Longsight is built around the A6. Stockport Road carries buses, delivery vans and traffic heading in and out of the city all day, while the streets either side are tight rows of terraced houses with cars parked on both kerbs. Add the shoppers around Longsight Market and you have an area that teaches real-world driving quickly. Astra Driving School is based on Bowling Green Lane in M12, so Longsight is our home patch. Your instructor can pick you up from home, work or college anywhere in M12 and plan each lesson around the roads you will actually drive. Manual and automatic lessons are the same price, £35 an hour.
| Lesson type | Hours | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single lesson (pay as you go) | 1 hour | £35 |
| 10-Hour Saver (block booking) | 10 hours | £330 |
| 7-Day Fast Track (intensive) | 10 hours | £350 |
| Pass Plus | 6 hours | £250 |
| Refresher lesson | 1 hour | £37 |
Every price is the same for manual and automatic cars. The 10-Hour Saver works out £20 cheaper than ten single lessons, and Pass Plus is for after you pass: six hours of extra training covering driving in town, in all weathers, on rural roads, at night, on dual carriageways and on motorways. See the full list of courses on our driving lesson prices page.
A manual licence lets you drive both manual and automatic cars, and Longsight is a good place to earn it. The stop-start traffic on Stockport Road gives you constant practice with clutch control, moving off and choosing the right gear, while the side streets around Slade Lane are ideal for hill starts and slow-speed control between parked cars. Lessons cost £35 an hour, and your instructor can start from your front door anywhere in M12.
With no clutch or gears to think about, an automatic lets you put all your attention on the road, which helps a lot in a busy area like Longsight. You can concentrate on mirrors, bus lanes and pedestrians stepping out near the market instead of the gear stick. An automatic lesson in Longsight costs exactly the same as a manual one, £35 an hour. Just tell us you want an automatic car when you book.
If you need your licence for a new job or before college starts, an intensive course packs your training into a short period. Our 7-Day Fast Track gives you 10 hours of lessons for £350, spread over about a week, with pick-up from your Longsight address each day. It suits learners who already have some experience, and the daily lessons mean what you learned on Stockport Road yesterday is still fresh today. Compare all the options on our intensive driving courses page.
Booking hours in advance is the cheapest way to learn with us. The 10-Hour Saver costs £330 for 10 hours, which is £20 less than paying for each lesson separately. Most Longsight learners on a block booking take around two hours a week, which leaves time between lessons to think about what you practised on Plymouth Grove or Dickenson Road before you go out again. It also makes it easier to keep the same instructor and a regular weekly slot.
Pay as you go means no upfront commitment: you book and pay for one lesson at a time at £35 an hour. It works well if your shifts change from week to week or you want to try a lesson around Longsight before deciding on a package, or if you only need a few hours to get test-ready. You can switch to a block booking or an intensive course at any point if you want to speed things up.
Passed years ago but not driven since? Refresher lessons are for full licence holders who want to get their confidence back, and cost £37 an hour. We can focus on whatever worries you most, whether that is the multi-lane stretches of Hyde Road, joining faster traffic on Kingsway, or parking on a narrow Longsight street in front of your own house.
Feeling nervous about driving in a busy part of Manchester is completely normal. Your instructor will start you on quieter residential streets in Longsight, away from the A6, and only move on to main roads when you are ready. Each lesson goes at your pace, with clear explanations and no shouting, and you can stop and talk through anything that worried you on a quiet side street before carrying on. If you would rather learn without a clutch, choose an automatic car at the same price.
Your first lessons usually start on the quieter residential streets between Stockport Road and Slade Lane, where you can get used to the controls without heavy traffic around you. As your confidence grows, your instructor brings in the main roads, and by the time you are ready for your test you will have driven each of them at different times of day, including the school run and the evening rush.
These are the roads Longsight learners drive most often:
Pick-up points: we can meet you at Longsight Market, Longsight Library, the Crowcroft Park area, or collect you from your home, work or college anywhere in M12.
You choose your test centre when you book your practical test with the DVSA. We will help you pick the one that suits you, based on the routes you have practised and the test dates available.
West Didsbury is the nearest test centre to Longsight, roughly three to four miles to the south. Its routes run through busy urban roads, so you need to plan junctions early, deal with traffic lights and buses, and stay calm in heavy traffic. Your instructor will give you mock tests on the real test routes around the centre so nothing on the day feels new.
Some Longsight learners choose Bredbury, east of Stockport, especially when West Didsbury has no test dates that suit them. The routes there include roundabouts and faster roads as well as residential streets. We can drive the area with you in your lessons and run mock tests on its routes. Read our guide to Bredbury driving test centre for more detail.
Our office is in the heart of Longsight, so most of our M12 learners live a few minutes away. Because we are open from early morning until late evening every day, you can fit lessons around work, college or family, and an early lesson is a good way to try Stockport Road before the traffic builds up.
If you live just outside M12, or want lessons from your workplace or college in a neighbouring area, we cover these too. The same prices apply, and your instructor can still pick you up from your Longsight address if that is easier:
Their stories say it better than we ever could
Owen passed first time with Astra. Watch their story.
James passed first time with Astra. Watch their story.
Zainab passed first time with Astra. Watch their story.
Mr. Waqas passed first time with Astra. Watch their story.
4.9★★★★★on Google
Recently passed, first time! Reza was my driving instructor and he was great. He helped me relax (even though that was difficult sometimes) and kept me focussed, put me in challenging situations to improve my skills and had some laughs and jokes along the way. I highly recommend him for you driving lessons.
A huge thank you to Misbah Shah for being such a professional and supportive instructor. After just two lessons, I passed my test at Bredbury. Your clear guidance, patience, and confidence made all the difference. Highly recommended to anyone looking for an excellent driving instructor. Thank you once again!
I passed my driving test on my 1st attempt thanks to Abi at Astra Driving School! Her lessons were incredibly clear and easy to understand. She didn't just help me pass the test; she taught me safe driving skills that will stay with me forever. I highly recommend her to anyone looking for a professional and supportive instructor.
My mum took refresher classes from Irfan Ahmed He was really good tutor and my mum was very comfortable driving with him. He was very flexible with the timings. I highly recommend him to others.
I just passed my driving test at Sale Test Centre! Anmol is a brilliant instructor. She is incredibly reliable, punctual and patient. She really helped me build my confidence on the road and made sure I was fully prepared. I’d highly recommend her to anyone looking for a trustworthy instructor. Thanks Anmol :)
I passed my test on the first attempt thanks to Hamza. He helped me when I had 0 hours of driving and helped prepared me in 2 months with 23 hours of driving. I highly recommend Astra driving school for anyone that’s looking to pass as soon as possible.
Our experienced instructors at Astra Driving School teach across Longsight and nearby areas. Tell us your postcode and we’ll match you with an instructor near you.
Call or WhatsApp us on 07758 837589, or fill in the enquiry form, and tell us whether you want manual or automatic lessons and where in Longsight to pick you up.
We will match you with an instructor and arrange your first lesson at a time that suits you, any day between 7am and 11:30pm.
You need to be 17 years of age to learn to drive a car, however if you have a disability then the age is 16.
The DVSA says learners need about 45 hours of lessons plus 22 hours of private practice on average, but it varies from person to person.
Yes, it is generally beneficial to practise more to master coordination between observations, gear control and manoeuvring.
Yes, you can, contact us to discuss the options in detail.
The average rate per hour with the driving instructor is £35. Contact us in detail for more options available.
Most Longsight learners take their test at West Didsbury, the nearest centre. Some choose Bredbury instead. Either way, we give you mock tests on the real test routes.
Yes. We pick you up from home, work or college anywhere in M12.
£35 an hour, the same for manual and automatic lessons. A block of 10 hours costs £330.
Ready to book your first lesson?
