Looking to get your G2, but still on the fence as to whether driving school is right for you? We’ve pulled together this guide to help you think through the decision in a structured way.

We know that each situation is different, so while driving school may be the right choice for some people, it may not be for others. Here are 4 key things to consider to determine whether driving school is right for you:

1. Calculate the return on investment for driving school

The first step to determining whether driving school is right for you is to carefully calculate the return on investment. Generally, younger drivers stand to gain more from going through driving school than older drivers. In order to calculate the return on investment for driving school, you will need:

• The cost of the driving school you’re looking to attend (most driving schools charge $600 – 1400; at Kruzee, for example, the price is $695)
• The insurance rates you would pay without going through driving school (if you don’t know this, you can check average insurance rates by age here)
• The insurance discount that you’ll receive from completing a Ministry-approved Beginner Driver Education course (usually this is 10-30%, but call your insurance company to know your exact savings amount)
• The number of years your insurance discount will last (usually this is 5 years, but do call your insurance company to verify)
• Any other savings opportunities provided by your driving school (for example, Kruzee customers can save $400 on their first car if it’s purchased from Clutch)

Once you have these numbers at hand, you can calculate the return on investment from driving school using the following formula:

Return on investment = [(Your monthly insurance rates)*(12)*(Your insurance discount)*(The number of years your insurance discount will last) + (Other savings opportunities your driving school provides) – (Your driving school cost)] / (Your driving school cost)

As an example, the return on investment for most 18-25 year olds going through Kruzee’s Beginner Driver Education course would be:

Return on investment = [($500)*(20%)*12*5 + $400 – $695] / $695 = 820%

That means that for every dollar you spend on driving school, you would get $8.2 back. Put differently, by spending $695 on the driver’s education course, you would receive $6,400 in savings. If you’re an older driver (50+), though, the insurance savings would decrease, and your return on investment would decrease. As a result – if you’re under 50, completing a Ministry-approved Beginner Driver Education course is usually worth it – but if you’re older, the case becomes more marginal.

2. Check whether you can take advantage of the “8 month rule”

The next step will be to determine whether you can take advantage of a unique benefit offered by the Ministry of Transportation for students that go through driving school.

If you complete a Ministry-approved Beginner Driver Education course in Ontario, you become eligible to get your G2 8 months after getting your G1, rather than the standard full year. If you’re in high school, this can be the difference between getting your license before graduating, or not. If you just got your G1 license, or got your G1 less than 8 months ago, going to driving school can considerably speed up the time it takes for you to get your full license.

3. Determine whether you want to practice driving on highways

Do you think you’ll need to do some highway driving when you get your G2? If so, you may want to consider going through driving school, as licensed driving instructors are the only individuals allowed to take G1 licenseholders on 400-series highways.

If you decide not to go through driving school, you will need to wait until you get your G2 license in order to drive on highways. Since it usually takes a bit of time to get comfortable with highway driving, getting some extra practice on highways while you have your G1 can go a long way.

4. Analyze your backup plan to going through driving school

One of the most underrated benefits to going through driving school is also one of the most obvious – it actually makes you a better driver, and increases your chances of passing your road test. If you don’t go through driving school, you’ll need to determine a backup plan for learning how to drive – unfortunately, as a G1 licenseholder, you will need to be accompanied by an experienced driver. As a result, self-teaching isn’t an option; if you decide not to go through driving school, you will need to learn from a family member or friend over the age of 25.

If you do decide to learn from a family member or friend, do still try to stick to a structured lesson plan! Feel free to use our Beginner Driver Education program lesson plan to help guide you along.