Fantastic school. After a horrible experience with another school in West Haven, three coworkers of mine who got licenses recommended this school to me. I had Diane, who was patient, understanding and helpful. Learned to parallel park and got on the highway. Read Less

Even though my daughter father thought me how to drive I got a few more lessons with Charlie who was very good to me and helped me to be the driver I am today.I called the school a few minutes ago and asked for Charlie so he can be my son driving instructor not knowing he passed away a few years ago. The work you did on earth will always be remembered,"best driving instructor ever,"sleep and take your rest job weldone. Read Less

A great driving school, the best prices around. I got my licensee using their car. Absolutely no complaints. Everyone at Phil's is very nice, they were accommodating, and all the instructors I had (five in the course of a month) had their own tips and advice. Read Less

I used Phil's Professional Driving School in a crunch because the instructor who was recommended to me happened to be out of town when I needed one. The good thing about Phil's was they were available, they agreed to give me the lessons I needed on relatively short notice, the instructors were mostly friendly and I did get my license. However, the issues I faced with them are much more numerous.First - they demand that payment be made first. I really cannot support a business that insists you pay in advance and thus eliminates any requirement for them to offer their best. Had Phil's offered their best afterwards however, I would have overlooked this.Second - They offer very limited packages and make absolutely no effort to accommodate requests for any variation. I just needed some refresher hours to familiarize myself with the area of the test and practice parking. I therefore requested that they let me buy their 6h package, so I could get 2 hours behind the wheel on one day, they could give me an hour's practice ahead of the test and then let me use their car for the test. They refused and made me purchase two 2-hour slots and the test package so I had to spend an extra $150. This I could have overlooked under the premise that they have specific packages and can only give me some combination of them. However, my test time for 10:30 am and we are required to report at DMV 15 minutes ahead of the appointment. It stands to reason that they should have ensured that the instructor arrived at 8:15 am at the latest to accommodate my 2h session prior to the test since they were charging me full price for both. However, despite multiple requests they would only give me an 8:30 am appointment.Third - For the 1st 2-hour slot, the instructor arrived on time but then made me drive way out of town to take the previous student home. As a consequence, I ended up spending all my time driving up and down roads I didn't need to and didn't have any time to actually familiarize myself with the test area and only got to practice parking and other skills that I really wanted to once. Fourth - On the test date, not only did the instructor arrive late, she did not offer an apology. And if that wasn't bad enough, she spent another 10 minutes talking to other potential customers in the neighborhood. I know they need their business and need to take advantage of such opportunities but they really shouldn't be doing it on my time and my dime on my test date when they refused to even come a little early. And all of this without any apology forthcoming.They may be amongst the best available school's here going by other reviews but all that only emphasizes how pathetic the general level of driving schools here are. Read Less

23 years ago Charlie taught me to drive, and today I'm an excellent driver. As a matter of fact, he also taught my both children to drive also.......Charlie is the type of instructor that is needed to teach people to drive. He is patient, humble, friendly NEVER YELLED, and also kept reminding me to READ THE DRIVER'S MANUEL.....I took his advice, and pass my road test the very first time.......THANK YOU CHARLIE...GOD BLESS! Read Less

I received my license through Phil's driving school in 2000. Still to this day I remember small details of the education I received there. " When your looking ahead and headlights from another vehicle begin to blind you, look down and to the right at the solid yellow line. " or " When are roads most slippery? Before it rains? When it starts to rain? When it's been raining for awhile? " -- the answer, when it first starts to rain. Heck, I still know how to parallel park park because of them. Read Less

Phil's Driving School has a lot of experienced driving instructors sincerely interested in teaching people how to be better drivers.  Casey and Patty were great with decades of experience.  I highly recommend! Read Less

My daughter recently obtained her license through Phil's Driving School. Here are her comments: "I went here for a few months. Overall, the classes were very informative and the teachers were extremely kind and helpful throughout the process. For new drivers on the road taking driving hours, I strongly suggest using Phil's because they cater to the Driving Test requirements and the instructors are well-experienced in teaching new drivers." Read Less

I am a transplant from New York City. Brooklyn to be more exact. I can count on my fingers how many times I've had to drive in the past 10 years. So it was with great trepidation that I realized that New Haven ain't NYC and there is no real mass transit system here. Native NH folks will tell you the buses come but you are at the mercy of an inconsistent schedule. So I have chosen to subject myself to the dreaded task of ret-training my driving skills. Torture!! And my skills still suck. Why? Because we don't drive in NY. Well at least those of us who live in the 5 boros and hate doing the alternate side street parking rules dance. It is a nightmare and I will spare the details of that. It makes sense for folks with kids but other than that I can not fathom why anyone would own a car in NYC. With that said I lucked out and have a really great super patient instructor. Patty is a doll. Thanks guys! Read Less