Automatic Driving Lessons in Belfield

University College Dublin campus area on the Stillorgan Road.

4.7 from 814+ learners 85% pass rate Dun Laoghaire RSA test centre (approx 6 km south-east)
4.7 stars from 814+ reviews
85% pass rate
RSA-Approved Instructors
EDT Certified

Lessons in Belfield, at a glance

Where we pick up, where you sit your test, and what the local roads ask of a learner.

Local population
~3,000
Test centre
Dun Laoghaire RSA test centre (approx 6 km south-east)
Pickup points
3 named spots, plus your home, work, or college
Transport context
Dublin Bus 17, 39a, 46a, 145 along the N11
Belfield centre Pickup points
  • Sutherland School of Law
  • Belfield Library
  • Belfield village

Or wherever else suits you in Belfield: your home, your work, your college.

Why automatic makes sense in Belfield

Three things you will notice in your first few hours behind the wheel here.

Stop-and-go traffic without the stalls

Around UCD Belfield main campus, you will deal with bunched-up traffic, parked cars, and pedestrians stepping off the kerb. In an automatic you can keep your eyes on the road instead of the bite point.

Junction work, not gear work

N11 Stillorgan Road dual carriageway, UCD campus gates traffic light sequences, Roebuck Road residential loop. Junctions like these are where most learners pick up faults. A two-pedal car removes the gear-and-clutch decision so you can focus on observation and timing.

Buses, cyclists, and shared lanes

Dublin Bus 17, 39a, 46a, 145 along the N11. You will share lane space with buses and cyclists from your first lesson. Automatic gear shifts keep your road position smooth when traffic is moving in fits.

Why automatic · easier

The mental effort gap

Working memory is finite. The more the car asks of you, the less you have left for the road. Here's what your brain carries through a lesson in Belfield.

Manual

Heavy mental load

  • Clutch bite point under time pressure
  • Gear selection on approach
  • Rev matching for a smooth change
  • Handbrake on hills
  • Plus all the usual road tasks
Effort during a typical Belfield lesson
Near capacity
Automatic

Manageable load

  • No clutch, so no bite point to find
  • Gears chosen by the car
  • No rev matching
  • Hill hold catches you on slopes
  • Attention free for the road
Effort during a typical Belfield lesson
Room to breathe
Essential Driver Training

EDT in Belfield: what it actually is

The EDT is the 12-hour lesson programme every Category B learner has to complete before sitting the driving test. The Road Safety Authority introduced it in April 2011. It's mandatory, it's logged, and you can't skip it.

Our 12-lesson automatic package covers the full EDT requirement in a modern dual-controlled automatic vehicle. Your instructor signs off each unit in your EDT Learner Logbook as you go, and lessons run from a Belfield pickup of your choice.

  • 12 one-hour lessons. The minimum set by the RSA. Most learners add a few extras before they feel test-ready.
  • Logbook signed off lesson by lesson. You can't book the driving test until all 12 are complete and signed.
  • Sponsor driver records practice between lessons. Anyone with two-plus years on a full licence. Practice goes in the same logbook.
  • RSA-approved instructor (ADI). Every instructor we send out is on the RSA register. That's the only kind we hire.

Three ways to start in Belfield

EDT, pretest prep, or a gift voucher. Pick the one that fits where you are.

Pretest + car hire

Test in the same automatic you trained in.

  • Pretest lesson before the test
  • Use of our car for the test itself
  • Mock-test marking sheet included
  • Designed around Dun Laoghaire RSA test centre (approx 6 km south-east)
€193.81 pretest + test-day hire
Book pretest

Or call 01 902 3100

Gift voucher

Lessons as a gift. Any number, any pack.

  • 1, 6, or 12-lesson packs
  • Personalised PDF, sent on the day
  • Redeemable in Belfield or anywhere we cover
  • Never expires
From €61.41 single-lesson voucher
Build a voucher

Or call 01 902 3100

4.7 from 814+ learners. 85% pass rate. 35 certified instructors across Dublin.

Real reviews from learners across Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown

Verified Google reviews from learners across Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, the area covering Belfield.

Cannot recommend Jonathan Martinez from enough if you are learning to drive in the Dun Laoghaire/Deansgrange areas. He breaks everything down and makes learning how to drive really enjoyable!
Laoise Brady Instructor: Jonathan Martinez · 18 weeks ago
I completed my 12 EDT lessons with John, and I couldn’t have asked for a better instructor. As a first-time learner, I was quite nervous in the beginning, but John’s calm, patient, and clear teaching style really helped me build confidence …
Dominic Percy Instructor: John · 20 weeks ago
I passed my driving test on the first attempt with Jonathan Martinez in an automatic, and I would strongly recommend him to anyone looking to build their confidence behind the wheel.
Stefan Wroblewski Instructor: Jonathan Martinez · 39 weeks ago

From 814+ verified Google reviews of RSA School of Motoring

Pretest + car hire: why it matters

The Category B test isn't just a driving check. It's a fault-counting exercise on a fixed route the examiner runs every day. Half the people who fail say afterwards that nothing on the route surprised them. What surprised them was how the marking worked.

A pretest with us closes that gap. We run the routes the examiner uses out of Dun Laoghaire RSA test centre, mark you against the same RSA fault sheet, and tell you exactly which observations and manoeuvres need work before test day. You come out of the pretest knowing the difference between a competent drive and a test-passing drive.

If you train with us, the same automatic comes back on test day. You don't sit a test in a strange car you've never driven.

More on what the driving test actually involves

Are you test-ready for Dun Laoghaire RSA test centre?

Four quick questions. Honest answers only. We use them to point you at the right next step.

Question 1 of 4

Have you completed your 12 EDT lessons?

Automatic Lesson Prices in Belfield

6 Automatic Driving Lessons

€353.71
€58.95 per lesson

3 Automatic Driving Lessons

€180.57
€60.19 per lesson

1 Automatic Driving Lesson

€61.41
€61.41 per lesson

Common questions about lessons in Belfield

A single automatic lesson is €61.41. Our best value is the 12-lesson EDT package at €659.24, which works out at €54.94 per lesson. Every lesson in Belfield includes pickup and drop-off, and the same automatic comes back for your driving test if you book the pretest add-on.

Pickup is flexible. Your instructor collects you anywhere within Belfield: your home, work, college, or one of the named pickup points shown on the map above. You're back at the same spot at the end of the lesson.

Learners in Belfield typically sit their driving test at Dun Laoghaire RSA test centre. We design our pretest lessons around the routes the examiner uses out of that centre, and we provide the automatic for test day so you don't have to learn a new car the day of the test.

Yes. Every instructor we send to Belfield is EDT certified and on the RSA Approved Driving Instructor register. That's a regulatory requirement, not a marketing line. Our 12-lesson automatic package covers the full EDT programme: 12 one-hour sessions, logbook signed off lesson by lesson, sponsor-driver practice slots between lessons.

Yes. We provide an automatic car for the test as part of our pretest package. Note that if you sit the test in an automatic, your full licence is restricted to automatic vehicles. To get a full manual licence later, you would train and test in a manual car separately. For most learners that restriction doesn't matter. Automatic, hybrid, and electric cars are the majority of new cars sold in Ireland.

Other automatic-friendly areas near Belfield

We cover 6+ surrounding neighbourhoods in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown. Pick the one closest to your pickup point.

Ready to start automatic lessons in Belfield?

Call us on 01 902 3100 or book online.

Call 01 902 3100 Book Lessons