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About Geoff Newman

Free to use, in full or in part.

Short bio

Geoff Newman is a DVSA Approved Driving Instructor in Sevenoaks, Kent, and the author of Sevenoaks Driving Test Secrets. Born and raised in Sevenoaks, he teaches manual and automatic driving lessons and has sat in on over 120 driving tests at Sevenoaks test centre. His learners passed 87% of their driving tests in 2026.

Longer bio

Geoff Newman is a DVSA Approved Driving Instructor in Sevenoaks, Kent, where he was born and raised and passed his own driving test in 1998. He runs Sevenoaks Driving Lessons on his own, teaching manual and automatic lessons, the automatic ones in an electric Renault 5. He sits in on almost every one of his learners' tests, over 120 at Sevenoaks so far, and in 2026 his learners passed 87% of their tests (52 of 60), against a Sevenoaks test centre average of about 59%. He won the Prestige Awards 2026 for Education & Training Service Excellence and was named Kent's Best Local Driving Instructor 2025 at the Automotive Awards. He is the author of Sevenoaks Driving Test Secrets and a series of narrated videos that help learner drivers understand the Sevenoaks driving test routes, and is 5-star rated on Google from over 110 reviews.

Credentials

• DVSA Approved Driving Instructor, fully DBS checked
• Winner, Prestige Awards 2026: Education & Training Service Excellence (about the award)
• Kent's Best Local Driving Instructor 2025, Automotive Awards (about the award)
• 87% pass rate in 2026 (52 of 60 tests), against a Sevenoaks test centre average of about 59%
• Author of Sevenoaks Driving Test Secrets (opens in a new tab) and narrated Sevenoaks test route videos
• 5-star rated on Google from over 110 reviews

Topics I can comment on

• Getting a driving test: waiting times, the 2026 booking rules (no booking apps, only two changes), and how to find an earlier date.
• Pass rates: what Sevenoaks test centre's 59% pass rate means, and why automatic tests pass less often than manual.
• Automatic, manual and electric: which to learn in, what an automatic-only licence means, and learning in an electric car.
• Parents and private practice: how parents can help, and how practice cuts the number of lessons learners need.
• The test itself: nerves, what examiners look for, the most common faults, and the Sevenoaks test routes.
• The cost of learning to drive: what learners actually spend, and what affects the total.
• New and young drivers: staying safe after passing, insurance and choosing a first car.

I can talk about Sevenoaks specifically, or about learning to drive more generally.

Quick facts

• 87% of my learners' driving tests passed in 2026 (52 of 60 tests, counting every attempt).
• 59% pass rate at Sevenoaks test centre, April 2025 to March 2026 (DVSA). About 61% for manual tests and 54% for automatic.
• Over 120 Sevenoaks driving tests sat in on, in the back of the car.
• About 22 hours of lessons needed, on average, by my learners who also practise with a parent (my last 65 passes).

Pass rate figures updated as new results come in. Sevenoaks test centre figures are DVSA data; see my guide to the Sevenoaks pass rate.