Young Driver at Stoneleigh – Our Experience

*gifted experience

If you’re the parent of a tween or teen, you’ll know only too well how challenging it can be to buy presents that really impress. If you’re looking forr something a little bit different for a birthday gift for a child aged 9+, look no further. I think I’ve found the perfect gift.

In January, we booked a Young Driver driving lesson at Stoneleigh for our 12-year-old daughter and my 13-year-old nephew, and had the best time. An experience and gift in one, making memories they’ll remember for a lifetime.

With over 64 venues across the UK, Young Drivers allows children aged 10-17 to get behind the wheel of a real dual-controlled car. Driving on private land with an experienced instructor, lessons focus on building confidence, understanding and respect for the road. As well as being great fun, early driving lessons have been proven to reduce accidents in new drivers by 80%,

We booked our lesson at Stoneligh in early January – here’s my Young Drivers review.

Our Young Driver Experience

Arrival and Check in

We booked a 30 minute experience for the morning of the 3rd January, and as the weather was cold and a little icy, I half expected a cancellation. The booking confirmation explained that the conditions would be checked on the day, and provided a website link, which confirmed early in the morning that it was safe to go ahead.

Stoneleigh was easy to find, with clear signage and plenty of space. Check-in was smooth and well organised, and the staff were friendly and welcoming from the start. The only slight negative was that the only toilets were back by the very entrance to the site. Luckily, the kids had been before we left, as we didn’t have time to drive back to the toilets.

Despite my worry about the winter conditions, everything felt calm and controlled. Safety was clearly a priority, and there was no sense of rushing or uncertainty.

The kids were given a little booklet to record what was covered in their lesson and given a number. They were also told the name of their instructor who would call their name when their car was ready. We were also asked if we wanted to buy dashcam footage, which we declined on this occasion – I was convinced Erin would drive like a snail but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

You don’t just drop the kids off at Young Drivers — you get to stay and watch – although whether that’s a good thing when it’s -1 is questionable! Due to the circuit’s size, the viewing point only sees a small part of the track, but the cars go around multiple times, so we had plenty of opportunities to snap some pics.

I would’ve loved the opportunity to snap a pic of the kids before they got into the car, but sadly the viewing point wasn’t close enough to do this.

The first drive

The children drove Suzuki Swift cars, which felt like a big plus. These are proper, modern cars — not simulators or novelty vehicles — so the experience feels very real. I was expecting them to be automatics, but they were full manual cars – so the kids were even taught about clutch control and gears.

The driving area is laid out to resemble real road situations, with bends, junctions and space to practise manoeuvres.

The instructors were excellent — calm, patient and clearly very experienced with children. The kids said that everything was explained really well and any nerves they had quickly melted away.

Both of them were guided through:

• Steering and road positioning
• Smooth braking
• Changing gears
• Basic manouveres

What stood out most was how confidence-building the whole session was. There was lots of encouragement, gentle correction when needed, and absolutely no pressure at all.

The best part? The kids absolutely loved it.

They came away absolutely buzzing, proud of themselves, and full of stories about what they’d learned. Instead of nerves, they felt confident and excited — and keen to get back behind the wheel!

If you’re a parent considering booking Young Driver, I’d wholeheartedly recommend it — and don’t be put off by winter dates. Our January session proved it can still be a fantastic experience. My only tip – book the hour, they both wished they had a bit longer!