DVSA's New Code of Practice: What It Means for How You Market Your Driving School
On 23 September 2026, the DVSA quietly published something that matters far more to your marketing than it first looks like it should: a brand-new, mandatory Code of Practice for approved driving instructors. It will replace the current voluntary code and the ADI register guide sometime between late 2026 and early 2027, and instructors will need to declare they’ve read and agreed to it when they apply, renew, or take on a trainee licence. Buried among the sections on safeguarding and fit-and-proper-person checks is one that every driving school owner should read twice: Section 13, on marketing and social media.
What’s Actually Changing
The current code is voluntary guidance. The new one is mandatory, and non-compliance sits alongside other conduct issues the ADI Registrar can act on, from a formal warning to removal from the register. It covers sixteen areas in total, including safeguarding, instruction standards, test-day conduct, financial responsibilities, data protection and, notably, how you present yourself and your pass rates online.
The Marketing Rules in Section 13
This is the part with the most direct bearing on your day-to-day marketing. The code requires that any advertising you do follows the established advertising codes of practice, that your social media use is “lawful, responsible and professional,” and that any promotional material you create using AI tools is technically accurate and consistent with the national standards for driver and rider training. It also sets two specific rules that are easy to get wrong without realising it: you must explain how any advertised pass rate was calculated, and you must not share a pupil’s information, images or video — including in-car camera footage — without their explicit written consent.
The new code doesn't just set standards for how you teach; it sets standards for how you advertise. From now on, your marketing claims are a professional obligation, not just a sales pitch.
Pass Rate Claims Need a Methodology
A headline pass rate is one of the most persuasive things on a driving instructor’s website or Google Business Profile, which is exactly why DVSA wants it backed up. If you advertise a pass rate anywhere — your homepage, a flyer, a social post, or a Google Business Profile update — you now need to be able to show how it was worked out: over what period, which pupils counted, and whether first-attempt passes are being compared fairly with retests. It’s worth auditing every place that figure appears, including your Google Business Profile, before the code becomes mandatory.
Consent Is No Longer Optional Paperwork
Testimonials, before-and-after driving clips, and in-car dashcam highlights are staples of driving school social media — and under the new code, every one of them needs explicit written consent from the pupil before it goes anywhere near a public page. That’s a timely prompt to build consent into your enrolment paperwork rather than treating it as an afterthought once a proud pupil passes their test. It’s also a good moment to review how your social media content is sourced and approved, so nothing goes live without the right permission on file.
Getting Ahead of the Deadline
With an effective date still “to be confirmed,” there’s no need to panic — but there’s a real advantage in sorting this out early rather than scrambling when it lands. Three practical steps: audit every pass-rate or results claim across your website, social channels and print materials; put a simple written consent form into your pupil onboarding process; and if you’re using AI tools to draft lesson materials or ad copy, build in a check for accuracy against the national standards before anything is published. Tightening up your content marketing now means you won’t be caught out later.
Getting Your Marketing Compliant and Confident
The new code is a reminder that, in 2026, how you market your driving school is treated as seriously as how you teach in it. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on your current marketing claims, consent processes, or online presence before the mandatory code lands, Driving School Solutions can run through it with you — get in touch and we’ll help you get compliant and confident, not caught out.
