Ottawa drivers heading toward a G2 or G road test have no shortage of options, from long-running family operations to newer schools built around online Beginner Driver Education (BDE). This list was put together by reading each school's own website, its Google review counts and ratings where posted, and third-party award listings like the Consumer Choice Award. It leans toward schools with MTO-approved BDE programs, coverage across Ottawa's suburbs, and a track record that shows up in more than one place online.
1. Let's Go Driving School
Area: Ottawa and surrounding regions including Kanata, Barrhaven, Orleans, Nepean, Stittsville, Finley Creek, Greely, Manotick and Riverside South · Specialty: G2 and G road test prep, online and in-person BDE · Rating: 4.9 on Google
Let's Go has been named one of the best driving schools in Ottawa for two consecutive years on Yelp and carries BBB accreditation. Beyond standard lessons, it offers vehicle rental for road tests and defensive driving and driver improvement courses, plus testing support at outlying centres like Smiths Falls and Brockville for students who want a shorter wait.
2. Steer'nGo
Area: Ottawa, Stittsville, Kanata, Orleans, Barrhaven, Nepean, Richmond, Carp and Carleton Place · Specialty: MTO-approved BDE in classroom, live virtual, or self-paced online formats · Rating: 4.9 on Google, 5 stars on Yelp
Steer'nGo says it has been voted best driving school in Ottawa for five consecutive years and advertises a 98 percent first-time pass rate. The pay-as-you-go option, starting at 20 percent down, comes up often as a reason students pick it over schools that require full payment upfront.
3. Safe Drive Ontario
Area: Downtown Ottawa, Nepean, Kanata, Orleans, Gloucester, Barrhaven, Stittsville, Centretown, Westboro and Vanier · Specialty: BDE plus targeted G2 city-manoeuvre and G highway training · Rating: 5.0 on Google (120+ Ottawa reviews)
Safe Drive Ontario builds part of its program around the specific DriveTest centres students will face, with practice runs geared to Walkley and Canotek for G2 and highway sessions on the 417 and Autoroute 50 for G. Instructors are described as bilingual in English and French, and the school also serves Peterborough outside the Ottawa market.
4. Ottawa Driving School
Area: Barrhaven, Bayshore, Kanata, Merivale, Orleans, Stittsville and Walkley · Specialty: In-car lessons, BDE, and VR driving simulator training · Rating: 4.5 on Google · Since: operating 20+ years
Ottawa Driving School holds an A+ BBB rating and claims a 97 percent first-attempt pass rate across more than 25,000 graduates. It's one of the few on this list offering a VR simulator alongside standard in-car instruction, plus dedicated senior refresher and re-testing programs.
5. Universal Driving School Ottawa
Area: Walkley Road, Bank Street, Nepean, Barrhaven, Baseline Road, the Glebe, Manotick, Kanata and Orleans · Specialty: One-on-one private lessons in 1, 3, 5 or 10 hour packages, dual-brake vehicles · Since: 1999
Universal is a repeat Consumer Choice Award and Top Choice Award winner in the Ottawa driving school category going back to 2018. Its long run in the Nepean-Glebe corridor and dual-brake test vehicles are the details students mention most, along with a discount for RCMP members.
6. Ottawa Safe Drivers
Area: Home pickup and drop-off from Orleans to Kanata, South Keys to Stittsville, and Barrhaven to Manotick, with arrangements for Cumberland, Russell and Rockland · Specialty: In-person and online BDE, G2 and G road test rentals · Rating: based on 350+ Google reviews
Ottawa Safe Drivers leans on its door-to-door pickup radius, which covers more of the city's outer suburbs than most competitors. Reviews on the site point to instructors Fahim and Usman by name for patience with nervous first-time drivers.
7. Roadcraft Driving School
Area: Stittsville, Barrhaven, Kanata, Bayshore, Orleans, downtown Ottawa, south Ottawa and Gloucester · Specialty: Multilingual instruction in English, French, Arabic, Mandarin and Hindi · Since: cited by bestottawa.ca as a top 5 pick
Roadcraft says it was selected by Canada's Prime Minister's Office for beginner driver education in 2023 and puts its total student count at over 7,400. Home pickup and drop-off, plus instruction across five languages, make it a common recommendation for newcomer families.
8. Ottawa Drivers
Area: Orleans, Gloucester, Findlay Creek, Hunt Club, Kanata, Stittsville, Blackburn Hamlet, Alta Vista, Barrhaven, Manotick, Navan, Riverside South, Nepean, South Keys, Vanier and Bells Corners · Specialty: Senior driver training for age 60+, court-approved driver improvement courses
Ottawa Drivers has issued over 2,000 licenses by its own count, and its lead instructor Jawad is described on the site as one of Ontario's few certified Master Driving Instructors. The senior refresher program and neighbourhood coverage stretching into Findlay Creek and Navan set it apart from schools concentrated closer to the core.
9. Premier Roads
Area: Downtown Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Barrhaven and Orleans, with a location on Bryarton Street · Specialty: Route-specific training on Ottawa's own DriveTest centre conditions
Premier Roads markets itself around "real-world skills, not just passing the test," with instruction built around Ottawa-specific routes. It's MTO-approved, which the school notes can shorten the G1 waiting period from 12 months to 8, and serves a mix of teens, newcomers, seniors and nervous first-time drivers.
10. G2-G Ottawa Drive
Area: Ottawa, Nepean, Bayshore, Kanata, Orleans, Barrhaven, Stittsville and Gloucester · Specialty: G2 and G road test preparation exclusively
Unlike most schools on this list, G2-G Ottawa Drive focuses narrowly on road test prep rather than full BDE certification, drawing on instructors with a combined 25-plus years of experience. That narrower focus suits drivers who already have their G1 theory covered and just want targeted coaching before test day.
How We Built This List
This list was compiled from public sources: each school's own website, Google review counts and ratings where they were publicly posted, and third-party recognition such as the Consumer Choice Award. Nobody at ottown tested, rode along with, or personally verified any of these schools' instruction. This is not a paid placement, and no business on this list has any affiliation with ottown or its operator. Last reviewed August 2026.
Source: Google and Yelp search results plus each listed school's own website.
