Pass Plus vs Advanced Driving Courses

Once you've decided your son or daughter should do some post-test training, the next question is almost always the same: Pass Plus, or something more substantial?

The honest answer depends on what you're trying to achieve. Pass Plus and advanced driver coaching are often discussed as if they're alternatives on the same spectrum, but they're not really the same thing. They cost different amounts, teach differently, and produce different outcomes. One might be perfect for your situation; the other might be a waste of money.

This guide explains what each actually involves, what has changed about Pass Plus in recent years that most comparison articles don't mention, and how to work out which makes sense for your driver.

What Pass Plus actually is

Pass Plus is a post-test driving course set up by the DVSA in 1995. It's a minimum of six hours of instruction delivered by any DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) who's registered to teach it, covering six modules:

1. Town driving — complex junctions, multi-lane traffic, urban hazards
2. All-weather driving — rain, fog, skid awareness (usually theoretical, since you can't summon weather on demand)
3. Night driving — headlight use, judging distance in the dark
4. Rural roads — country lanes, unlit roads, overtaking
5. Dual carriageways — merging, lane discipline, speed judgment
6. Motorways — joining, exiting, lane use, progress

There is no test. The instructor assesses each module as it's taught and signs off when they're satisfied the driver has reached the required standard. If the driver hasn't reached it in six hours, they pay for extra time until they do. On completion, the driver applies to the DVSA for a Pass Plus certificate.

Typical cost is £150–£250 for the standard six-hour course, though it can go higher if extra hours are needed. Some local councils subsidise it — Wales runs Pass Plus Cymru at £20, and a handful of councils in England offer partial discounts.

On paper, it covers the right things. In practice, Pass Plus has two significant weaknesses that anyone comparing options should know about.

What the Pass Plus brochure doesn't tell you

The insurance discount has largely disappeared

For years, Pass Plus was marketed heavily on its insurance discount. That was a reasonable pitch in 2005. It isn't in 2026.

Most major insurers no longer offer a Pass Plus discount at all. The ones that do typically apply a modest step on their no-claims discount scale, which may or may not produce a lower quote than simply shopping around without the certificate. Auto Express, GoCompare, and MoneySuperMarket have all reported the same pattern in recent years: the insurance case for Pass Plus has largely collapsed, and where discounts exist they often don't cover the cost of the course.

This doesn't make Pass Plus worthless — the skills case stands on its own — but it does mean the old "it pays for itself in the first year of insurance" sales line is no longer reliable. If you're choosing Pass Plus primarily for the insurance saving, get quotes with and without the certificate before you book.

The quality varies enormously with the instructor

Pass Plus is a curriculum, not a standard. Any ADI can register to teach it. There's no additional advanced qualification required, no observation by the DVSA, no assessed teaching standard above the baseline ADI qualification.

That means a conscientious instructor running Pass Plus properly — taking the driver to real rural roads, onto a genuine motorway, out at night — can deliver a course that's genuinely useful. It also means another instructor can tick six modules off in a local town, mark everything satisfactory, and collect the money. There's no meaningful external check.

If you're going to book Pass Plus, the instructor choice matters more than the certificate. Ask specifically:

• Will the motorway module be taught on an actual motorway or on a dual carriageway?
• Will the rural module be on genuine rural roads or on a suburban fringe?
• Will the night module be taught after dark?
• What's their approach to assessment — continuous feedback, or a tick-box at the end?

A good ADI will answer all of these without defensiveness. If the answers are vague, book a different instructor.

What advanced driver coaching actually is

"Advanced driving" isn't a single course. It's a category of post-test training built on top of Roadcraft, the police driver's handbook, which has been the foundation of UK advanced driving since the 1930s.

Roadcraft teaches a specific system — Information, Position, Speed, Gear, Acceleration (IPSGA) — applied through continuous observation and anticipation of the road ahead. The emphasis isn't on car control at the limit; it's on reading the road so far ahead that the car stays well within its limits at all times. Done properly, it's a quieter, smoother, faster, and dramatically safer way of driving than most people ever learn.

Advanced coaching typically comes in three formats:

Volunteer-observer schemes (IAM RoadSmart, RoSPA)

IAM RoadSmart (formerly the Institute of Advanced Motorists) and RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders are charity-backed schemes that train drivers over a series of weekend observed runs with volunteer observers, building to a formal test assessed by a serving or retired police-class driver.

Cost is low: IAM's full course including test and first year of membership is around £175–£200. The trade-off is time. A typical IAM course runs over three to nine months of occasional weekend meets, depending on how quickly the driver progresses.

For a genuinely motivated driver with weekend availability, this is outstanding value. For one who's about to start university, has a patchy diary, and whose parents want a meaningful intervention in a concentrated window, it's often not the right format.

One-to-one day courses (Driving Masters DMAP1 and similar)

A full day (typically 7–8 hours) of one-to-one coaching with an advanced driver — usually a former police Class 1 driver, IAM senior observer, or equivalent — on real roads. The structure is Roadcraft-based but condensed: demonstration drives, commentary driving from both coach and driver, coaching drives with continuous feedback, structured debrief.

Cost is higher — DMAP1 is £495 for the day — and the volume of learning is different. A new driver gets, in one day, feedback on 100+ miles of real-world driving across varied road types, ending with a written scorecard against specific competencies. The concentrated format works particularly well for drivers who respond to intensive coaching rather than drip-feed learning.

This is what Driving Masters does.

Track days and skid pans

Worth mentioning because they're sometimes lumped in with advanced driving, though they shouldn't be. Track days teach car control in environments that don't resemble the road. Skid pans teach recovery from a skid that a modern ESC-equipped car driven within the limits of the road is unlikely to produce.

Both can be enjoyable. Neither meaningfully reduces the statistical risk that young drivers face, because that risk is about observation and speed choice on rural roads — not about being unable to control a car at the limit. Treat track days as a gift, not as safety training.

Side-by-side comparison

The simplest way to see the difference is to compare what each format actually delivers.

Duration. Pass Plus: six hours, typically spread over two or three sessions. DMAP1: a single full day of roughly seven to eight hours. IAM/RoSPA: three to nine months of weekend observed runs.

Cost. Pass Plus: £150–£250. DMAP1: £495. IAM/RoSPA: £175–£200 including test.

Teaching method. Pass Plus: ADI-led instruction on standard lesson principles. DMAP1: Roadcraft-based coaching with demonstration, commentary driving, and continuous feedback. IAM/RoSPA: Roadcraft-based observed runs with volunteer observers, building to a practical test.

Assessment. Pass Plus: continuous, no formal test, certificate on completion. DMAP1: written scorecard against DMAP competencies. IAM/RoSPA: formal practical test assessed by a police-class driver.

Coach standard. Pass Plus: any Pass Plus-registered ADI, no advanced qualification required. DMAP1: former police Class 1, IAM senior observer, or equivalent. IAM/RoSPA: trained volunteer observers, overseen by examining standards.

What the driver leaves with. Pass Plus: a certificate, improved baseline competence, some exposure to new road types. DMAP1: a written scorecard, specific worked-on weaknesses, Roadcraft vocabulary they can keep developing. IAM/RoSPA: a recognised advanced driving qualification and (in most cases) genuinely changed driving habits over several months.

So which is actually right?

Honest decision guide, based on the patterns we see.

Pass Plus is probably right if:

• Budget is tight and £495 isn't realistic
• You can find a strongly recommended ADI willing to teach it properly on real roads
• The goal is structured additional hours with some variety, not a step change in driving standard

Advanced one-to-one coaching (DMAP1) is probably right if:

• Budget allows
• The driver is genuinely interested in improving (or at least open-minded)
• You want a concentrated intervention rather than a gradual one
• The driver has been driving solo for at least a few weeks so there's something to work with
• You want a written assessment of their specific strengths and weaknesses
• The driver drives rural roads regularly — which, given where young-driver crashes happen, is most of them

IAM RoadSmart or RoSPA is probably right if:

• The driver is highly motivated and enjoys the process
• They have consistent weekend availability over several months
• They're the kind of person who responds well to gradual skill-building rather than concentrated bursts
• Budget is a serious constraint and time isn't

None of the above might be right if:

• The driver is two weeks post-test and hasn't yet done enough solo miles to have developed the habits training can work on. Let them drive for a month or two first.
• The driver is genuinely unwilling. Forced advanced training is ineffective training. Have the conversation before you book anything.

Can you do more than one?

Yes, and the most effective pattern we see is a combination.

A driver who does Pass Plus shortly after their test, drives for six to twelve months, then does a DMAP1 day as a more advanced intervention will typically get more out of the DMAP1 than a driver who jumps straight to it with no post-test training. The Pass Plus hours develop baseline competence; the DMAP1 builds the Roadcraft layer on top.

Similarly, a DMAP1 graduate who later commits to an IAM course will find the IAM observed runs easier and faster to progress through, because they arrive with vocabulary and habits already in place.

Where to go next

If you've decided advanced coaching is the right route, the next step is booking a DMAP1 day.

Book a DMAP1 day →

Still weighing it up? These guides cover the other questions parents ask most:

• Young Driver Training: The Complete Guide for 17–25 Year Olds — the overview piece
• Young Driver Insurance: How Advanced Training and Telematics Reduce Premiums — what insurers actually recognise
• Rural Road Safety: Why Country Roads Are the Biggest Risk for Young Drivers — the road type that matters most

Or call us on 01453 488308. We're happy to talk through which option fits your situation before you commit.

Sources: DVSA Pass Plus guidance (gov.uk); Auto Express Pass Plus review, 2025; GoCompare Pass Plus scheme analysis, 2026; MoneySuperMarket Pass Plus guide, 2026; IAM RoadSmart course information.

April 2026