Passdesk vs Total Drive.
Both platforms run a UK driving school. They bill differently and they cover different ground — here is where they actually part company, on figures read from both sites on 24 August 2026.
Side by side
| Passdesk | Total Drive | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | £19/mo | From £18/mo |
| How it bills | Per workspace, not per instructor. Instructor £19, Pro £49, Team £99, Scale £199. Solo learners £9.99. Two months free on annual. | Four tiers, £18 to £26 a month including VAT. Online booking arrives at the £23 tier. Multi-car discounts offered. |
| Best for | Instructors and schools who want one platform that covers both | Independent instructors who want the most-used UK toolkit |
| Trial | 14 days (schools), 7 days (solo learners) — card required at signup | 30 days, no card required |
| Learner app | iOS and Android, plus an installable web app | Free instructor, learner and parent apps |
| UK test tracking | Yes — DVSA-aligned rubric, theory practice, test-centre routes | Yes — progress syllabus and reflective logs |
Read from passdesk.co.uk/pricing and totaldrive.co.uk/instructor-software-pricing on 24 August 2026.
What each is good at
Passdeskthat’s us
£19/moPer workspace, not per instructor. Instructor £19, Pro £49, Team £99, Scale £199. Solo learners £9.99. Two months free on annual.
Strengths
- One platform from a single instructor to a multi-instructor group — adding your second instructor is a setting, not a migration
- Recorded practice routes tied to real test centres, with manoeuvre tagging
- A waitlist that refills a cancelled slot on its own
- Card payments and Direct Debit instalment plans, including fixed-total plans on a reusable mandate
- A separate app for learners teaching themselves, not only for those learning with a school
- Public API, webhooks and MCP access on the top tier
What it does not do
- A card is required to start a trial, where several rivals ask for nothing up front
- Newer to the market than Total Drive or Driving School Office, with a smaller installed base
Read from passdesk.co.uk/pricing on 24 August 2026.
Total Drive
From £18/moFour tiers, £18 to £26 a month including VAT. Online booking arrives at the £23 tier. Multi-car discounts offered.
Says 8,600 instructors and 211,000+ learners use it weekly.
Strengths
- The largest installed base in the UK market by their own published figures
- Official Driving Instructors Association partner
- 3D and 2D teaching scenarios bundled into the higher tiers
- Making Tax Digital material and a theory suite alongside the diary
What it does not do
- Online booking is held back to the £23 tier rather than included throughout
- Built instructor-first — the multi-instructor school tooling is thinner than the solo diary
- No published API or webhooks
Read from totaldrive.co.uk/instructor-software-pricing on 24 August 2026.
Moving your data across
Export your learners, lessons and payment history before you cancel anything — that access usually goes with the subscription. Send Passdesk the export and it gets imported for you; there is no charge for it and nothing needs retyping. If the file looks nothing like a normal export, it is still worth sending — the importers handle a fair range of shapes.
Common questions
How much do Passdesk and Total Drive cost?
Passdesk starts at £19/mo — Per workspace, not per instructor. Instructor £19, Pro £49, Team £99, Scale £199. Solo learners £9.99. Two months free on annual. Total Drive starts at From £18/mo — Four tiers, £18 to £26 a month including VAT. Online booking arrives at the £23 tier. Multi-car discounts offered. Both read from the vendors' own pages on 24 August 2026.
Can I move from Total Drive to Passdesk?
Yes. Export your learners and lessons from Total Drive and Passdesk will import them — send the file over and it gets set up for you rather than left as a homework task. Nothing about your diary needs retyping.
What does Total Drive do that Passdesk does not?
The largest installed base in the UK market by their own published figures Official Driving Instructors Association partner
What does Passdesk do that it does not?
Recorded practice routes tied to real test centres, a waitlist that refills cancelled slots on its own, Direct Debit instalment plans, and a separate app for learners teaching themselves. On the top tier there is a public API, webhooks and MCP access.
Try Passdesk alongside it
Fourteen days, and the import happens before you decide — so you are comparing your own diary, not a demo.