Driving School or Private Instructor: Which to Choose in Uzbekistan

In short: if you do not have a licence, a driving school is mandatory. Since 2026 you can self-study theory, but practical training under the programme must be done at a licensed school. A private instructor is for something else: extra hours before the exam, getting back behind the wheel after a break, learning your own car. The best results usually come from combining both: a school plus 3–5 hours with a strong instructor.

"School or private instructor?" comes up all the time, and the question usually mixes up two situations. One is getting a licence from scratch. The other is learning to drive confidently once you have a licence, or nearly do. For the first, the law limits your choice; for the second, only your budget does. Information is as of October 2026.

What the law says

Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 676 of 25 October 2025 has applied since 1 February 2026. For categories A and B:

• the theory part of the programme can be studied independently or on online or offline courses;
• practical driving under the mandatory programme must be completed in full at a licensed state or private driving school;
• the school sends your training record to the electronic system, and only then can you apply for the exam.

The conclusion is simple: a freelance instructor cannot replace a driving school if you want a licence. They cannot confirm your training, and the exam centre will not book you.

There is also safety and liability. A school's training car has dual pedals, and the instructor is responsible for the lesson. Someone without a licence at the wheel of an ordinary car, even with an experienced relative beside them, is simply driving without a licence.

Comparison: school vs private instructor

Criterion	Driving school	Private instructor
Leads to a licence	Yes, the mandatory route	No, only as a supplement
Price	Category B course in Tashkent usually 5–8 million UZS	150–250k UZS per hour
Car	Training car with dual pedals	Instructor's training car or yours
Gearbox	Mostly manual, as in the exam	Often automatic
Schedule	School timetable	Flexible, around you
Test-ground preparation	Part of the programme	Depends on the instructor
Accountability	Contract, licence	Verbal agreement, sometimes a contract
Best for	Everyone getting a licence	Licence holders and students topping up

Private instructor rates are based on Tashkent instructors' listings in October 2026: around 150–170k UZS an hour in a manual Cobalt, 175–200k in automatics, and up to 250k in newer electric cars. Lessons in your own car usually cost less than in the instructor's.

When you need a driving school

You are getting your first licence. The question is not whether, but which school. The good news is that a school does not have to mean a 24-person group and an inconvenient timetable. Many schools offer one-to-one scheduling and let you choose your instructor. In effect you get a personal instructor, but inside a school and with your training officially recorded.

You are adding a category. Retraining from B to C, or from B/C to D, is also done through a training organisation.

How to vet a school before paying is covered in how to choose a driving school: 12 questions. Schools by district are in the Tashkent driving school catalogue.

When a private instructor is the better deal

You are short of hours before the exam. The course is over, but parallel parking and the hill start still fail. Three to five hours with an instructor who specialises in test-ground exercises costs 0.5–1 million UZS. A single retake at the unified exam centre costs 1.6 million. The maths is simple. Just make sure those lessons are on a manual if the exam is still ahead.

You have a licence but do not drive. The classic case: you passed years ago, never had a car, and now you are nervous about driving. Here a private instructor beats a school, because they work on your specific weak spots: joining Amir Temur avenue, U-turns, parking at a shopping centre, the Small Ring Road at rush hour.

A new car. You have moved from manual to automatic or bought a large crossover; a couple of hours in your own car with an instructor removes a lot of stress.

A specific route. The drive to work, nursery or the airport. An instructor will ride it with you several times at different times of day.

You can find instructors by district, gearbox and gender in Tashkent instructors.

Combining both without overpaying

The plan we recommend to most students:

1. A driving school with a schedule that suits you and manual cars, for the main course.
2. Self-study theory if you are disciplined; it lowers the course price.
3. One to two weeks before the exam, 2–3 hours drilling the test-ground exercises, with your own instructor or another one.
4. After you get the licence, 3–5 hours with a private instructor in your own car on your real routes.

That package costs less than one or two retakes, and your first month of independent driving is much calmer.

What it adds up to

Option	Training cost (excluding exams)
Driving school only	about 6.5 million UZS
School + 3 hours of test-ground practice before the exam	about 7.1 million UZS
School + 3 hours before the exam + 5 hours in your own car after the licence	about 8.1 million UZS

Calculated for Tashkent at 200k UZS per hour. For comparison, one retake of one stage costs 1.6 million, two retakes 3.2 million.

Checking a private instructor

• Do they have instructor credentials, and how long have they been teaching?
• The car: does it have dual pedals, if you will use theirs?
• Do they state a clear hourly price and what it includes (pickup, fuel)?
• Will they watch you drive in the first lesson before proposing a plan?
• Do they offer to "sort out the exam"? The exam is scored by an automated system, and such promises are a reason to walk away.

Bottom line

No licence: a driving school, chosen as carefully as you would choose a personal instructor. Licence in hand: a private instructor for your specific goals. If you would like us to find a school with flexible scheduling or an instructor near you, leave a request. For the gearbox question, see manual or automatic.