David Billingham School of Motoring

Negative experience: Noticed him using his phone whilst driving alone. Surely he knows better? It was on the way from Swansea to Llanelli. Traffic was crawling slowly at around 17:15 on 09.10.2025 and he had his phone in hand typing away, before then placing it on the phone mount in the centre of his dashboard, to which he went back to focus on and type on every couple of minutes, until he noticed traffic pulling away.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely incredible instructor. Can’t recommend him enough for helping me pass my test today!

Fantastic experience: Dave was excellent - incredibly patient and calm, but pushed me in areas I felt challenged in. Great for helping you through a test, but he ensures to focus on making you a safe and competent driver past that. Highly recommend, just make sure you’re ready for endless jokes while you’re driving. Thanks a mil, Dave!

Fantastic experience: Would highly recommend Dave! He’s been fantastic and very patient with me helping me to pass my test , I was pregnant doing my lessons and at no point at all did I feel stressed or uneasy very very patient! Couldn’t thank him enough

Fantastic experience: Passed with Dave with 1 minor!

Fantastic experience: Dave took me from 0 experience to passing first time within 30 hours. Dave's attitude is mostly relaxed and jovial but firm when needed, making it clear the weight of your actions behind the wheel. He challenged me every lesson, which could be difficult at times, but I always felt safe and his teaching led to my quick improvement. During the actual test, I was relaxed knowing that we had practiced everything that would be thrown at me and more! Thanks Dave!

Fantastic experience: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Top Gear-Worthy Instructor! If you want a driving instructor who’s as cool as the Autobahn, as reliable as cruise control, and as sharp as a handbrake turn, Dave is your guy! Flexible? Absolutely—he even picked me up from Swansea and let me tackle the motorway before lessons in Llanelli. Experienced? No doubt—his wealth of knowledge (and well-placed passenger-side brake pedal!) made sure I passed first time. Thanks to Dave, I’m now road-legal, and I owe it all to his patience, expertise, and great banter. If he teaches driving half as well as he enjoys a good curry and wine, you’re in very safe hands. Cheers, Dave!

Fantastic experience: After loads of driving experience in other lessons, as an anxious and paranoid driver, I recently passed my driving test first time—thank you, Dave! His sense of humour and laid-back attitude helped ease my nerves, and I stopped dreading driving like I used to. Dave encouraged me to stop overthinking, which made a huge difference, and his ability to lighten the mood made the lessons fun. Thanks for everything, Dave!

Fantastic experience: I would highly recommend david as am driving Instructor.. he's made me such at ease at driving, he's very funny and has his own unique teaching methods which I find very helpful with how I'm driving..I started off completely nervous but that's soon faded away with david.. I can't thank him enough for taking me on lol ... 100% awesome instructor ...

Fantastic experience: Passed my test first time with Dave in Llanelli! Honestly cannot express how grateful I am for Dave. Made learning the least stressful thing possible and was a pleasure to sit next to for hours. Thank you so much Dave!!

Fantastic experience: I met Dave last month. I have only three lessons with him and today I get my test pass. The lesson was fun and interesting. Thank you Dave. ❤️

Fantastic experience: I recently passed my test with Dave as my instructor... He's been more than great to share the car with and learn the ways of the road. Dave's extremely easy to get along with and on days where I might have been busy with work, and my test was around the corner, Dave was very generous with taking me for a later lesson so I'd be more than ready to pass my test... Thanks again Dave... Top man ! C Davies

Fantastic experience: Great instructor, brilliant at thoroughly explaining and being really patient with me. Passed with 2 minors. Thank you!

Fantastic experience: Dave was brilliant. Secured me a first time pass in an area that I'd only been able to drive around for a week, so despite being unfamiliar with the roads, in this short time Dave was able to show me the routes whilst simultaneously giving clear instruction that allowed me to improve the quality and safety of my driving. Bonus is that he'll make you laugh whilst you learn.

Fantastic experience: Passed my test with him and I couldn’t be more happier, he will definitely push you out of your comfort zone to build up your confidence. Top class lad

Fantastic experience: Passed my test today! Honestly couldn’t have had a better instructor! If your looking to start learning I 1000% recommend learning with Dave

Negative experience: I have had 10 hours of driving lessons spread over 10 sessions with David. In that time I have cried 4 times during or after lessons, been on the motorway completely unprepared and I went straight out on the road having had no driving experience at all. On a few occasions when I have said I needed a break in the lesson he has pushed me to carry on and was not patient. He often got frustrated and grabbed the wheel or used the pedals to take over, not always when it has been needed and occasionally out of frustration. He has put me in multiple situations that I haven't been ready for (such as going on the motorway with NO communication that we were even going on it.) He told me to indicate right when I had no idea what was even going on, we were just all of a sudden on the motorway (this was about the sixth hour lesson). I was panicked and asked 'why', he became frustrated, indicated for me and later asked me 'why are you choosing to ignore me when I tell you to do things.' but he never gave me an explanation. And he would tell me 'you don't have the luxury of knowing why every time when you're on the road', even though as the teacher he was supposed to prepare me for what's upcoming, and if I get confused or don't understand then it's his job as a teacher to explain things. Even after explaining that I have a learning difficulty and it means I need more in depth explanation to really understand things, he would say how 'you don't get the luxury of knowing why on the road'. I found this very patronising as if I'm not aware that safety first is important. I found his teaching incredibly inconsistent and he put far too much pressure on me from the get go, and put far too much pressure on very specific things that I've since been told don't matter. I found myself walking on eggshells and monitoring my tone in lessons to avoid being accused of being argumentative or ignorant. When I have tried to better understand things, David asked me, "is this what you do, just push back on what people say?" when I have only asked questions. When he instructed me to stop on one occasion at Llanelli docks on the double yellows, I asked 'right here?' because I was unsure with it being double yellows. When he told me to pull over again I wanted to clarify he meant straight away and asked 'What, right now?'. His response was to slam on the brakes hard and tell me I was choosing to ignore him. (This was definitely not an emergency stop.) This behaviour is aggressive and unacceptable. He will repeatably tell you the stay a metre from the left every lesson and make it out that you are being defiant or actively ignoring him when you don't religiously do it. I would like to reiterate here that I have only had 10 hours of driving experience from scratch. Almost every lesson he has made me feel stupid and argumentative. I found he was often condescending, barking orders without actually explaining or teaching and he talks all the way through throughout the lesson, often about inappropriate topics for a driving lesson (one example - negative opinion on relative's breast reduction.) It is heavily distracting for a new driver to be constantly talked at, and then for him to get frustrated at you when you are overwhelmed and flustered because he has failed to prepare you, is very difficult. Learning with him has massively knocked my confidence. David can be abrasive and antagonistic and I absolutely wouldn't recommend him. EDITED TO ADD AFTER DAVID'S RESPONSE Me asking for clarification or more information is not arguing and being overwhelmed is not being ignorant. I asked to go to a quieter place multiple times as I wasn't confident , which you repeatedly said you didn't like to do with students. You made the decision every single lesson to send me out on the roads, roundabouts and motorways in my first 10 hours of learning and as you claim as dangerous, that is a failure of your duty of care. You are the expert and you made that decision. Also taking over controls can be appropriate in an emergency, but not coming from a place of anger.

Fantastic experience: Excellent instructor!! Dave was really helpful and patient and got me ready for my test within 5 weeks and with a 1st time pass!

Fantastic experience: What an amazing guy!! Never thought I would ever be able to pass my test until I met David! Nothing but support throughout and always made me feel comfortable. I can’t thank him enough for all his patience. Thank you Dave

Fantastic experience: Honestly nothing but positive things to say!! Such a lovely person and makes you feel very comfortable and confident in driving, after having 4/5 different instructors over time I can honestly say dave has been the best and we had such a laugh along the way to, Would never of passed today without his help over the last few weeks!!

Fantastic experience: Dave is a great driving instructor easy to get along with, very understanding. I would highly recommend him one of the best instructors brilliant thanks Dave !

Fantastic experience: Amazing instructor! I could not recommend Dave enough. He took me from being scared of everything on the road to a first time pass. He's relaxed, patient and understanding and will answer every question you have. His great sense of humour and personality instantly eases your nerves.

Fantastic experience: Very good instructor! Calmed my nerves and always went out his way to help me

Fantastic experience: Great instructor, highly recommended, easy to get along with.

Fantastic experience: Top instructor. Great to get on with. Highly recomend

Fantastic experience: Great teacher and very accommodating and flexible to times