Echelon Driving School

From intake to instructor Echelon Driving School exceeded my expectations. I am an older, new driver, and can be quite nervous behind the wheel. Yet every step of the way I was assured if I drive according to their standards, not only will I pass my road test but I will be a careful, and caution driver. I would recommend this school, and staff to anyone in New Jersey seeking to pass the road test. more

I wish I had read reviews about the Echelon Driving School before calling them to teach my teenage daughter to drive. She is 17 and had never had experience behind the wheel. The instructor (Mr Mattel) made her first driving experience living hell, to the point that she does not want to know anything about driving anymore.\r He never explained the basics to her, lost his patience from the every beginning, was very rude all the time and kept yelling at her instead of calmly correcting her.\r On one particular street she was driving at 23 mph in a 25 mph zone and he yelled at her that she was holding the traffic. When she increased the speed he told her in a very rude manner that she was going to get a ticket.\r All in all, it was an awful, traumatic experience for my daughter. Unfortunately I knew all the details after I had given him the check and he was long gone from my driveway.\r If you want a good advice, avoid this school at all costs. It will save you much more than just money. more

I wish I had read reviews about the Echelon Driving School before calling them to teach my teenage daughter to drive. She is 17 and had never had experience behind the wheel. The instructor (Mr Mattel) made her first driving experience living hell, to the point that she does not want to know anything about driving anymore. He never explained the basics to her, lost his patience from the every beginning, was very rude all the time and kept yelling at her instead of calmly correcting her. On one particular street she was driving at 23 mph in a 25 mph zone and he yelled at her that she was holding the traffic. When she increased the speed he told her in a very rude manner that she was going to get a ticket. All in all, it was an awful, traumatic experience for my daughter. Unfortunately I knew all the details after I had given him the check and he was long gone from my driveway. If you want a good advice, avoid this school at all costs. It will save you much more than just money. more

For the life of me, I cant understand how a professional driving school like Echelon would allow the instructors to smoke while giving lessons to kids. Really???? Very unprofessional. Go somewhere else. more

DO NOT GO TO ECHELON! My 16-year-old daughter attended Echelon Driving School to fulfill her 6-hour permit requirement. She is a senior in high school, so she took Driver's Ed in school about two years ago. In addition, she had never, under any circumstance, previously driven. Thus, she was an absolute beginner when we signed up with Echelon. \r \r Her first instructor, Ken, did not teach her how to properly operate the car and had her drive on major roads at speeds of 45+ mph, even though she felt very uncomfortable driving. Moreover, he harassed her about her driving throughout the process; I understand constructive criticism (it's necessary), but verbal abuse is another story. Thinking that it was simply a fluke, we called and arranged for a new driving instructor.\r \r Allan arrived for the next appointment and seemed much more personable. However, he had an ashtray overflowing with cigarettes and SMOKED DURING HER LESSON! TWICE! I was appalled, but since he at least had not made my da more

I called Echelon Driving School for my daughter, I remembered them from many years ago when I first began driving. I spoke with the president Chuck after I called several schools for price quotes, and quickly decided to use Echelon. Chuck assured me the instructor we would have had been with him for many years. She was patient and very nice, and my daughter loved her. She gave my child confidence, and I was impressed how much my child learned since she had previously only been behind the wheel of a car once. I would easily recommend Echelon to anyone wanting to learn how to drive. It's been 30+ years since I learned and things have changed greatly, but Echelon had all the correct information I needed to fully understand the new rules and regulations with motor vehicles and my insurance company. more

While the instructor we used was very friendly, the same can not be said for the person that answers the phone.\r I found him rude and abrupt. He was completely misinformed about what is and is not an excused lateness.\r Check with your school before listening to him. I would have saved my child a lot of grief.\r Live and learn more

The instructors were patient and competent. They take you all over the area, and different types of roads, and highways for a varied experience. The hours are flexible and can be fit into your schedule. You can adjust the number of on the road hours scheduled for the day. They will bring you for the test more

SInce New Jersey has passed the law that 16 yo's must have 8 hours of driving with a certified instructor in order to qualify for their learning permit - finding a good school to start your child out in their driving is very important . We called several schools and settled with Echelon . We were very pleased- My son had a very nice and friendly woman who was a very good teacher but also put him at ease as the first time driving can be very nervous for a teen - especially with a stranger . They took him for his eye test and once he was done his hours delivered his permit to our mailbox for us . Cost was maybe 25$ more than other places but i feel that his teacher was so good i would have been happy to pay 50$ more if we had to . When my 14 yo needs to start out her driving skills we will be calling Echelon driving school again . more