! WARNING: The Crystal Lake branch is extremely UNDER STAFFED for DRIVES for the number of students they are taking in to this location. Approximately 3 hours from the schedule release (second Tuesday of month at 12N) for the next month drives there are ZERO DRIVES available for the entire upcoming month. The service reps suggest scheduling drives at the McHenry location. That would be 1 hour and 40 minutes round trip to the McHenry location plus waiting around time (PLUS GAS $$$). What busy parent wants to spend their time and money in that manner? I chose Top Driver based on location in proximity to my home. Over the last few months multiple customer service reps each told me they were going to hire more drivers for Crystal Lake because they have a shortage of drivers. They assured me this would not be an ongoing problem come January drive scheduling and it just happened again. My daughter attended driver’s ed at Joyce’s just last year. It was a painless experience and easy to schedule drives with zero issues. I very much preferred the experience with Joyce’s. Today I left a voice mail with Taylor, who is supposed to be the customer service manager for Top Driver, per the employee I spoke with today that also transferred me to her vm. Let’s see if I hear from anyone. I’m hopeful that they will be done with the empty promises to their customers and be able to schedule driving lessons that they sold me at the CL location.

Fantastic experience: My daughter just finished the program and we couldn’t have been happier with the experience! The instructors were great, online portal was user friendly, it had a thorough curriculum, and she is ready for the road.

Fantastic experience: What a great experience for my daughter and I with Top Driver. We were so impressed with Nicole as she made us feel like a VIP! Would definitely recommend this school.

Fantastic experience: As a student of top driver, I will say I had the best experience with the driving program. The instructors were always willing to help (my favorite was Nichole) and drives were always something I looked forward to. I highly suggest Top Driver for athletes because their hours were always convenient for the students.

Fantastic experience: My daughter recently went through the program at the Crystal Lake location and all around had great instructors, in the classroom and in vehicle. However, Nichole went above and beyond for us as we were moving out of state, under the wire to finish and take the state test. She was able to not only get our 8th and final in vehicle lesson done in a shorter timeframe but rearranged her schedule to get the in state test done two days before we moved! We are so lucky to have gone through Crystal Lake and having Nichole as an advocate for us. Thank you!!!

Fantastic experience: I had the driver Nicole and I really enjoyed being in the car with her. Top Driver is great and is the best driving school.

Negative experience: Called customer service of Top driver to inquire about the services and the lady on the phone just blatantly lie on the face and insulted me that we only offer service to teens and not to adults. When I deep dived the services offered on their website, it specifically says they offer adult programs and adult online courses. So why did the customer service agent did discrimination towards me! This is horrible. I thought this is Top Driver Driving school who helps everyone. Will never recommend anybody. Just made my day worst! Thank you for ruining it!! Have a great day!

Fantastic experience: Great experience. Professional and flexible. worked with us to get drives and the final test in around a hectic sports schedule. Now we have a confident driver ready to hit the road.

Fantastic experience: I had Nicole as my driving instructor she did a great job staying calm and helping me with an questions I had

Fantastic experience: Great customer service! The scheduling tool was easy to use and whenever I had a question it was answered promptly! Nichole is a great driving instructor and so helpful when we needed!

Fantastic experience: Nichole is such an amazing driving instructor and teacher. She is very kind and knowledgeable. I had her for my classes and a couple of drives so far. She is great!

Fantastic experience: I had moved this summer and took a few behind the wheel driving lessons here. I was very impressed with the knowledge all the instructors were able to provide and Ms Nicole made my drives a very enjoyable experience. My road test went smoothly and i had a good time!

Fantastic experience: My daughter had Nichole for her behind the wheel lessons and she was great, and really informative. She explained everything very well and my daughter learned so much and felt much more confident behind the wheel. So grateful!!

Negative experience: When it snows and you have a scheduled driving lesson they just don’t show up. I waited for over 20 min for anyone to show up and no one did. Place is closed. No email or text to cancel. But they want to charge you $60 if you are late or cancel. The office reached out to me 2 hours after my lesson was scheduled to let me know that there has been miscommunication. They did not reach out before, I had no missed calls or emails from them prior to my scheduled lesson.

Fantastic experience: My daughter had Amy for her behind the wheel lessons. She was wonderful, and really prepared her. Amy explained everything in detail and Claire learned so much from her. We are very grateful!

Fantastic experience: My son took the classroom portion of the program over the summer…. Got his permit…. Scheduling his behind the wheel

Fantastic experience: My son had Amy as his instructor for 4 of his classes, and she was wonderful! She explained everything well, and always took the time to stop and talk with me after his leassons! It was great to hear about how he did, and it was helpful to know if he needed more practice on anything!

Fantastic experience: i did top driver with nichole and it was actually a lot of fun. the class was well taught and all of my lessons are very informative and helpful towards my driving!

Fantastic experience: I did drivers ed here last summer and I loved it! I loved Mr. Garry who taught me in the classroom. Mrs. Nicole was also really good as my driving instructor. She taught me a lot and was always patient and helpful in teaching me. 10 lessons seemed like a lot but it went by so quickly! I had a great experience and highly recommend

Fantastic experience: I drive with Nichole and it was a super calm and helpful environment!

Fantastic experience: all instructors are great! very clear they care for the students and putting safe drivers on the road! nicole, amy and lisa especially!

Fantastic experience: The driving instructors were very thorough and provided great feedback after each driving lesson. I appreciate the care they took in making sure my son was safe while preparing him for the road.

Negative experience: Crystal lake location is awful. prepare to possibly get into an accident when driving there. my instructor grabbed my wheel mid turn and kept hitting the brakes as i was driving. how is that safe?? When i asked her to stop grabbing the wheel she canceled my drive and told me to get out on the side of the road. Worst experience i’ve ever had driving!

Fantastic experience: My daughter attended classes during Covid. Due to staffing challenges & the number of students attending ... I did have some trouble scheduling driving lessons. However, Ms. Nicole was fantastic in assisting!!! She reached out to me personally (totally above & beyond) to try to get my daughter scheduled during a last minute cancellation/availability. She even checked back with me several months later to see if my daughter got her driver's license. Ms. Nicole has been the absolute best!! Thank you for a great experience!!

Fantastic experience: Initially had some communication issues with customer service but they totally stepped up and worked with me! Very thankful! This will be my 3rd child in this program.

Fantastic experience: Nicole is a very good instructor. She is very good at explaining and teaching people. Highly recommend

Fantastic experience: My instructor Nichole was such a huge help when it came to scheduling drives! She’s so fun to talk to and made my drives feel like 10 minutes long. I couldn’t thank her enough for all her help.

Fantastic experience: I drive 26 ft moving trucks .I'm already a I give you five stars because you're teaching people how to drive.

Fantastic experience: My son had an amazing experience at Top Driver working with instructor Garry. He passed his road test today and Garry is the reason why. Garry is simply the best - knowledgeable, kind and full of wonderful advice. So sad to hear Garry is retiring but happy my son was one of his last students. Best wishes, Garry!! Thanks, Top Driver. Also, thank you Brendon for all of your assistance as well!! You were always so helpful.

Negative experience: I guess from what my student has said the classroom experience was good and his teacher was good and prices are typical. However, the process of scheduling drives is a complete failure. The system only updates drives once a month and the amount of drives available for a high school student, especially one with extracurriculars, is minimal at best. And the scheduling system is a complete pain. When those new drives open each month it is virtually impossible to even get into the website. Thus making it very hard for a student to complete the lessons in the allotted time. If you can find somewhere else to take your student I suggest that. I will be looking elsewhere when my next one hits driving age.

Fantastic experience: While I had such a difficult time scheduling ‘Behind the Wheel’ Lessons due to Covid and availability, and it was difficult to schedule online, after reaching out to several people, I had an immediate response and a willingness to help. Top Driver was kind enough to do whatever they could to make sure my daughter was able to complete her course in time. Quick response and helped solve the problem. I would recommend based on customer service.

Fantastic experience: Just passed drivers test, great experience and great teachers.

Fantastic experience: Great experience with Top Driver Crystal Lake. In fact any communication needed via calling the 800 number or emailing, all personnel have been wonderful! So many great instructors - Nichole, Pete, Mikenna, and Gary to name a few. Absolutely worth every penny.

Fantastic experience: Really a wonderful experience all around. Great communication with both students and parents a like. Detailed reports. Kids leave each session knowing exactly what to work on. Every instructor was friendly and knowledgeable. Being able to take the state test here as well was an amazing and rewarding experience for my daughter. Still nervous but nothing as to what I'm sure a DMV employee would have made her feel. Great company. Very glad we chose Top Driver.

Fantastic experience: Outstanding service very happy with the instruction you guys gave my daughter on the privilege of driving. Test instructor for Crystal lake is outstanding person really does a great job of grading appropriately. Top notch thanks

Fantastic experience: Top Driver in Crystal Lake did a great job preparing my daughter for her license. They were very easy to work with through the crazy mess of Covid. Garry even went out of his way to road test my daughter around her schedule. Highly recommend this driving school!

Fantastic experience: We could not have been happier with our Top Driver experience! The classroom lessons are presented in a very organized way, and our son's behind the wheel lessons with Mr. Graham were fantastic. He has an amazing ability to relate to new drivers in order to make them comfortable and confident, while providing feedback in a positive and constructive way. We also really appreciated the option of taking the road test through Top Driver instead of the DMV.

Negative experience: My daughter took classes for her license at the Crystal Lake location in the summer of 2020. She completed the whole program and we waited for her 16th Birthday so she could get her license. I called Top Driver in April to set up an appointment for her behind the wheel. They tell me that she never sent her grades in to Springfield. Ok....had I never called months after her classes I never would have known about this issue at all but I said ok let's do that now. We physically took the papers to the school and had them signed and then physically took them to Top Driver to be sent to Springfield. This was 2 months ago. I called again.. They were still booked all summer in the Chicagoland area locations but the lady assured me I was good to go to schedule for a far away location in July for $78 or I can go to the DMV. I specifically asked about all documents being completed. She was good to go. Here we are 2 months and later and 5 hours of nonsense at the DMV only to find out they never sent in the paperwork for her grades to Springfield. We wasted a day off work and her sports camp we paid for to get her license today. Their communication is HORRIBLE. I just heard of another family that went through this here. I went to the school and was asked to leave. They will take your money and they are done with you.

Fantastic experience: Can’t say enough about Top Driver! Supportive, knowledgeable instructors and adapted to online life quickly due to Covid. Didn’t miss a beat!

Fantastic experience: Gary in Crystal Lake is the best! Very knowledgeable, great teacher and very patient. My daughter had him as an instructor 6 years ago and my son just completed his lessons. Would highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: Great driving school! Gary is a great instructor!

Fantastic experience: We appreciate Top Driver and the organized manner they present their classes and offerings - you can now complete your road test with them! An additional fee yes; completely worth it for many reasons, yes... no long DMV wait and the comfort of an instructor you trust. Our favorite instructor (Garry) gave our child feedback in a relatable way, making him feel confident and in turn he was comfortable and was able to soak in the knowledge being shared. You have a great way with teaching!! We are so glad to have had the opportunity to learn from you!

Fantastic experience: Top Driver Crystal Lake is Great! My son had a few instructors but really did well with Garry. The customer service line was always ready with an answer for my questions and it's a simple process to book lessons. We even did the Road Test with them, super simple process. Highly recommend.

Fantastic experience: I just had my 3rd child get her driver's license after attending Top Driver in Crystal Lake. Their instruction was excellent and I highly recommend them to anyone wanting to provide their child with an exceptional driver's education. My kids were especially fond of instructor Garry Graham, who combines just the right amount of instruction and candor to keep them relaxed but confident behind the wheel. One of the only positive things to come out of the pandemic was that the state now allows the driving schools to issue the written and driving tests. While you have to pay a little extra, it is so worth it to get the driving test out of the way before the day you go get the actual license (although full disclosure, the DMV can still issue random driving tests). We were in and out of the DMV in 10 minutes! I highly recommend Top Driver!

Fantastic experience: Excellent instructors...especially Garry Graham. Timely and clear communication. Efficient process overall. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Our daughter had a great experience with top driver. Nicole was a supportive and patient teacher. We will definitely request her for our next top driver student.

Fantastic experience: My daughter was part of the ADHD program in Crystal Lake. It was amazing on how her anxiety was not an issue because her instructor, in the classroom and behind the wheel , Gary was incredible with her. He was so patient with her and made her feel comfortable behind the wheel. She is a great driver now.

Fantastic experience: My daughter had a great instructor for this class, and for behind the wheel as well. She did very well with the way they taught her and she had no complaints about the program. I was very pleased with the outcome.

Fantastic experience: We had a great experience with Top Driver and would highly recommend it. Our daughter loved the classroom and in-car instruction by Garry while WE loved the convenience of her being picked up at our home when she had the in-vehicle session.

Fantastic experience: Top Driver was a great experience for my daughter. The teacher was very efficient and tried to make it fun. The driving lessons were good and follow up from teacher really made my child feel warranted.

Fantastic experience: Gary is the best! Friendly, flexible, and a great teacher.

Positive experience: Scheduling make ups, behind the wheel, and observations was challenging. Top Driver was difficult to contact, and had limited availability... Will go through the school district with our other two children.

Fantastic experience: Our son's experience in the classroom and with all of the driving instructors has been amazing. Specifically, driving time with instructor Garry was invaluable. Because of Garry's patience, encouragement and skilled instruction our son grew to be a safe and very confident driver. Thank you!

Fantastic experience: My daughter had a great experience at Top Driver. She learned so much from her teacher, Gary. Thank you.

Fantastic experience: Top Driver is amazing! My teacher Garry is polite, patient, and very caring. Unlike other driving schools, Top Driver actually cares about the students and is willing to go out of their way to help the young drivers! They offer great driving tips. Top Driver is the best!

Fantastic experience: We were very pleased with Top Driver. Did not have any trouble with classes or appointments. They had a large variety of drive times available- seems like as late as 9 pm. Only downfall was that you need to book almost a month in advance. They do give you several months to complete the behind the wheel time, so it really was not an issue.

Fantastic experience: Top Driver has been a great experience for us! I would highly recommend Top Driver to help your teen with their driving lessons. The classroom time was very valuable and we really appreciated the individual attention and convenience of having the instructors come by the house to pick up our son! We found Gary Graham to be an excellent teacher, not only in the classroom but on the road as well. He has great patience and a calming demeanor which we found to be extra helpful! You will not regret using Top Driver!