For driving instructors
What is your franchise really costing you?
A franchise fee buys you one thing above all else: a full diary. Work out what you pay for that each year — and what it costs to own the flow of pupils yourself.
- Free · instant
- No sign-up to try
- Fixed £500 either way
National driving-school franchises typically charge somewhere between £150 and £250 a week — check your own agreement for the exact figure.
Franchise agreements differ. Notice periods and non-solicitation clauses are common, so read yours and take advice. This is about being ready for the day it ends — not about taking pupils with you.
Your franchise costs you
£9,360/yr
for pupils you never actually own.
That's £9,360 more before your agreement ends.
A £500 website costs you about 3 weeks of franchise fees.
You've got a real runway. Start now and your own site should be earning its keep well before those 12 months are up.
Estimates only, to give you a ballpark. Your fixed price is always £500.
Start before you leave, not after.
Rankings are not a switch you flip. A new site takes months to earn its place in local search, which is why the worst possible time to start is the week your agreement ends. Start while the franchise is still paying the bills and you carry no risk at all.
Your own domain, a proper site, and a Google Business Profile in your name. Nothing here breaches a normal agreement — you are building an asset, not touting for work.
Local searches begin to find you. Reviews start landing against your name rather than the franchise's. Enquiries trickle in.
By the time your agreement ends, your own enquiries are arriving steadily — so the diary does not fall off a cliff on day one.
Already independent, or just want to see what the site itself looks like? See websites for driving instructors.
The things worth checking first.
Can I set up my own website while I'm still in a franchise?+
Usually yes, but it depends entirely on what you signed. Most agreements restrict soliciting pupils and set a notice period; some go further. Read your agreement and take advice if anything is unclear. Building a site so you are ready for the day it ends is a different thing from taking business with you while it runs.
Why not just wait until I actually leave?+
Because search rankings take months to build. If you launch a site the week you hand in your notice, you will spend your first months as an independent with no enquiry flow at all — which is exactly the pressure that pushes instructors back into a franchise. Starting six to twelve months early means the pipeline is already warm.
What am I actually paying the franchise for?+
For most instructors the honest answer is pupils. The car, the branding and the admin are real, but the reason people stay is the full diary. That makes the weekly fee a lead-generation cost — and lead generation is something you can own outright for a fraction of the price.
What happens to my pupils when I leave?+
That depends on your contract, and it is the single most important clause to check before you plan anything. Assume the franchise treats the pupils as theirs unless your agreement says otherwise, and plan on replacing that flow rather than transferring it.
Do the big national franchises all charge the same?+
No. Weekly fees vary by brand, by whether a car is included, and by how much of the diary they guarantee. RED, the AA, BSM and Bill Plant all run different models, so compare like for like using your own paperwork rather than a headline figure.
Let’s build yours.
Prefer to give us the full picture? Start a detailed project brief — pick your business type, content and exact brand colours.