How to Choose a Driving School: 12 Questions to Ask Before Paying

In short: choosing a school from adverts and price alone is a lottery. Before paying, ask 12 questions about the licence, driving hours, car, instructor, schedule, extra charges and exam preparation. It takes 15 minutes and can save millions of sum in retakes and extra lessons.

Instructors notice that of the students who come to them to "finish off" after another school, almost none chose their school deliberately. They took the nearest one, the cheapest, or the one a brother went to. The choice does not have to be complicated, but a few questions are essential. Below are the ones we would give a relative. Regulatory figures are as of October 2026.

1. What is the licence number, and for which categories?

Driver training is a licensed activity in Uzbekistan. Ask for the licence number and check it in the license.gov.uz registry or via the QR code on the electronic licence. Look at which categories it covers: if you need C and the school is licensed only for B, that is the end of the conversation.

Why this matters now: since 2026 the school sends your training record to the traffic police electronic system. No licence means no confirmed training, and without that you will not be admitted to the exam.

2. How many driving hours are included?

Ask for hours, not "lessons". The programme approved by Cabinet Resolution No. 408 sets at least 69 hours of practical driving for category B. Find out how many of those you will spend at the wheel rather than in the passenger seat while another student drives.

3. Which car and which gearbox?

The category B practical exam is taken in a manual car. If the school only offers automatic lessons, you will have to buy extra manual hours before the exam anyway. Look at the car: dual pedals, working mirrors, seat belts. In Tashkent, training fleets are mostly Cobalt, Gentra and Nexia, and that is fine.

4. Who will my instructor be?

The rules require a driving instructor to have at least three years of driving experience. But experience says nothing about whether someone can teach. Ask:

• whether you can meet the instructor before paying;
• whether you can switch if it does not work out;
• whether there are female instructors, if that matters to you (schools offering this are listed under driving schools for women).

5. How many students per instructor and per car?

Cabinet Resolution No. 408 sets limits for training organisations: groups of up to 24, one driving instructor per 12 students, and one category B training car per 8 students. If a car is shared by noticeably more people, expect cancelled lessons and queues at the end of the course.

6. Where do lessons take place?

• Does the school have its own practice ground, or does it use a test ground?
• Where does a lesson start: at the school, a metro station, your home?
• When do you go out into traffic, and on which streets?

For a student in Sergeli, a school in Yunusabad means an extra hour of travel per lesson. Look near home or work; the Tashkent driving school catalogue has a district filter.

7. What is the schedule, and when can I start?

Check whether you can drive early before work, in the evening or at weekends, how many lessons a week you will really get, and how many days after paying your first drive will be. If "the group starts in a month" and you need your licence by summer, that matters.

8. What about theory, and do I need it?

Since 1 February 2026, attending theory classes for categories A and B is optional: under Cabinet Resolution No. 676 you may self-study. Ask:

• whether there is a practice-only package and how much cheaper it is;
• if theory is offered, whether it is in person or online, in which language, and whether you get access to the current question bank.

Be honest with yourself: if you will not study the rules without a timetable, pay for the classes.

9. What is included in the price, and what costs extra?

Item	What to ask
Fuel	Is it included in the lesson price?
Extra hour	How much, and in which car?
Practice ground before the exam	Is there a rental fee?
Medical	Does the school help, and at what cost?
Exams	Paid separately to the exam centre; a school should not "include" them without a contract

Typical Tashkent prices are broken down in how much a licence costs.

10. How do I pay, and what if I quit?

The normal pattern is a deposit plus staged payments under a contract. The contract should state the amount, number of hours, course length, rescheduling rules and refund terms. Cash with no contract or receipt is a reason to leave.

11. How is completion recorded?

Since 2026, course completion certificates are generated in the electronic e-avtotaʼlim module, and under Cabinet Resolution No. 642 they are issued free of charge. If a school asks for a separate fee "for the certificate", ask exactly what it covers.

12. How does the school prepare you for the exam?

Good answers:

• an internal test on the test-ground exercises before the exam;
• at least one session on the exam ground or a ground with identical markings;
• the instructor tells you when to book so your theory pass (valid for two months) does not expire before the practical.

A bad answer: "all our students pass". The exam is scored by an automated system; nobody can strike a deal with it.

Red flags

• No licence, or "we'll tell you the number later".
• A licence without exams or a "guaranteed pass" — that is fraud or a crime.
• Automatic-only training with no warning that the exam is on a manual.
• Full prepayment in cash without a contract.
• An instructor who shouts or stares at a phone in the very first lesson.

Doing this quickly

Write down the 12 questions, call three schools in your district and compare the answers in a table. If you would rather not make the calls, leave a request for driving school matching: we will suggest several schools near you and help you compare them on these points. You can also browse category B schools in Tashkent. If you are unsure whether you need a school at all, read driving school or private instructor.