UK Driving Instructors

There are currently 43,333 DVSA-approved driving instructors (ADIs) registered across Great Britain, along with 5,753 trainee licence holders working towards full qualification. This data is published quarterly by the DVSA and was last updated in 2025 September.

Every ADI on the register has passed the DVSA's rigorous three-part qualifying examination and holds a valid registration. They are subject to periodic standards checks, graded A (highest) or B (satisfactory), to ensure teaching quality is maintained.

The table below shows how instructors are distributed across UK postcode areas. Urban areas like Birmingham (B), Sheffield (S), and Leicester (LE) have the highest concentrations, while rural and island postcodes naturally have fewer. Use this data alongside our test centre pages to understand both test availability and instructor supply in your area.

43,333 Approved Instructors
5,753 Trainee Licences
126 Postcode Areas
2025 Data as of September

Instructors by Postcode Area

Postcode Area Approved ADIs Trainees
B 1,703 285
S 1,050 158
LE 880 123
G 844 153
NG 804 145
E 797 99
M 738 219
NE 718 107
CF 697 64
CV 643 105
BD 617 89
BS 609 92
PE 594 78
DE 570 96
EH 561 115
PO 561 40
RM 552 74
ME 546 52
CM 544 58
NR 536 60
NN 528 83
BN 509 67
RG 505 73
MK 503 83
L 501 107
LS 501 89
DN 500 87
CH 484 85
ST 478 83
HA 474 50
IG 466 63
UB 454 51
SA 452 54
SE 446 31
TN 446 30
SO 444 46
WF 439 52
LU 438 72
SS 430 32
BB 409 56
GU 406 53
OL 406 95
IP 405 41
DA 401 36
OX 397 48
PR 397 49
CT 395 33
N 389 53
RH 384 36
CO 380 27
WA 372 75
HP 369 46
CR 367 25
PL 367 58
SN 365 36
EX 361 40
GL 359 50
TW 355 37
LL 352 58
BH 348 34
TS 347 34
SK 337 52
BL 336 69
WV 335 64
NP 324 36
YO 316 31
SL 311 38
KY 307 38
WS 298 41
DY 297 44
EN 288 18
NW 282 25
CB 279 30
SG 278 33
HU 271 34
ML 270 35
SW 268 32
AB 259 16
KT 257 34
BA 252 20
TA 242 12
WD 237 15
DH 231 21
KA 230 30
DL 228 15
TQ 221 19
HD 220 33
PA 220 25
CW 207 38
BR 204 19
FK 202 28
WR 195 22
SM 193 20
LN 192 13
WN 191 14
SP 188 18
W 175 17
SR 171 13
FY 164 20
CA 163 6
DD 162 16
TR 161 25
SY 157 12
LA 153 21
TF 153 27
AL 146 21
IV 141 13
DT 115 8
HX 96 14
PH 96 9
HR 95 6
DG 86 1
HG 74 8
TD 62 10
KW 29 2
LD 28 1
HS 13 0
EC 12 1
ZE 9 0
WC 7 0
Unknown 3 0
BT 2 0
OA 1 0
BF 0 0
C 0 0
NL 0 0

About DVSA Instructor Registration

To become an Approved Driving Instructor in the UK, candidates must pass a three-part qualifying exam administered by the DVSA. Part 1 is a theory test, Part 2 is an advanced driving assessment, and Part 3 is a test of instructional ability. The process typically takes 6-12 months.

Once qualified, instructors are placed on the official ADI register and must display a green badge in their car. They are subject to standards checks every few years, where a DVSA examiner observes a real lesson and grades their teaching. Grade A indicates a high standard; Grade B indicates a satisfactory standard. Instructors who fail the standards check may have their registration revoked.

Trainee licence holders are working towards full qualification and display a pink badge. They must be supervised by a qualified ADI and are working towards completing all three parts of the qualifying exam.

You can search for individual instructors on the official DVSA directory.