All Star Driver Education Review
Driver's education is a rite of passage in our society. Whether you or your teenager need a driver’s ed course, you will find that many are now partly online, and the mandated in-person driver’s education is done locally. Our overview here focuses on All Star Driver Education based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
About All Star Driver Education
All Star Driver Education provides driving-related education courses in fourteen states. These include Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
As we present our research, bear in mind that the individual location in which your driver's education takes place will matter more than the national reviews for this company. Do your due diligence. Ask your neighbors and classmates who have taken the courses offered by All Star and make a determination about if this company is right for you based on all the info you can collect.
In addition to driver’s education, All Star Driver Education can also help you if you get a moving violation. In six states, including Arizona, Indiana, Idaho, Minnesota, Missouri, and Tennessee, All Star provides traffic-court-related courses intended to reduce your points or lower your insurance premiums following naughty behavior behind the wheel. We strongly recommend that you check with your state’s DMV and also your insurer before enrolling to ensure the course will provide the intended result.
Pros and Cons
- Overall high scores from Google users
- A wide range of offerings
- About a quarter of recent reviews are just 1-star
- Many who use All Star's services report poor customer service
- F Rating by the Better Business Bureau
How Does All Star Driver Education Work?
All Star Driver Education provides the online and in-person driver’s education you need in your particular state. Because states’ requirements vary and change periodically, before you sign up with All Star, check that your course will satisfy your state’s DMV requirements.
In addition to the online and in-person driver’s education courses to help you get a permit or license, All Star can help you to offset some penalties your state imposes if you get a speeding ticket or accrue moving violation points. Again, check to ensure your state will accept the certificate you earn before enrolling.
Overview of Courses Offered
All Star offers online classes for both driver’s education and the defensive driving classes some states allow a ticketed driver to take to reduce points on their license. All Star also partners with local schools and other groups in some states to offer in-person driving schools.
How Much Does All Star Driver Education Cost
The defensive driving, accident prevention, and driver improvement courses offered by All Star vary in cost from about $15 to about $35 depending on the state. This is chump change compared to the cost of a higher insurance premium or the potential of a loss of license.
Driver’s education for new drivers varies by state. If the price seems extremely low to you, it is likely not what your state mandates to take the test, but a course designed by All Star to help with general knowledge. Be certain that you know what your state requires, and check that what you are ordering is going to fulfill that requirement. In-person driver training costs hundreds of dollars or more, so be aware that some of the prices below are not the full package you probably need.
| State | Online Drivers Ed *In-person | Defensive Driving or Equal |
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Reviews and Ratings of All Star Driver Education
We found 368 reviews posted on Google related to the Michigan-based All Star Driver Education company. These included reviews from states outside the home office’s state.
Overall, the 4.3-star out of five average is great. We always sort by “newest” when we find a source for reviews. When we did so, we found that about six of the last 20 posted reviews were one star. And they all had a theme; Nobody to help you live on the phone if something goes wrong. Andrea from Texas gave a typical example of the 1-star reviews, saying in part, “The original sign-up process went smooth. The online course was without any issues. The problem was when we got locked out of the account, attempting to get support from the company. We left emails every 48 hours as instructed, we left messages every 48 hours as instructed within a 6-day timeframe, and no one ever replied.”
However, the balance of the reviews were all 5-star, and many of the reviews were very upbeat. Google reviewer Cooper summed up the positive reviews, saying, “Ron and Dee from dexter were awesome. Dee told you everything you need to know, and Ron puts it all together on the road and makes you an awesome driver.” Other 5-star reviews included ratings from Google Local Guides.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) lists All Star, but the company is not accredited, has an F rating, just a 2.5 out of 5 score from users, and about 100 complaints.
On Yelp, All Star earns an even lower rating of just 2-stars.
Our Recommendations
Car Talk recommends that new drivers take driver’s education seriously. You need to learn the material in two ways. First, learn it to pass the test. Your author recently took a family member for a driving test as the sponsor. Before entering the vehicle, the state test mandates that the student demonstrate the hand signals used when the vehicle’s turn signals are broken. The student failed at that point and didn’t even get the chance to enter the vehicle. Study “to the test.” Know what will be asked and in roughly what order. Practice for the test.
Separately, use the time in your driver’s education class to actually learn to drive. In three decades of driving, I've never used hand signals, nor have I ever seen anyone in a vehicle use them. However, most of the driver’s education course material is directly relatable to real-world driving. Make the most of your time and practice anytime a driver will take you out when you have your permit.
When selecting a driving school, use local word-of-mouth references to find out which companies’ students pass the test and have a positive outcome. Don’t look for “nice instructors.” Look for ones that get you over the goal line.
If you’ve been driving in a way that earned you points on your license and a high insurance premium, step back and ask yourself if you want to be working a few weeks a year to pay for that experience. If not, become a more mindful driver who puts safety first and lowers the risk of a ticket.
Above all, ensure that the driving school you decide to give your money to is accredited in our state and has a good reputation among your peers.
Learn more about the Best Drivers Education Courses in the industry here.
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