Terms and Conditions for Learners

About Rated Driving and these terms

1.1 Who we are. These terms are an agreement between you (the learner, who is a consumer) and Rated Driving Instructors Ltd (“Rated Driving”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a company registered in England and Wales (company number 11077197), with its registered office at The Carriage House, Mill Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6YE.

1.2 What they cover. They cover your use of our website, app and related services (together, the “Platform”), and any purchases and bookings you make through it.

1.3 Agreeing to them. By creating an account, sending an enquiry, making a payment or using the Platform, you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Platform.

1.4 If anything is unclear. We have written these terms in plain English. If anything is unclear, please contact us at support@rateddriving.com before you buy.

1.5 Which terms apply to you. These terms apply to new learners who use our Wallet process. In the app, you will see your lessons as credits in your Wallet. If you started learning with us before the Wallet process launched, you do not see a Wallet, these terms do not apply to you, and your lessons are covered by our previous learner terms, which continue to apply to you (see the note at the top of this page).

Words we use

In these terms:

“Booking” means arranging lesson time and/or a Product through the Platform.

“Content” means anything you submit through the Platform, such as messages, Reviews and other materials.

“Instructor” means an independent, self-employed driving instructor using the Platform.

“Lesson(s)” means driving tuition provided by an Instructor.

“Instructor’s fee” means the part of your payment that is paid to your Instructor for teaching you.

“Products” means extra items or services offered through the Platform, such as hiring your Instructor’s car for your driving test at a rate your Instructor sets.

“Reviews” means ratings and feedback you leave about an Instructor or your experience.

“Wallet” means the place where your money is held after you pay, using our payment provider’s secure, FCA-regulated escrow system (Ryft Pay).

“Credit” means a booking unit in your Wallet. 1 credit is 1 hour of lesson time. When you buy a package, you receive one credit for each hour.

“Wallet balance” means the credits you have left in your Wallet. This is what you see in the app.

“Released” means the money behind a used credit leaving your Wallet to be paid to your Instructor for a lesson that has taken place.

“24-hour window” means the short period after each lesson, explained in clause 8, before that lesson’s money is released.

“Cooling-off period” means the 14-day cancellation period for distance purchases under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, where it applies.

“Validity period” means 6 months from the date of a purchase, by which time you should aim to use the hours from that purchase.

“Platform Services” means the services we provide as a marketplace and agent: running the Platform, matching you with Instructors, in-app chat and calling, scheduling, holding and handling your payments, customer support, and handling cancellations and refunds under these terms.

Our role: a marketplace and agent

3.1 We are a marketplace. Rated Driving runs a marketplace. We do not provide driving lessons. Lessons are provided by independent, self-employed Instructors.

3.2 Your lessons contract is with your Instructor. When you book lessons, your contract for those lessons is with your Instructor, not with us. We are not a party to that contract.

3.3 What we provide. We provide the Platform Services described in clause 2. This includes holding your money in your Wallet and handling payments and refunds.

3.4 Instructors are independent and DVSA registered. Instructors are not our employees, partners or agents. We do not watch over lessons or control how an Instructor teaches. Every Instructor is DVSA registered, which means they are either an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) or a Potential Driving Instructor (PDI).

3.5 Our standard of care. We will provide our Platform Services to you with reasonable care and skill, as the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires.

Who can use the Platform

4.1 You need a provisional licence. You must hold a valid UK provisional driving licence before you start taking driving lessons, and you must be allowed to learn to drive in the UK.

4.2 Accurate information. You must give accurate information and keep it up to date (including your contact details, address area and availability). Wrong information can stop us matching you and may affect how these terms apply to you.

4.3 Your account. Keep your login details safe and do not let anyone else use your account.

4.4 Under 18s. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian may need to be involved in your booking and payment.

Using the Platform properly

5.1 Respectful use. Please use the Platform respectfully. Abuse, harassment, discrimination, threats or unsafe behaviour towards Instructors, other users or our staff can lead to your account being suspended or closed.

5.2 Honest information. You must give honest, accurate information and not pretend to be someone else.

5.3 One account. Please keep to one account, for your own personal use.

5.4 Do not misuse the Platform. You must not use the Platform for anything unlawful, try to interfere with its security or operation, copy or collect data from it, or use it in any way that could harm Rated Driving, Instructors or other users.

5.5 Lawful use of lesson content. Do not record, share or publish any part of a lesson, or any communication on the Platform, in a way that breaks the law or another person’s rights.

Enquiries and matching (no guarantee)

6.1 We pass on your enquiry. When you send your details, we pass your enquiry (such as your area, availability and preferences) to suitable independent Instructors.

6.2 Matching is not guaranteed. We cannot guarantee a match. An Instructor may say no, or may not reply.

6.3 Agreeing your lessons. If an Instructor accepts, you can use in-app chat and calling to agree your lessons with them.

6.4 Prompt contact. Once an Instructor accepts, they should message you within 6 hours. If they do not make contact within 6 hours, we may connect you with another Instructor, so you are not left waiting.

Prices and how you pay

7.1 The price you see is the price you pay. We show you the total price before you pay. We do not add a separate booking fee or platform fee at the checkout.

7.2 How the price is made up. Your price is made up of (a) your Instructor’s fee for teaching, which is paid to your Instructor, and (b) the amount we keep for running the Platform. We usually earn our part when lesson money is released after a lesson takes place or is treated as chargeable under these terms.

7.3 Your rate is fixed for 6 months. Your lesson rate is fixed when you first book with an Instructor for that Instructor and lesson type, and is held for 6 months from the day you first log in to the app. It may change before then only if (a) you change Instructor, (b) you buy a different product or lesson type, or (c) you both agree a change.

7.4 Packages and credits. When you buy a package, you receive one credit for each hour of lessons. For example, a 10-hour package gives you 10 credits. If you buy a larger package, you may pay a lower price per credit. Your Instructor still receives their agreed hourly rate, because Rated Driving funds any learner package incentive from its own commission and marketing margin.

7.5 After 6 months: updating your rate and topping up. A typical learner finishes within about 6 months. After the 6-month period in clause 7.3, if you have not used all your credits, or you want to top up or buy more lessons, we may update the price to the current rate on the Platform at that time. We do not have to do this, but we may. If we update the rate on credits still in your Wallet, we will tell you first. If you would prefer not to continue at the updated rate, you can have the money for your unused credits refunded in full, with no fee (see clause 11). Any top-up or new purchase is charged at the Platform rate that applies when you buy it.

7.6 Pay in the app only. You must pay through the Platform. Do not pay your Instructor directly unless we tell you to.

Your Wallet: how your money is held and released

8.1 Your Wallet and your credits. When you buy lessons, you receive credits in your Wallet. 1 credit is 1 hour of lesson time, and your credits are what you see as your Wallet balance in the app. The money behind your credits is held using our payment provider’s secure, FCA-regulated escrow system (Ryft Pay). It stays yours until a lesson is delivered.

8.2 Two ways to pay. You can pay in one of two ways. (a) You can choose a package and place a payment “on hold” before we connect you with an Instructor. Once you are connected, the money is taken and your credits are added to your Wallet. (b) Or you can send an enquiry first, speak to an Instructor, and then pay in the app, and your credits are added to your Wallet. Either way, your credits sit in your Wallet and are used lesson by lesson.

8.3 Released lesson by lesson. We do not pay your Instructor the whole amount up front. After each lesson, the credits for that lesson are used and the money behind them is released to your Instructor, but only after the 24-hour window below.

8.4 The 24-hour window. After each lesson there is a 24-hour window before that lesson’s money is released. This short window is there so that you or your Instructor can raise a genuine problem, for example if the lesson did not happen, the wrong length was recorded, or something serious went wrong. If no problem is raised, the money for that lesson is released to your Instructor.

8.5 What the 24-hour window is not. It is not a chance to avoid paying for a lesson you have already had. Your money must already be in your Wallet before a lesson is confirmed.

8.6 Your remaining balance. The credits you have not yet used stay in your Wallet, ready for your next lessons, or to be refunded to you (see clause 11).

8.7 Lessons are funded first. A lesson can only be confirmed if you have enough credits in your Wallet, or you have paid for it in the app. This means your Instructor is never asked to teach a lesson that has not been paid for.

Lessons and Products

9.1 Your Instructor delivers your lessons. Please follow your Instructor’s reasonable safety instructions.

9.2 When a lesson can be refused or ended. An Instructor may refuse to start, or may end, a lesson if you are late, not fit to drive, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, abusive, or a safety risk. A lesson refused or ended for these reasons may still be charged for under clause 10.

9.3 Test-day car hire. You can hire your Instructor’s car for your driving test, at a rate your Instructor sets. Your Instructor can refuse to let you use it if, in their professional judgement, you are not ready or it would be unsafe.

9.4 Products. Products (such as test-day car hire) may have their own conditions, which we will show you before you buy.

Cancelling, moving lessons, lateness and no-shows (the 48-hour rule)

10.1 The 48-hour rule. Please give at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel or move a lesson. This is our platform-wide policy and applies to everyone.

10.2 If you cancel late or do not turn up. If you give less than 48 hours’ notice, arrive too late for the lesson to reasonably go ahead, or do not turn up, the lesson can be treated as a lesson you have used. The money for that lesson may be released to your Instructor, and no refund is due for that lesson.

10.3 Your Instructor may choose to be flexible. Whether you are charged for a late cancellation is your Instructor’s decision. They may, entirely at their own discretion, decide not to charge you, for example the first time it happens, or where something genuinely outside your control came up (such as a medical emergency). This is a kindness, never a guarantee, and not something you can require. If your Instructor does not charge you, the money for that lesson simply stays in your Wallet.

10.4 If your Instructor cancels late or does not turn up. You will not be charged, and you will not lose the lesson value. The money stays in your Wallet so you can rebook, or you can have it refunded. If your Instructor does not turn up, or repeatedly behaves unreasonably, please tell us and we will look into it and help.

Refunds

11.1 The simple rule. Because the money behind your credits is held in your Wallet and is only released lesson by lesson, getting a refund is straightforward. You can ask us for a refund of the money for any credits you have not used. We do not charge a fee for this.

11.2 How much you get back. Your refund is the money for the credits you have not used. We work this out as: unused credits × the price per credit you paid.

11.3 Lessons you have already had. We cannot refund credits you have already used for lessons that took place and were delivered properly, because your Instructor has provided that service.

11.4 How to ask for a refund. Contact us through in-app support, or email support@rateddriving.com. Tell us which purchase it relates to so we can sort it out quickly.

11.5 How and when we pay refunds. We refund to your original payment method where possible. If that is not possible, we refund by bank transfer. Once a refund is agreed and the amount confirmed, we process it within 14 business days.

11.6 Your 14-day cancellation right (cooling-off). By law, you usually have 14 days to cancel a purchase made online or by phone, under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. If you ask for lessons to start during this period and then cancel, you pay only for the lessons you have already had, and we refund the money for the rest of your credits. Once all the lessons in a purchase have been fully provided, the right to cancel that purchase ends. To use this right, contact us through in-app support or email and we will confirm we have received it. Where you cancel under this cooling-off right, we will refund you within 14 days, as the law requires.

11.7 Your credits do not expire. You should aim to use your credits within the validity period of 6 months from your purchase. Your credits do not simply disappear at the end of that period, and we will not keep the money behind them. You can ask us for a refund of the money for your unused credits at any time. We may not contact you automatically about unused credits, so please get in touch with us whenever you would like your refund.

11.8 If your account goes quiet. If your account is inactive for a long period, we may pause or close your booking. This does not affect the money for your unused credits, which stays available to you and which we will refund whenever you ask.

11.9 Exceptional circumstances. If, during the validity period, you cannot carry on for reasons such as illness, pregnancy or moving away, you can ask for more time or for a refund of the money for your unused credits. We may ask for reasonable evidence.

11.10 Products. Where you buy a Product, such as hiring your Instructor’s car for your test, it may stop being refundable once it is booked or once the day has passed. We will make this clear before you buy. Where a Product is refundable, we may reduce the refund by the value of any part already provided.

11.11 Your statutory rights. Nothing in this section removes the legal rights you have as a consumer that cannot be taken away.

First-lesson money-back promise

12.1 The promise. If you are not happy with your first lesson, tell us within 24 hours. We will refund up to 1 hour (60 minutes) of that first lesson and help you find another Instructor.

12.2 Who pays for it. This refund is funded by Rated Driving. It does not come out of your Wallet balance, and your Instructor is still paid for the lesson they gave.

12.3 Fair use. This promise can be used once per learner and is subject to reasonable checks to prevent misuse.

12.4 What it does not change. This is a promise we choose to offer on top of your legal rights. It does not make us responsible for the quality of your lessons. That stays with your Instructor under your contract with them.

Changing Instructor

You can ask to change Instructor, for example if you want a different car type (manual or automatic), a male or female Instructor, a different teaching style, or because you have moved or cannot agree lesson times.

Because your money is held in your Wallet, changing Instructor is easy. Your previous Instructor is paid for the lessons they have already given. The money left in your Wallet moves with you to your new Instructor, or can be refunded to you.

If something goes wrong with a lesson (disputes)

14.1 We pause that one lesson. If you raise a genuine problem about a lesson during its 24-hour window, we will pause the release of money for that one lesson while we look into it.

14.2 Other lessons are not held up. A problem with one lesson will not hold up the money for other lessons you have already completed without any problem.

14.3 What happens next. Once we have looked into it, we will release the money or arrange a refund, whichever is fair.

Reviews and ratings

15.1 Leaving a review. You may be invited to leave Reviews and ratings about your Instructor and your experience.

15.2 Be honest and fair. Reviews must be honest and based on your genuine experience. They must not be false, misleading, defamatory, abusive, discriminatory or unlawful, and must not include other people’s personal information.

15.3 Licence to use your Reviews. You keep ownership of your Reviews, but you grant Rated Driving a worldwide, royalty-free licence to publish, display, share and use them to operate and promote the Platform.

15.4 Moderation. We may moderate, decline to publish, or remove a Review that breaks these rules or the law. We are not required to publish every Review.

What “buyer protection” means

16.1 It is our support process. Any “buyer protection” or “support” wording in the app means our own process for handling questions, complaints and disputes. It is not insurance, and it does not mean every purchase can be refunded.

16.2 When we give refunds. We give refunds where the law requires, where these terms say so, or where we choose to as a goodwill gesture.

Paying in the app, and why it matters

17.1 Always pay through the app. You must make all payments for lessons and Products through the Rated Driving app. Do not pay your Instructor directly, in cash, by bank transfer, or by any other method outside the app, unless we specifically tell you to.

17.2 Why this matters. When you pay through the app, the money behind your credits is held in your Wallet through our payment provider, you have a clear record, your refund and cancellation rights under these terms apply, and we can step in to help if something goes wrong. These protections only exist because the payment is made on the Platform.

17.3 What happens if you pay outside the app. If you pay an Instructor outside the app, that payment is not protected by Rated Driving in any way. It is not covered by your Wallet, the 24-hour window, our refund process, the first-lesson money-back promise, or our dispute and buyer protection support. We will not assist with, refund, recover, or get involved in any payment made outside the app, and any dispute about it is solely between you and the Instructor. You could lose your money, with no way for us to help.

17.4 It is a breach of these terms. Paying for or arranging lessons outside the app, or otherwise trying to go around the Platform with an Instructor you found through Rated Driving, breaks these terms. We may suspend or close your account (see clause 21).

17.5 Please tell us. If an Instructor ever asks you to pay outside the app, please tell us straight away at support@rateddriving.com.

Payment problems and chargebacks

18.1 If a payment is reversed. If a payment fails, is reversed, or is disputed (including a card chargeback), we may pause your Wallet or bookings while we look into it.

18.2 Talk to us first. Please contact us before raising a chargeback with your bank, so we can try to sort the problem out quickly. This does not affect any rights you have to dispute a payment with your bank.

Availability of the Platform

19.1 We aim to keep it running. We aim to keep the Platform available and working well, but we cannot guarantee that it will always be available, uninterrupted or free of faults.

19.2 Maintenance. We may suspend or limit access to carry out maintenance, updates or repairs, or for security reasons. Where we reasonably can, we will give notice.

19.3 Events beyond our control. We are not responsible for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control (for example, power or internet failures, supplier failures, strikes or extreme weather). This does not affect your statutory rights.

Content and intellectual property

20.1 Our content. The Platform, and all content in it except content submitted by users, belongs to Rated Driving or its licensors and is protected by law.

20.2 Your licence to use the Platform. We give you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the app and website to access the services for your own use. You must not copy, resell, scrape, reverse-engineer or otherwise misuse the Platform or its content.

20.3 Content you submit. You keep ownership of Content you submit (such as messages and Reviews), but you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store, copy, display and share it as needed to run, improve and promote the Platform. You are responsible for the Content you submit, and it must not be unlawful or infringe anyone’s rights.

Suspending or closing your account

21.1 When we may act. We may suspend or close your account, or your access to the Platform, if you seriously break these terms, misuse the Platform, try to go around it, commit fraud, give us false information, or behave abusively or unsafely.

21.2 Notice. Where we reasonably can, we will tell you and give our reasons.

21.3 Your money if we close your account. If we close your account, we will refund any money left in your Wallet, less any amount properly due (for example, for lessons already delivered, or chargeable under clause 10).

21.4 Surviving rights. Anything you or we already owe before suspension or closure still stands.

Complaints

22.1 How to complain. Contact us through in-app support or at support@rateddriving.com with the details.

22.2 Our timescales. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 5 working days and give a full reply within 15 working days, where we reasonably can.

22.3 Independent advice. If we cannot resolve your complaint between us, you can get free, independent advice (for example, from Citizens Advice). This does not affect your statutory rights.

Our responsibility to you (liability)

23.1 What we never limit. Nothing in these terms limits our responsibility for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud, or for anything else the law does not allow us to limit, including your statutory rights as a consumer.

23.2 Your lessons. Because your lessons are provided by your Instructor under your contract with them, we are not responsible for how your Instructor teaches, or for their acts or failures.

23.3 Our Platform Services. Subject to clause 23.1, our total responsibility to you for any claim is limited to the amount you paid for the purchase the claim relates to.

23.4 No guarantee of results. We do not guarantee that you will pass your test or achieve any particular result.

23.5 Losses you cause us. You are responsible for losses we suffer because of your fraud, your unlawful use of the Platform, or your serious breach of these terms, and we may recover our reasonable costs.

Your information (data protection)

We handle your personal information in line with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. You agree that we will share relevant details with Instructors so they can respond to your enquiry and arrange your lessons.

Changes to these terms

25.1 We may update these terms. We may update these terms from time to time. We will tell you about important changes through the Platform or by email.

25.2 Changes and purchases you have made. Changes will not normally apply to purchases you have already made, unless the change is required by law, is to your benefit, or is needed for security or to prevent fraud, and we apply it fairly.

General

26.1 Entire agreement. These terms (together with any documents they refer to, including the Privacy & Cookie Policy and any purchase or booking confirmations shown in the Platform) form the whole agreement between you and us about your use of the Platform and any purchases you make.

26.2 Transferring this agreement. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another organisation. If we do, we will make sure your rights are not harmed, and we will tell you. You may not transfer your rights or obligations without our written consent.

26.3 No waiver. If we do not enforce a right, that does not mean we give it up, and it does not mean you do not have to keep to your obligations.

26.4 Severability. If any part of these terms is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, the rest will still apply.

26.5 Third-party rights. These terms are between you and us only. No one else has any right to enforce them under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

26.6 How we contact you. We may contact you through in-app notifications, email, SMS and/or phone, using the details in your account. Please keep these up to date.

Governing law and where you can bring a claim

27.1 Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

27.2 If you live in Scotland. If you live in Scotland, you can bring legal proceedings in the Scottish courts or the courts of England and Wales.

More Rated Driving terms

Instructor terms and conditions

Intensive driving course terms and conditions

Previous learner terms (for learners who started before the Wallet)

Privacy and Cookie Policy

All Rated Driving terms