Driving Academy of Manitoba — Brandon Lessons from $50/Hour & $50 Road Test Car
Brandon, MB · Owner-run, MPI-listed Class 5 school · Dual-brake cars · Free pickup in Brandon · Open Tuesday to Saturday
Driving Academy of Manitoba is a small Brandon school with one of the shortest and most affordable price lists we found in the city: $50 for a one-hour lesson and $50 to rent the car for your road test, with free pickup and drop-off across Brandon. It is on MPI’s official list of permitted Class 5 schools for Brandon, and its website names the owner, Tammie, as a certified Driver Z instructor contracted with Manitoba Public Insurance.
The trade-off is information. The school’s website is short, we found no independent review pages with a rating we could quote, and payment is by cash or e-transfer only. So this profile is mainly about what the school publishes and what you should ask before you book.
Published Pricing
The school suggests 8 to 10 hours of training for new drivers. At $50 an hour, that is $400 to $500 in total, plus $50 if you rent the car for your test. Anyone with experience already may need fewer hours; the school builds lesson plans around the student.
⚠️ Check what “one hour” means. An older version of the school’s website, which no longer loads, described lessons as $50 for 50 minutes. The current site says one hour for $50. Confirm the lesson length when you book, because it changes the real hourly price. Also ask whether GST applies.
What Driving Academy of Manitoba Offers
Individual Lessons
One-hour in-car lessons, tailored to the student, in dual-brake vehicles.
Road Test Car Rental
Rent a dual-brake car for the test itself for $50. A lesson-plus-rental combo is also offered; ask for its price.
Winter & Local Road Focus
The school says it specialises in training drivers for Manitoba’s climate and road conditions, which matters if you’ll learn or test in winter.
Rural Westman Lessons
Available outside Brandon with custom pricing. Ask before assuming pickup is free outside the city.
What We Could and Couldn’t Verify
- MPI listing: confirmed. The school appears on MPI’s Brandon list under the phone number (204) 724-3875, which matches the school’s website.
- Experience: a business directory says the school started in 2021 and that its instructor has been driving for 32 years. That is the school’s own description, not something we could independently confirm.
- Reviews: we didn’t find a review page with a rating or count we could rely on. That doesn’t mean it is bad, only that you should look up recent Google reviews yourself and ask for references.
- Retraining after three failed tests: the school doesn’t advertise the MPI verification form. If you need the 5 hours, ask whether it can issue the form before you pay.
By the Numbers
Common Questions
Is Driving Academy of Manitoba on MPI’s permitted list?
Yes. It appears on MPI’s official Find A Driving School list for Brandon. You can also ask to see the instructor’s valid permit.
How do I pay?
The school’s website lists cash and e-transfer. There is no mention of card payments, so ask if that matters to you.
Is pickup really free?
Yes within the Brandon area, according to the school. Rural Westman lessons are priced on request.
Will I practise my exact road test route?
No school in Manitoba should promise that. MPI’s rules say instructors can’t teach the routes used in actual road tests, so expect practice on the skills and road types you’ll meet instead.
What days can I book?
The website lists Tuesday to Saturday, 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM, so Sunday and Monday are closed. Saturday availability is useful if you work weekdays.
Who This School Is For
This school is a good fit if price and simplicity matter most. $50 an hour is the lowest published rate among the Brandon schools we’ve researched so far, the road test car is $50, and the Saturday hours help working people.
It is a weaker fit if you want lots of independent reviews before deciding, or if you need to pay by card. Before booking, confirm the lesson length, whether GST is added, the combo price, and whether it can supply the MPI verification form.
Contact Driving Academy of Manitoba
(Street address not published)
man.driveacademy@gmail.com
Info compiled from Driving Academy of Manitoba’s own website, Manitoba Public Insurance’s list of permitted driving schools, and business directory listings. Confirm current pricing and availability directly before booking.
