This online class was amazing! It let me go at my own pace, and I could visually follow along with the audible reading of the material. There were tests spaced every so often to keep me on my toes! Th... See more
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Review summary
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I want to say how much I appreciate the effort put into creating it. The content was very clear, practical, and helpful, especially for new drivers who may not know all the rules. I learned many impo... See more
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I chose this company (DDI) after reading reviews of various programs. I noticed some complaints about other companies being slow or non-existent to reply to inquiries. That is a big concern especial... See more
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very convenient and smooth to use. Having ability to take the course on my own time for as little or as long as I wanted was super helpful and IMO a much, much better option then taking the 5 hour co... See more
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Company details
- #10 of 18 best companies in Driving School
- #5 of 10 best companies in Drivers License Training School
About Defensive Drivers Institute
Written by the company
Defensive Drivers Institute is a leading online platform providing comprehensive driver education services across the United States. Our organization is committed to promoting safe driving practices and equipping aspiring drivers with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the roads responsibly.
New York 5-Hour Online Pre-Licensing Course
Our NYS DMV approved program is designed for new drivers seeking their first driver's license in New York. This course provides essential training on traffic laws, safe driving habits, and defensive driving techniques. It is conveniently available online, allowing students to learn at their own pace and from the comfort of their own homes.
Arizona Defensive Driving Course
This course is designed specifically for drivers who need to meet court requirements and clear their driving record. Approved by the Arizona Supreme Court, this course allows you to dismiss one eligible ticket every 12 months.
With our user-friendly online courses, we have helped thousands of individuals become confident and responsible drivers. Our programs are designed by experts in the field to ensure that learners receive the most up-to-date and effective education. We offer a wide range of courses, from defensive driving to traffic school, each tailored to meet the specific requirements of different states.
Our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction is reflected in our top-rated services and the positive feedback from our valued customers. We strive to offer the highest quality education to foster a safer driving environment for everyone. Whether you are a new driver preparing for your road test or someone looking to improve your driving skills, Defensive Drivers Institute is here to guide you every step of the way.
Contact info
4600 East Washington Street Suite 300 - #224, 85034, Phoenix, United States
- 833-921-0217
- info@defensivedriversinstitute.com
- defensivedriversinstitute.com
4.7
Excellent
610 reviews
Asks customers to review
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Replied to 100% of negative reviews
Typically replies within 1 week
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It was easy to sigh up for and the…
It was easy to sigh up for and the course was very helpful going forward.
July 1, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Jason! We're glad you found the signup process easy and that our course was very helpful for you going forward. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute!
I highly recommend this 5-hour…
I highly recommend this 5-hour pre-licensing course! The entire experience was smooth, organized, and incredibly informative from start to finish. Even though it was online, it was interactive, professional and never felt over whelming, I learned so much and finished the course feeling much more confident and prepared. If you're looking for a convenient, informative,and well run online pre-licensing course, I definitely recommend this one. Thank you for making the process so enjoyable and educational.
June 30, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for this absolutely wonderful 5-star review, Mary! We're genuinely thrilled to hear from you, and feedback like this truly makes our day.
Your detailed comments about the entire experience being smooth, organized, and informative mean everything to us. We're especially pleased to hear that the course felt interactive and professional while never becoming overwhelming, and that you finished feeling confident and prepared.
Creating a pre-licensing course that is both educational and enjoyable is a delicate balance, and knowing we achieved that for you is incredibly rewarding. Your recommendation will mean a lot to other students looking for a quality online option.
Thank you for taking the time to share such thoughtful feedback, and thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute. We wish you safe driving and all the best on the road ahead!
Anyone that needs to can do this
It was easy could do anytime of the day easy to understand
June 18, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Christina! We're glad you found our course easy to understand and appreciated the flexibility to complete it anytime of the day. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute!
people they should be know the road is very dangereux.
My experience with you is very great cause i learn a lot of thin fron you guys
June 22, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Woodison! We're thrilled to hear you had a very great experience and learned a lot from our course. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute. Drive safe!
It was made simple and easy.
June 17, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Leonardo! We're glad we made the course simple and easy for you. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and wish you safe driving!
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Sheriff! We're glad you found our course easy to understand. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute!
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 3-star review, GG! We're glad the course was fine overall, though we understand it felt a bit tedious at times. Since you found it acceptable, we'd love to know what we could have done to make it less tedious and earn those 4th and 5th stars. We're always looking for ways to improve the experience. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Haley! We're glad you appreciated the ability to take your time without pressure. Your advice to other students to pay close attention is great wisdom. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute. Stay safe on the road!
very convenient and smooth to use
very convenient and smooth to use. Having ability to take the course on my own time for as little or as long as I wanted was super helpful and IMO a much, much better option then taking the 5 hour course with an instructor in class room or even online.
June 17, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for this wonderful 5-star review, Justin! We're thrilled to hear you found the course convenient and smooth, and that the flexibility to work at your own pace was so helpful.
Your comparison to classroom instruction is meaningful to us. The self-paced format does give students much more control over their learning experience, and we're glad that worked so well for you. Creating a better alternative to traditional classroom-based defensive driving is exactly what we aim for.
Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
This course was really helpful and made…
This course was really helpful and made me understand all about the law of driving in the state of New York.
I’m grateful that I’ve taken the online course, could pause and go back when necessary.
Thank you NYS for this DMV course, I will recommend it to all beginner drivers.
June 17, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for this wonderful 5-star review and recommendation, Renita! We're thrilled to hear that our course helped you understand New York's driving laws and that the flexibility to pause and go back when needed made a difference in your learning.
Your appreciation for the online format and your willingness to recommend it to other beginner drivers means a lot to us. Creating accessible, effective defensive driving education for students at all experience levels is exactly what we aim for.
Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute. Drive safely!
Very thorough review of how driving…
Very thorough review of how driving privileges must be earned. Recommended.
June 15, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review and recommendation, Todd! We're thrilled to hear you found our course very thorough and appreciated the message about earning driving privileges. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and wish you safe driving!
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Emmanuel! We're glad you found our course very efficient and thorough. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and wish you safe driving!
Quick and easy
June 11, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 4-star review, Nathan! We're glad you found our course quick and easy. Since it sounds like you had a positive experience overall, we'd love to know what we could have done to earn that 5th star. We're always looking for ways to improve. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
Everything about the actual learning…
Everything about the actual learning experience was great. Perfectly paced for me BY me. Quiz placement was intentional with questions from previous topic to make sure you are actually paying attention. And in general, the dashboard and mechanics of it all were super easy to navigate. Completion took me roughly 5-6 hours, I had a busy schedule so that was partly my fault. However, the only part that was not my fault was the initial sign on/onboarding experience.
I signed up, created the account, PAYED for my course, submitted all necessary documents and was verified in a very timely matter. Went to begin my course and all of a sudden, it was blocked. My main gripe with this whole situation is that I tried calling the help support line, no joke, over 20 times. 20 TIMES. That's pretty wild in my opinion. I used the live chat box, no reply. I was calling for over an hour, and every call ended with "there is no one available..."I tried leaving a voice message like they said, NOTHING. My only savior at this point was the email option where all they replied with, after 30 min was "Thanks for reaching out! I have already unblocked your course, you should be good to log back in and continue with your course. Thanks for your time!" I will take it because at the end of the day I was able to complete my course but having to try to get a hold of someone, or something for over an hour is just something else.
Totally understand, this is my ticket, my problem, my issue. It's just the lack of urgency that bothers me the most. This is purely feedback and I am not trying to completely bash the institute because I was helped at the end of the day. Just was not the greatest customer support experience I've had.
June 9, 2026
Unprompted review
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for this honest and detailed 3-star review, Jessica. We really appreciate your fairness in acknowledging that the course itself was great, but more importantly, we want to sincerely apologize for the customer service experience you had.
You're absolutely right to be upset. Getting no answer on 20+ calls, no response on live chat, and no response to voicemails is inexcusable. That's not acceptable service, especially when you needed help accessing a course you'd already paid for. The 30-minute email response was also too slow given the urgency of your situation.
This is feedback that stings because it's accurate. Our phone and chat support dropped the ball, and you shouldn't have had to spend over an hour trying to reach someone. The fact that you were eventually helped doesn't excuse the lack of responsiveness on multiple channels.
We're taking this seriously internally. This kind of failure in support response is unacceptable, and we're committed to doing better. You deserved faster help on the first attempt, not the third.
We're glad you were able to complete the course successfully, and we genuinely appreciate you sharing this feedback so constructively. It helps us identify where we're failing our students.
Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute, and again, our sincere apologies for the support experience.
I enjoyed the course very well.
I enjoyed the course. The use of audio visual, life experience videos, explaining concepts, the tests at the end of each topic and quiz after each module was great for me.
June 4, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your feedback, Cordelia. We're confused by your 1-star rating, as your written review is entirely positive. You mention enjoying the course and praise the audio visual content, videos, explanations, tests, and quizzes.
It seems there may have been a mistake when selecting your star rating. Could you clarify whether the 1-star was intentional, or if you meant to leave a higher rating that matches the positive feedback you provided in your review?
We'd appreciate the opportunity to understand your actual experience. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute.
The experience was 5 out of 5 stars
The experience was 5 out of 5 stars. I was able to complete the course little by little since i am a stay at home mom with a business on the side. The course was very important and i am glad this system was implemented in order to keep us all save on the road.
June 7, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for this wonderful 5-star review, Priscilla! We're thrilled to hear that you found the experience so positive. We're honored to be part of keeping you and others safe on the road. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Victoria! We're glad you found the course simple and easy to grasp. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and wish you safe driving!
Great course
June 1, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 4-star review, Ruot! We're glad you found our course great. Since it sounds like you had a positive experience overall, we'd love to know what we could have done to earn that 5th star. We're always looking for ways to improve. Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 5-star review, Timothy! We're thrilled to hear that our course provided an excellent refresher to help prepare you for your road test. We appreciate you choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and wish you safe driving!
The course is a Minimum 5 hours
The course is a Minimum 5 hours. However, 10-15 hours are actually required to complete.
May 23, 2026
Reply from Defensive Drivers Institute
Thank you for your 4-star review. We understand your concern about the time discrepancy between the advertised 5 hours and the actual completion time.
The 5-hour minimum refers to the instructional content mandated by the New York State DMV. However, the full course also includes multiple knowledge checks and assessments throughout, as well as the state-required timers between sections. These additional components do add to the overall completion time.
Thank you for choosing Defensive Drivers Institute and drive safely!
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