A quality driving experience does not have to cost more financially – but quality does mean it needs to be delivered by instructors who understand the person’s style of learning and who is patient, caring and committed to not only having you pass your test successfully, but to also deliver to you skills needed to ensure you know how to keep yourself and your passengers safe whilst enjoying the experience of driving.

 

Car – Class 1 there are three stages that you must progress through. This is known as the “Graduated Driver Licence System”.

The three stages are:

🚗   Learners Licence (You must be at least 16 years of age)
🚗   Restricted Licence (You must have held your Learners Licence 6months before you can apply for your restricted licence)
🚗   Full Licence (You must have held your Restricted Licence if under 25 for 18 months, this can be reduced to 12 months if you take a Street Talk Course or Defensive Driving course once you have held your Restricted for 6 months. If you are over 25, then you must hold your Restricted Licence for 6 months, reduced to 3 months if you take a Street Talk Course or Defensive Driving course. You can do the course immediately your receive your Restricted Licence)

All Terrain Driving Instructors are NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT AGENCY APPROVED and are highly experienced and qualified individuals keen to pass their extensive knowledge onto you.

Choose from the following programmes or combine a number of disciplines:

🚗   On Road Manual Vehicle Lessons (We can supply the vehicle you learn in) – It will never be a poor decision to learn how to drive in a manual car on our normal everyday roads. Learning in a manual will increase your confidence & requires you to be constantly aware of your surroundings and your vehicle, as you need to be able to accurately and smoothly apply and release the clutch, change gears, and also to identify when your car’s engine is ready to change gears by the sound it makes. Manual vehicles still tend to be more common overseas so if you ever choose to live overseas or to at least travel for an extended period of time in the future, you’ll probably end up needing your own vehicle to get around. While Kiwi’s tend to prefer automatic cars, in much of Europe the market is still dominated by manual cars which remain extremely popular. Learning to drive a manual now while you’re in New Zealand will save you a great deal of trouble trying to navigate a foreign country with different road rules, driver etiquette, and potential language barriers, while also trying to learn how to handle a clutch and gear stick.

🚗   Off Road Manual Vehicle Lessons (We can supply the vehicle you learn in) – Better control over the car off road with a manual transmission typically offers more flexible control over the performance of your car over differing terrains, and can be more useful for driving in the more challenging environments where you’re often stopping and starting. In a manual you are able to use the engine to more effectively increase and decrease your speed, and helps to both reduce reliance on the brake pedal and to put more power into your car at lower speeds – especially useful for travelling up inclines at slower speeds.  You can also react more quickly to an ever changing environment and use your own brain power to assess and alter your vehicle rather than depend on a car’s automatic transmission to make the decision for you. We offer tuition across sand, mud, beach, forest, rock & river environments.

🚗   On Road Automatic Vehicle Lessons – Driving an automatic certainly has its benefits, the main being just how easy they are to drive. It’s as simple as turning on the ignition, putting your foot on the accelerator and driving away, letting the automatic engine handle the gears and clutch. However, this is often where many drivers make their first error. They assume that is all they need to do. We teach you to know when to take back control from your vehicle and how your ear will always be trained on the engine noise as well as how and when to change out of auto and into manual…for example, many vehicles have an option to change into manual and this comes in very handy when towing vehicles such as large trailers and caravans behind you.

🚗   Off Road Automatic Vehicle Lessons – As technology constantly improves the vehicles we drive, there is no doubt that automatic vehicles will be the dominant type but when it comes to off road navigation, it is essential to know why your vehicle is performing the way it is and as all things technical can often come up with an error message, know when to take control of more than just the wheel.

🚗   Electric Eco Skills – If you have mastered a conventional manual or automatic car, you can drive an electric vehicle but many now want to go straight into an EV to do their bit for the planet and of course we need to accept that very soon, all of our newly manufactured cars will be electric.

Most electric vehicles look like standard cars. They have four wheels, a steering wheel, seats for the driver and a few passengers, space for your luggage and the same tech you’ll find in petrol or diesel car.

You may have to adjust your driving style a little – and recharging will become part of your daily or weekly routine – but you could discover you enjoy driving an electric car more.

Here are a few things to bear in mind before you get behind the wheel.

• Silence Is Golden – You know when a petrol or diesel car is ready to go because you have turned a key or pressed a start button. There’s also the familiar sound and vibration of an engine to let you know the car is running. In an electric car, you engage drive mode, but the only real sense that the car is ready comes from the dashboard. EVs are much quieter on the move, too.  At first, this lack of noise can seem disconcerting, but it soon becomes a familiar – and welcome – part of driving an electric car.
• Instant Torque – In an electric car, 100 percent of the torque (pulling power) is available from the moment you touch the accelerator. This means an electric car may race to 30mph quicker than some supercars although most will lose this advantage beyond 40mph.  The instant torque means that electric cars are great fun to drive in the city, but you might need time to get used to the sharper throttle response. It’s also worth bearing in mind that too many Grand Prix starts will leave a dent in your projected driving range.
• Brake Feel –  We explore with you the pros and cons of regenerative braking. For the benefit of this piece, it’s worth remembering that an EV’s brakes will feel different to those of a standard car. The degree of difference will depend on the car’s regenerative braking system – or your preferred settings. However, brakes are one of the key differences between an electric car and a conventional one. Remember, regenerative braking can preserve and increase your electric range. Use it wisely.
• One-Speed Transmission –The majority of electric cars have a single-speed transmission. From a technical perspective, this means there are fewer moving parts and potentially lower servicing costs.  As a driver, you’ll experience smooth and linear acceleration, with no clutch pedal and no need to shift gears. As a result, an electric car feels more refined and easier to drive.
• Driving Sensibly To Conserve Energy –You already know that driving fast, being hard on the brakes and flooring the throttle can negatively impact the fuel economy of a petrol or diesel car. The same is true of an electric one.  You’ll need to adopt a steady approach, reading the road ahead and taking it easy on the accelerator pedal. You don’t need to drive slowly, but careful and considered progress will be rewarded with a longer range– and less time spent charging.

 

🚗   Defensive Driving Technique

Street Talk defensive driving courses have been specially designed by NZ Transport Agency to meet the needs of young drivers in NZ. Our courses teach defensive driving skills that will help both Learner and Restricted drivers pass the new Driving-Tests.

• All-round safer driver. Become a safer and more skillful driver. This advanced course will provide you with the tools necessary to avoid and overcome driving situations that could otherwise be difficult or even disastrous under normal conditions.
• 6 Months Reduction.  Restricted Licence holders can use the certificate from this course to receive a time reduction on their Restricted Licence from 18 months down to 12 months, if under 25 years of age. If you are 25 years of age plus, then you can reduce your Restricted Licence time from 6 months to 3 months.
• Any Licence holders can do this course which includes 4 interactive sessions of 2 hours in classroom, plus up to an hour on-road practical session. On average the courses cover a 2 week period with at least 2 sessions in each week.