The three formats the DMV lists
The DMV’s page on the driver pre-licensing course sets out three ways to take it. Two of them are live and lead to a paper certificate. The third is automated and does not.
| Format | Minimum age | What you get at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Classroom | 16 | Paper MV-278 |
| Live virtual classroom (Zoom or similar) | 16 | Paper MV-278 |
| Online, self-paced (DMV Internet Pilot Program) | 18, with a valid NY photo learner permit | No MV-278; the provider reports your completion to the DMV |
This site is built for people who want to stay home, so we rate the second and third formats. Image Driving School is the only school in our ranking that also runs a classroom session, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM to 3 PM in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Every other school here teaches by Zoom or online only.
Time, schedule and effort
The main thing a Zoom class removes is the trip. You still give the class five hours, because a live class is a 5-hour class whether you sit in a room or at your desk, but you save the travel time on either side of it. If you are weighing a classroom, count the whole trip: getting there, the five hours and getting home, against five hours at a desk in your own place.
Schedules are fixed in both live formats. Coreway and the three booking sites run Tuesday and Thursday at 5 PM and Saturday at 1 PM in English, Drive Rite starts sessions on most days between 10 AM and 5 PM, and Pierre Paul has four sessions a week. In every case you choose from a calendar, so check it against your work or school week before you pay.
The self-paced course has no class date. You register, and you have 30 days from registration to finish. That helps if your hours change from week to week, but it asks you to sit through the material alone and on your own initiative, with identity checks along the way.
Effort differs too. A Zoom class needs a working device, a quiet corner and steady internet. A classroom needs a commute and a seat. The self-paced course needs a screen and the discipline to finish inside the window.
All 13 options we rate, side by side
| # | Provider | Score | Price | Format | Languages | MV-278 certificate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coreway Driving School | 9.6 | From $40 | Live online (Zoom) | English, Spanish | Paper MV-278 next business day: mail or Brooklyn pickup |
| 2 | Take 5-Hour Course | 9.5 | $40 | Live online class | English, Spanish | MV-278 issued after you complete the class |
| 3 | NY 5-Hour Course | 9.4 | $40 | Live online class | English, Spanish | MV-278 issued after you complete the class |
| 4 | 5 Hour Class NYC | 9.3 | $40 | Live online class | English, Spanish | MV-278 issued after you complete the class |
| 5 | Drive Rite Academy NY | 9.1 | $50 | Live online (Zoom), Online self-paced | Not stated | Zoom: paper MV-278 by mail (+$5) or Brooklyn pickup; self-paced: reported to DMV |
| 6 | Grand Prix Driving School | 8.8 | $60 | Live online (Zoom) | Not stated | Mailed the next day |
| 7 | New York Auto School | 8.7 | $65 | Live online (Zoom) | English, Spanish | Mailed to the permit address the next business day |
| 8 | Image Driving School | 8.5 | $45 | In-person, Live online (Zoom) | Not stated | Sign and pick up at the office the next business day |
| 9 | Pierre Paul Driving School | 8.2 | $60 | Live online (Zoom) | Not stated | Free pickup (5–8 business days) or tracked mail for a fee |
| 10 | Super Starz Auto Driving School | 8.1 | $50 | Live online (Zoom) | Not stated | Issued on completion; delivery not stated |
| 11 | National Traffic Safety Institute (NTSI) | 8.0 | $44.95 | Online self-paced | English, Spanish | No paper MV-278: completion reported to DMV (24–48 h) |
| 12 | Amethyst Driving School | 7.9 | $65 | Live online (Zoom) | Not stated | Prepared after completion; delivery not stated |
| 13 | I Drive Safely | 7.8 | $39 | Online self-paced | English | No paper MV-278: completion reported to DMV (24–48 h) |
Prices and formats as published on each provider’s website in October 2026. Scores are our editorial assessment, not customer ratings.
Interaction and rules
Both live formats put a qualified instructor in front of you in real time. For Zoom classes the DMV requires that instructor and students can interact as they would in a classroom, which means you can put questions to a person and hear the answers. Software that teaches the course without an instructor is not allowed in the live format.
Zoom classes come with house rules of their own. Camera-on is a provider policy rather than a DMV rule, but Grand Prix and Image Driving School both state it, and Coreway checks your permit on camera. Image Driving School also asks for a microphone and a quiet place, and it runs the class for exactly five hours with no breaks.
The self-paced course is a different experience. It is automated, so there is nobody to ask. Providers check your identity throughout the course, and the DMV describes content questions in each section. Drive Rite’s self-paced option, for example, uses short quizzes with a 70% score needed to move on.
Eligibility is the sharpest difference. Live classes start at 16. The self-paced course starts at 18, and applicants for junior (DJ/MJ) licenses are not eligible, so a 16- or 17-year-old cannot use it.
Certificate and what happens next
After a live class you receive a paper MV-278, which is valid for one year. The DMV allows schools to mail it to the address on your permit, and you sign it before you schedule your road test. Delivery differs by school: Coreway issues it the next business day with a same-day digital confirmation, and then it travels by USPS or waits for pickup at 590B New York Avenue; Grand Prix and New York Auto School mail it within a day; Drive Rite mails it for $5 or offers pickup; Image Driving School has you sign and collect it at the office.
After the self-paced course there is nothing to hold. The provider reports your completion to the DMV, usually within 24 to 48 hours, and you book your road test once it posts. That is convenient, but you cannot show anything on paper, so keep your payment receipt and any completion confirmation your provider gives you until the record updates.
Remember the paper rules if you took a live class: the MV-278 must be valid on the day you book, and you bring the original to the road test because copies are not accepted. A fourth route exists for students in school: the 48-hour driver education program at a high school or college gives the MV-285, which replaces the 5-hour course.
What each format costs
Among live Zoom classes in this ranking, prices run from $40 to $65. Coreway starts at $40, with some dates listed at $50, and the three booking sites charge a flat $40. Image Driving School lists $45, Drive Rite and Super Starz $50, Grand Prix and Pierre Paul $60, and New York Auto School and Amethyst $65.
Self-paced courses cost about the same. I Drive Safely is $39, NTSI is $44.95, and Drive Rite resells a self-paced course for $50. The cheapest option in our ranking is therefore a self-paced course, but the gap from a $40 live class is $1.
Look past the headline number. Coreway adds a 2.9% fee on card payments, Drive Rite charges $5 to mail the certificate, and a lost-certificate replacement can carry a fee. Several schools sell road test help on top, with the three booking sites charging $25 standard or $75 rush for an appointment and $115 for a car.
Which format fits which learner
- You are 16 or 17. Take a live class, on Zoom or in a classroom. The self-paced course is closed to junior-license applicants.
- You are 18 or older and your hours keep changing. The self-paced course removes the date problem. Read the NTSI review if you also want Spanish.
- You learn by asking questions. Choose a live class, where the instructor answers you in real time.
- Your home is noisy or the Wi-Fi is unreliable. A classroom may suit you better. Image Driving School in Canarsie is the only one in our ranking, so look further if you live elsewhere.
- You prefer Spanish. Coreway and the three booking sites run a Spanish class on select Sundays at 3 PM; see our Spanish page for every option.
- You want your certificate quickly. Compare delivery in the table above, then open the Coreway review for its next-business-day issue and pickup option.
If you are still deciding, our step-by-step class guide shows what a Zoom class asks of you hour by hour.