Erie Behind-the-Wheel Driving Lessons

Erie behind-the-wheel driving lessons are taught by patient, state-certified instructors. We offer teen driving lessons and adult driving lessons. Each two-hour lesson is $160. Family-owned since 1999, we teach safe habits and good judgment that last after the drive test. We exceed state standards in both training and safety practices. Every instructor is carefully vetted and receives ongoing training. Every private driving lesson has a clear plan, dash cameras in every car back our Lesson Review Promise, and the Lesson Progress Tracker shows families what to work on next.

Schedule a Lesson

4.9 from 15,000+ reviews

Colorado's Largest Driving School and Testing Provider

Local Office Serving Erie
16 Statewide Locations
400K+ Students Served

1Office serving Erie
400K+Students taught
16Colorado locations

4.9 from 15,000+ reviews

Private Driving Lessons in Erie

$160per 2-hour lesson

Schedule a Lesson Call (303) 623-1404

Booked with us before? Log in to schedule instead of creating a second account.

How Booking Works

You can look before you book. The schedule button opens our Erie drive test and lesson calendar, where you can see what is open each day and pick your slot before you enter any information or pay. Look for the 2-hour lesson slots. A 30-minute slot is a drive test, not a lesson.

Briggs Street, Erie

660 Briggs St #2
Erie, CO 80516

Lessons start and end here Get directions →

Erie Driving Lesson FAQs

What should I bring?

Bring a valid Colorado learner's permit or driver license. Bring any glasses or contact lenses required for driving. Wear shoes that stay securely on your feet; flip-flops and slippers are not allowed.

Can I see available times before I pay?

Yes. You can open the calendar, see what is available, and pick a lesson slot before entering any personal information or paying. Your details and payment come after you have chosen the time you want.

How much does an Erie driving lesson cost?

Each private lesson costs $160 and lasts two hours. The price includes one-on-one instruction in an American Driving Academy dual-control vehicle.

Where do Erie lessons begin and end?

Lessons begin and end at American Driving Academy, 660 Briggs St #2 in Old Town Erie. Students should arrive early enough to check in before the scheduled start time.

Do I need six hours of lessons to get my license?

Colorado generally requires six hours of professional behind-the-wheel instruction for a teen who plans to receive a license before age 16½. That requirement is completed through three 2-hour lessons. Older teens and adults may still choose lessons for added practice, feedback, or confidence.

Will lessons help me pass the drive test?

Lessons can improve the control, observation, decision-making, and traffic skills used on the Erie driving test, but no school can guarantee a passing result. Your instructor will explain what is going well and what still needs practice.

What skills will a lesson cover?

Lessons cover vehicle setup, steering, smooth braking, turns, lane position, scanning, intersections, lane changes, hill parking, the three-point turn, parallel parking, multi-lane traffic, and freeway entry and exit. A teen completing the six hours works through all of it. An adult can ask us to spend the time on one thing.

Who Is the Lesson For?

Teen Driving Lessons in Erie

Colorado teens who want a license before age 16½ generally must complete six hours of professional driving instruction with an approved driving school during their permit year. Three driving lessons with us fulfill that requirement. Once completed, students receive both a DMV completion certificate showing we entered the six hours into the DMV's system, and an American Driving Academy insurance completion certificate.

Insurance discounts. Many insurance companies offer a discount for students who complete six hours of behind-the-wheel lessons. Check with your insurer to see what discounts they offer.
Parents get the notes. After each lesson the instructor records what went well and what to practice, so supervised drives at home have a purpose instead of just adding miles.

Adult Driving Lessons in Erie

About a third of our lessons are booked by adults. Some never learned, some have just moved to Colorado, and some are getting back behind the wheel after years away. You will not be the only one.

You choose what we work on. Adults are not tied to the teen curriculum, so instructors can build the appointment around what you actually want. If it is parallel parking you are worried about, we can spend the lesson on parallel parking.
No six-hour requirement. That rule is for teens licensing before 16½. One appointment is a perfectly normal booking for an adult, and you still need to bring a valid Colorado instruction permit or driver license, whatever your age.
New to Colorado. An instructor can work through local rules, mountain roads, altitude, and weather swings that surprise drivers who learned elsewhere.

What Erie Driving Lessons Include

Colorado-Approved Dual-Control Vehicle

Practice in a state-inspected car with an instructor brake and mirror.

Patient, State-Certified Instructor

Learn one-on-one with an instructor trained to teach new drivers.

Fingerprint Background Checks

Fingerprint checks submitted to the FBI, before hiring and every year after.

Lesson Progress Tracker

Hear what to practice next, then see it written down after every lesson.

DMV and Insurance Certificates

We file your six hours and issue your DMV and insurance certificates.

Lesson Review Promise

All of our cars have dash cameras, so a concern can be reviewed and answered.

Your Three Erie Driving Lessons, Step by Step

Every lesson is two hours, one on one with an instructor trained to teach each of these skills. Structured teaching creates quality driving.

One lesson = 2 hours = $160

Teens: Colorado generally requires six hours before a license at 16½. A teen doing their six hours with us will follow the format below.
Adults: Follow the same format if you want it. You can also tell us what you want to work on, and we will build your lessons around that instead.

Start here, no prior driving experience needed

Getting the Car to Do What You Ask

You start with no traffic to think about, then take on real streets one step at a time.
1. Empty parking lot
  - Good hand movements
  - Easy acceleration
  - Easy deceleration
  - Reversing
2. Residential neighborhood
  - Right and left turns
  - Blind intersections
  - School zone
3. Skills
  - Curb parking
  - Hill parking
  - 2 & 3-point turns
  - U-turns
4. Light traffic
  - Lane changes
  - Lane selection
  - Right turns
  - Left turns
Opens once everything in lesson one is done

The Parts That Make New Drivers Nervous

Bigger roads, tighter spaces, and decisions you have to make sooner.
1. Parking
  - Shopping center parking
  - Parallel parking
2. Advanced intersections
  - Roundabouts
  - Crossover intersections
  - 1-way streets
3. Freeway driving
  - Merging and exiting
  - Speed control
4. Review
  - Simulated road test
Opens once everything in lesson two is done

A Road Trip into the Mountains

Out of Erie this one usually runs up into real mountain highway.
1. Road trip knowledge
  - What-if situations
  - Highway hypnosis
2. Navigation
  - Interstate system
  - Streets
  - Guide signs
3. Mountain driving
  - Low gears
  - Wildlife
  - Passing zones

What if you do not get to everything?

This is everything we teach. Not every student gets to all of it in six hours, and that is fine. Colorado counts the six hours, not the skill list, so three lessons is all a teen needs to qualify for a license before 16½. You still receive your DMV completion certificate and your American Driving Academy insurance certificate.

Schedule a Lesson

American Driving Academy maintains vehicles approved for professional driver training in Colorado. A passenger-side brake and an instructor mirror let the instructor step in when necessary.

Every lesson is led by a state-certified instructor who receives ongoing training. The instructor explains each skill clearly and adjusts the difficulty as control improves.

Many of our instructors have a background in law enforcement, education, or CDL driving. American Driving Academy looks for instructors whose earlier careers required patience, preparation, and clear judgment.

American Driving Academy fingerprints every instructor before hiring. The prints are submitted through the Colorado Bureau of Investigation to the FBI's national database. Background checks are repeated every year for current instructors.

At the end of the appointment the instructor explains the student's strengths, the habits that need more work, and the most useful focus for supervised practice. The tracker records all of it so students and parents can follow progress, connecting professional instruction with home practice instead of leaving families to guess what to work on.

After a student has completed six hours of lessons, American Driving Academy enters those hours into the DMV's system and issues a DMV completion certificate, plus a separate insurance completion certificate.

Many insurers offer a discount, though eligibility and documentation rules vary by company and policy.

All of our cars have dash cameras, giving students, parents, instructors, and American Driving Academy a record that can be reviewed when a concern is raised. Contact us within 7 days, while footage may still be available, and we will review the experience and respond directly. This gives families a way to hold us accountable for the quality of behind-the-wheel training.

It does not guarantee a license, test result, refund, free lesson, instructor change, schedule change, or another specific outcome.

What Students Say About Our Driving Lessons

★★★★★

My daughter had a terrific experience. Her instructor John was very patient, kind and made her feel comfortable and confident at the wheel. Great driving school!

Maria B.
Parent of a Student

★★★★★

Nancy was a great driving instructor with excellent communication skills and a wonderful personality. She was friendly, patient, and always had a positive attitude.

Larry R.
Behind-the-Wheel Lessons

★★★★★

I feel like a professional driver now after working with them. It was a great experience and I learned so much from Byron and Ronaldo. Great instructors!!

Yolani I.
Behind-the-Wheel Lessons