Terms of Tuition

These terms of tuition set out the basis on which driving tuition is supplied by Behind the Wheel. Please read them before booking your first lesson. By booking a lesson you accept these terms.

These terms apply to every booking made on or after 1 September 2026. If you began tuition with us before that date, they apply to lessons you book on or after that date, and nothing in them changes the basis on which your earlier lessons were provided.

1. 1. Who we are

   1. In these terms, "we", "us" and "our" mean Behind the Wheel, a sole trader business carried on by Sarah Solts, trading as Behind the Wheel, Educating Learner Drivers.
   2. "You" means the person receiving tuition. Where the person receiving tuition is under 18, these terms are entered into with a parent or guardian, who is responsible for payment.
   3. You can contact us by telephone on 07800 700777 or by email at sarah@solts.com. Our correspondence address is available on request.
   4. Where we need to contact you we will do so by telephone, text message or email using the details you have given us.

2. 2. The instructor and legal standing

   1. Tuition is provided by an Approved Driving Instructor registered with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency under Part V of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Only a registered instructor may lawfully give paid driving tuition.
   2. The instructor's ADI certificate will be displayed in the windscreen of the tuition vehicle during every lesson, as required by section 125 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. You are entitled to inspect it.
   3. The instructor is Sarah Solts, DVSA Approved Driving Instructor, registration number 460324. You may verify this registration with the DVSA.
   4. The instructor holds a current enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service certificate. A copy may be produced on request.
   5. All tuition is delivered personally by the instructor. Behind the Wheel is independent and is not a franchise, and lessons are not subcontracted to any other person.

3. 3. Your eligibility to take lessons

   1. Before your first lesson you must hold, and must bring to every lesson, either a valid Great Britain provisional or full driving licence that entitles you to drive the tuition vehicle, or a valid full driving licence issued outside Great Britain that currently entitles you to drive here.
   2. Where your licence was issued outside Great Britain, it must carry a photograph of you. If it does not, or if it is not written in English, you must also bring an International Driving Permit, or a certified English translation of the licence together with photographic identity. An International Driving Permit is a translation of your national licence and is not a licence in its own right, so it must always be produced alongside the licence itself.
   3. Entitlement to drive in Great Britain on a licence issued elsewhere is time limited. Depending on where your licence was issued and when you became resident here, that entitlement will usually expire, most commonly 12 months after you became normally resident. You must tell us the date you became resident in Great Britain, and you must tell us as soon as that entitlement ends. From that point you will need a Great Britain provisional licence before tuition can continue.
   4. A licence issued outside Great Britain, whether or not it is accompanied by an International Driving Permit, does not entitle you to take a Great Britain practical driving test. To sit a test you must hold a Great Britain provisional licence, and you should apply for one in good time.
   5. It is your responsibility to hold valid entitlement to drive at every lesson. Our insurance responds only where you do. If you do not, you are not covered, tuition cannot proceed, and clause 8 applies.
   6. You must be able to read a vehicle number plate in good daylight from a distance of 20 metres, with glasses or contact lenses if you wear them, as required by the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999. If you cannot, tuition cannot proceed.
   7. You must tell us before your first lesson about any medical condition, disability, medication or injury that could affect your ability to drive safely, and you must tell us promptly if anything changes.
   8. You are responsible for notifying the DVLA of any notifiable medical condition. It is a criminal offence under section 94 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to fail to do so. We are not responsible for making that notification on your behalf.
   9. If your licence is revoked, surrendered, suspended or expires, you must tell us immediately and tuition will stop until it is validly reinstated.
   10. We may decline or end a lesson if we reasonably consider you are not lawfully entitled to drive, or are not fit to drive safely. In those circumstances the lesson is treated as a missed lesson under clause 8.

4. 4. Your obligations at every lesson

   1. You must be fit to drive. You must not attend a lesson while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, including prescription or over the counter medication that carries a driving warning, and you must not attend while suffering from fatigue or illness that would impair safe driving.
   2. We may require you to confirm your fitness to drive before a lesson begins, and we may refuse to proceed if we are not satisfied. Safety is not negotiable and this decision rests with the instructor.
   3. You must follow the instructor's directions at all times during a lesson, both for your safety and for the safety of other road users.
   4. You must wear suitable footwear that allows proper control of the pedals.
   5. Smoking, including the use of electronic cigarettes and vaping devices, is not permitted in the tuition vehicle at any time.
   6. Mobile telephones must be silenced and put away for the duration of the lesson.

5. 5. Booking and formation of the contract

   1. Lessons may be booked by telephone, text message, WhatsApp, email or through the enquiry form on our website.
   2. A booking is only accepted, and a contract only comes into existence, when we confirm the lesson to you. If we cannot accept a booking we will tell you and will not charge you.
   3. The standard lesson is 90 minutes. Lessons of a different length may be agreed with the instructor in advance.
   4. Lessons include collection from and return to an agreed address within our published area of coverage. Time spent travelling to and from that address forms part of the lesson only where we have agreed this with you in advance.
   5. Because bookings are made at a distance or away from business premises, we are required to give you certain information before you commit. These terms, together with the price and lesson details confirmed to you, form that information.

6. 6. Your right to cancel within 14 days

   This is a statutory right and it sits above clause 7

   Because most bookings are made by telephone, online or in person away from business premises, the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give you a right to change your mind within 14 days. This right applies whatever clause 7 says about individual lessons.

   1. You have 14 days from the day we confirm your booking to cancel the contract and receive a refund, without giving any reason.
   2. To cancel, tell us clearly before the 14 days expire. You may telephone, email, or use the cancellation form set out in the Schedule to these terms. You do not have to use that form.
   3. If you ask us to begin tuition during the 14 day period and we do so, you may still cancel, but you must pay for the tuition already supplied, in proportion to what has been provided. We will refund the balance.
   4. Where you have paid in advance for any lesson, or hold a gift voucher, and cancel within the 14 day period, we will refund the price of every lesson not yet taken.
   5. Refunds will be made using the same payment method you used, within 14 days of the day we are told you wish to cancel.

7. 7. Cancelling or moving an individual lesson

   1. Once the 14 day period in clause 6 has passed, the following applies to individual lessons.
   2. If you give us at least 48 hours' notice before the lesson start time, the lesson will be moved or refunded in full and no charge is made.
   3. If you give us less than 48 hours' notice, or do not attend, the full lesson fee is payable. At that point the slot has been reserved for you and cannot reasonably be filled.
   4. We will always try to fill a cancelled slot. If we succeed in filling it, no charge is made to you, and any payment already taken for that lesson is refunded or credited to your next lesson. You do not need to ask, we will do this automatically.
   5. We will not apply a charge where the cancellation results from circumstances genuinely beyond your control, including sudden illness, bereavement, an emergency, or severe weather that makes travel unsafe. We will deal with such cases sensibly and on their facts, and we do not require evidence.
   6. The charge in clause 7.3 reflects our actual loss when a reserved slot is lost at short notice, taken together with the refund in clause 7.4. It is not a penalty and it is not applied punitively.
   7. Notice must be given directly to the instructor by telephone, text message or WhatsApp. Notice sent by email or social media is only effective when we acknowledge it.
   8. This policy is drawn to your attention before you book, and it is set out in these terms in plain language, so that you know where you stand before you commit.

8. 8. Late arrival and missed lessons

   1. Lessons start at the agreed time. If you are not ready at that time, the lesson will still end at its scheduled finish time so that later students are not affected.
   2. If you have not appeared within 15 minutes of the start time, and we have not heard from you, the lesson is treated as missed and the full fee is payable.
   3. If a lesson cannot proceed because you do not have your licence with you, are not lawfully entitled to drive, or are not fit to drive, the full fee is payable.

9. 9. Prices and payment

   1. Current lesson prices are confirmed by telephone before you book. The price confirmed at the time of booking is the price you pay for that lesson.
   2. Payment is due at the end of each lesson, by bank transfer to the account details we give you. We do not accept cash. Payment should reach us on the day of the lesson.
   3. We may change our prices from time to time. We will give you at least 30 days' written notice before a price change takes effect, and any lessons you have already paid for are unaffected.
   4. If payment is not made when due, we may decline to provide further lessons until the account is settled.
   5. Where payment remains outstanding 14 days after it falls due, we may charge simple interest at 4% per year above the Bank of England base rate from the due date until payment. We will always contact you before doing so.

10. 10. Pay as you go and gift vouchers

    1. We do not sell block bookings or lesson packages. Lessons are paid for individually, so you are never locked into a large prepayment and you are free to stop at any time.
    2. Where any advance payment is agreed with the instructor in an individual case, it will not exceed the value of two lessons.
    3. Gift vouchers may be purchased for individual lessons. Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue, are not exchangeable for cash, and may be used by the named recipient only unless we agree otherwise.
    4. Where a voucher is purchased as a gift, the purchaser has the same 14 day right to change their mind under clause 6.
    5. If a voucher expires unused, please contact us. We will normally honour it or extend it, and we will not refuse without good reason.

11. 11. Cancellation by us

    1. If we have to cancel a lesson, we will tell you as soon as we can and will offer you an alternative time or a full refund of any payment made for that lesson, whichever you prefer.
    2. We will not charge you anything where we cancel, and we will not be liable for costs you have incurred in reliance on the lesson taking place, unless the cancellation results from our failure to take reasonable care.
    3. If a lesson cannot safely proceed because of weather, road conditions or a mechanical fault, clause 20 applies and no charge is made.

12. 12. Theory and practical tests

    1. Theory and practical driving tests are booked with and conducted by the DVSA. We are not the DVSA and we do not control test availability, test dates or test outcomes.
    2. Test fees are set by government and are payable by you directly to the DVSA through GOV.UK. We recommend that you book only through GOV.UK and never through a third party booking site.
    3. We will advise you when we consider you are at test standard. The decision to book a test is yours. We do not guarantee that you will pass.
    4. You are responsible for meeting the DVSA's own conditions for attending a test, including bringing the correct documents.

13. 13. Use of the tuition vehicle for your test

    1. Subject to availability and to clause 13.2, we will make the tuition vehicle available for your practical test. Please ask well in advance so that the diary can be held.
    2. We may decline to provide the vehicle if, acting reasonably and in the interests of safety, we do not consider you to be at test standard. Where we decline, we will tell you as early as we can and explain why.
    3. Where a charge is made for use of the tuition vehicle at your practical test, it is £90. This covers the test appointment itself together with the lesson time immediately before and after it, and is payable in advance. We may waive or reduce this charge in an individual case, and doing so does not oblige us to do the same for any future test.
    4. If a test is cancelled or terminated by the DVSA for a reason attributable to you or your documents, the charge remains payable.
    5. The vehicle must meet DVSA requirements on the day. If it cannot be provided because of a fault or accident, clause 20 applies, we will refund any charge paid to us, and we will help you rearrange, but we are not responsible for the DVSA test fee.

14. 14. The vehicle and insurance

    1. Tuition is given in a dual controlled automatic vehicle that is taxed, insured for driving tuition, and maintained in a roadworthy condition with a valid MOT where required.
    2. Insurance cover for you as a learner applies only while you are driving under the instructor's supervision during a booked lesson or test, and only while you hold a valid licence and comply with clauses 3 and 4.
    3. Cover does not apply, and you may be personally liable, if you drive while disqualified, while not holding a valid licence, while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or otherwise unlawfully.
    4. You must not use the vehicle for any purpose other than tuition, and must not permit any other person to drive it.
    5. Any policy excess arising from an incident is our responsibility, except where the incident results from your deliberate act, your recklessness, or your breach of clauses 3, 4 or 14.3.
    6. Personal belongings are brought into the vehicle at your own risk.

15. 15. Standard of service and our liability

    1. We will provide tuition with reasonable care and skill, as required by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and within a reasonable time.
    2. If our tuition falls short of that standard, you are entitled under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 to ask us to perform the service again, or to a price reduction where repeat performance is impossible or is not done within a reasonable time.
    3. We do not exclude or limit our liability in any way where it would be unlawful to do so. This includes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, and for any matter under section 65 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
    4. Subject to clause 15.3, we are not liable for loss that was not foreseeable at the time the contract was made, or for any loss arising from your failure to pass a test, from DVSA test availability, or from your own failure to comply with these terms.
    5. We are not liable for business losses. Tuition is supplied for private, domestic use.
    6. We do not guarantee any particular test result, any number of lessons required, or any timescale for reaching test standard, because these depend substantially on you.

16. 16. Suspending or ending tuition

    1. You may end tuition at any time by telling us, and because lessons are paid for individually there is nothing to unwind. Clauses 6, 7 and 10 govern what is refundable.
    2. We may end tuition immediately, and refund any unused lessons paid for in advance, if you seriously or repeatedly breach these terms, if you fail to pay, if you behave in a way that is abusive, threatening or discriminatory towards the instructor or any other person, or if we reasonably consider that continuing would be unsafe.
    3. Where we end tuition under clause 16.2, we may deduct from any refund any charge properly due under clause 7.

17. 17. Conduct and safety

    1. The instructor works alone. We expect ordinary courtesy, and we do not tolerate abusive, threatening, harassing or discriminatory behaviour of any kind.
    2. Passengers, including parents and friends, may accompany a lesson only where agreed with the instructor in advance.
    3. Lessons may not be recorded, by audio or video, without the instructor's prior written consent. A dashcam may be fitted to the vehicle for safety and insurance purposes, and clause 18 explains how any footage is handled.

18. 18. Data protection

    1. We are the controller of the personal data we hold about you for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
    2. We collect your name, contact details, licence details, and information about your progress and any medical matters relevant to your fitness to drive. We use this to provide tuition, to keep in contact with you, to meet our legal obligations and to deal with insurance matters.
    3. Information about your health is special category data. Where we need it, we rely on your explicit consent under Article 9(2)(a) of the UK GDPR, and where a claim arises, on Article 9(2)(f), which permits processing necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims. You may withdraw consent at any time, although we may then be unable to continue tuition safely.
    4. We do not sell your data and we do not share it with anyone except where required for insurance, legal or regulatory purposes, including a lawful request from the DVSA, the police or an insurer.
    5. We keep your tuition record, meaning your contact details, licence details, progress notes and any health information you have given us, only for as long as we are teaching you. Once you pass your test, or tuition otherwise ends, that record is deleted promptly and in any event within 30 days. We do not retain it for future marketing.
    6. Two limited exceptions apply, and neither is a matter of choice for us. First, records of money paid and received are kept for as long as tax law requires, which for a sole trader is at least five years after the 31 January filing deadline for the relevant tax year, under section 12B of the Taxes Management Act 1970. These records show payments only and do not include your progress notes or health information. Second, where an accident, insurance claim, complaint or legal claim has arisen, the records relevant to it are kept until the matter is finally resolved and any limitation period has expired.
    7. You have rights of access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection and portability. To exercise them, contact us at sarah@solts.com. You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
    8. Our privacy notice sets this out in more detail and forms part of these terms.

19. 19. Complaints

    1. If something goes wrong, please raise it with the instructor first. Most matters are resolved quickly in conversation.
    2. If you would prefer to put it in writing, email sarah@solts.com. We will acknowledge within 5 working days and respond substantively within 20 working days.
    3. If you remain dissatisfied, you may complain to the DVSA about the conduct of an Approved Driving Instructor, and you may contact the Citizens Advice consumer service for guidance on your rights.
    4. Nothing in this clause prevents you from taking legal proceedings.

20. 20. Events outside our control

    1. We are not responsible for failing to provide a lesson where this results from an event beyond our reasonable control, including severe weather, flooding, ice, road closures, accidents, vehicle breakdown, sudden illness of the instructor, or an act of a public authority.
    2. Where such an event occurs, we will contact you as soon as possible, no charge is made, and we will offer an alternative time or a full refund.

21. 21. General

    1. We may transfer our rights and obligations under these terms to another person, and we will tell you in writing if we do. You may not transfer your rights or obligations without our written agreement.
    2. This contract is between you and us. No other person has any right to enforce any of its terms.
    3. Each clause operates separately. If any court or authority decides that any clause is unlawful, the remaining clauses remain in full force.
    4. If we do not insist that you do something you are required to do, or if we delay in taking steps against you, that does not mean we have given up our rights.
    5. We may amend these terms from time to time. The version that applies to you is the one published on our website at the date your lesson is booked, and a change never applies retrospectively to a lesson already booked. We will give you reasonable notice of any material change, and if a change materially disadvantages you, you may end the contract and receive a refund of any lessons not yet taken.

22. 22. Governing law

    1. These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and you and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction.