Total Drive vs My Drive Time (UK)
Total Drive vs My Drive Time (UK)
Driving instructor diary and school admin apps compared
Last updated: 22 September 2026. Competitor details taken from each provider’s public website and App Store listing on that date.
Short answer: Total Drive and My Drive Time are both UK driving instructor diary and school admin apps with a 30-day free trial and free use for PDIs. Total Drive is from £18/month and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Making Tax Digital integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, Sage and FBTC, online pupil payments with next-working-day payouts, and a free pupil-finding Web Directory exclusive to its clients. My Drive Time is £19/month with tiered school pricing and did not list CarPlay, Android Auto or named accounting integrations as of September 2026.
Total Drive at a glance
Both apps can manage the diary and day-to-day admin for driving instructors and schools. The right choice usually comes down to your finance workflow, how you work on the road, and how well the app fits your scheduling routine.
Total Drive vs My Drive Time: side by side
| What matters | Total Drive | My Drive Time |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From £18 per month, monthly rolling, cancel anytime. | £19 per month for individual instructors. Schools from £15 per instructor (2–3), £10 (4–10) and £5 (11+). |
| Free trial / PDIs | 30 days free for ADIs with no card on file and no prepayment. PDIs use Total Drive free until they qualify. | 30-day free trial, no card required. Free for PDIs until they qualify. |
| Apple CarPlay / Android Auto | Apple CarPlay and Android Auto built in, so you can call pupils, navigate and see your day from the dashboard. | Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are not listed on their website as of September 2026. |
| Online pupil payments | Pupils pay online with next-working-day payouts. A fee-free-to-instructor setup is available as an option. | Payment status is tracked in the diary. Online card payment fees and payout timing are not listed on their website as of September 2026. |
| Making Tax Digital | Making Tax Digital integration with QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, Sage and FBTC, or CSV export. | Making Tax Digital support is advertised; the specific accounting integrations are not listed on their website as of September 2026. |
| Pupil progress (DVSA syllabus) | Progress tracked against the DVSA syllabus, with reflective logs and mock tests. | Pupil progress against the DVSA syllabus and reflective logs are included. |
| Filling diary gaps | Fill gaps from cancellations and no-shows within seconds of receiving them. | Not listed on their website as of September 2026. |
| Driving school admin | Driving school admin for multi-instructor schools alongside the instructor diary. | Multi-instructor schools with shared diary access and free admin accounts. |
| Finding new pupils | Free Total Drive Web Directory: a public instructor profile plus 2,284 search-optimised UK town pages, exclusively for Total Drive clients (PDIs included). No listing fee, no paid tier, no per-pupil charge. | No instructor directory or pupil-finding service is listed on their website as of September 2026. |
| UK App Store (Business) | No. 38 in the UK App Store Business chart with 251 ratings on 22 September 2026. | 59 ratings on the UK App Store; not in the Business chart on 22 September 2026. |
| Route / GPS recording Coming soon | GPS route recording is launching soon to strengthen lesson records. | Journey tracking on lessons is mentioned; GPS detail and export are not listed on their website as of September 2026. |
Sources: mydrivetime.co.uk/pricing and each app’s UK Apple App Store listing (ratings and Business chart position), checked 22 September 2026. Features and prices change; confirm current details with each provider before choosing.
Finding new pupils: the free Total Drive Web Directory
Total Drive is the only one of these apps that includes a free, public driving instructor directory built to bring new pupils to its clients. Every active Total Drive subscriber, including PDIs, gets a professional profile showing who they are, where they teach, their services, prices, availability and contact details, even if they have no website of their own. Behind it sit 2,284 search-optimised town pages across the UK, targeting searches like “driving instructors near me” and “driving lessons in Dundee”.
It is exclusively for Total Drive clients and always will be: there is no listing fee, no upgrade charge and no paid placement, and nobody outside Total Drive can be listed. In its first week it recorded 17,497 appearances in Google search results and 460 search terms already averaging inside Google’s top 10, so the visibility it generates goes only to Total Drive instructors. My Drive Time did not list a pupil-finding service as of September 2026.
Neutral checklist for evaluation
- Diary and scheduling flow: how quickly can you manage bookings and changes?
- School admin tasks: what’s automated, and what still needs manual effort?
- Finance and tax readiness: does it connect directly to your accounting software, or will you export by hand?
- On-the-road usability: does it work with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto?
- Finding new pupils: does the app do anything to bring learners to you, and what does it cost?
- Route and trip logging: what’s available now, and what’s launching soon?
Where Total Drive is positioned
- Diary plus school admin: one app for driving instructors and driving schools.
- Online payments: pupils pay online with next-working-day payouts, and a fee-free-to-instructor setup is available as an option.
- Fill gaps in your diary from cancellations and no-shows within seconds.
- Pupil progress: track progress against the DVSA syllabus, provide reflective logs and run mock tests.
- Making Tax Digital: integrates via QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, Sage, FBTC, or CSV export.
- Car integration: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
- Free Web Directory: a public profile and 2,284 UK town pages to attract new pupils, exclusive to Total Drive clients.
- GPS route recording: launching soon to strengthen record keeping.
How to decide
Ask yourself: “Which option reduces the most admin friction for my school, and which one makes my working day smoother?” If your process depends on MTD workflows, CarPlay or Android Auto, or route recording, compare those specific areas in detail during your trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Total Drive and My Drive Time?
Both are UK driving instructor diary and school admin apps with DVSA syllabus progress tracking and Making Tax Digital support. Total Drive (from £18/month) adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, named integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, Sage and FBTC, online pupil payments with next-working-day payouts, and gap filling for cancellations. My Drive Time (£19/month) publishes tiered per-instructor pricing for schools.
Is Total Drive cheaper than My Drive Time?
For an individual instructor, Total Drive is from £18 per month and My Drive Time is £19 per month as of September 2026. Both offer a 30-day free trial with no card required and are free for PDIs until they qualify.
Does My Drive Time support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto?
My Drive Time did not list Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on its website or App Store listing as of September 2026. Total Drive includes both.
Which accounting software does each integrate with for Making Tax Digital?
Total Drive integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, FreeAgent, Sage and FBTC, or exports CSV. My Drive Time advertises Making Tax Digital support but did not name specific accounting integrations on its website as of September 2026.
Does Total Drive help you find new pupils?
Yes. Total Drive subscribers, including PDIs, get a free profile in the Total Drive Web Directory, which has 2,284 search-optimised UK town pages targeting searches such as “driving instructors near me”. It is exclusive to Total Drive clients with no listing fee. My Drive Time did not list an equivalent service as of September 2026.
Can I switch from My Drive Time to Total Drive?
Yes. Start a 30-day free trial of Total Drive with no card on file, import your pupils, and run both side by side until you are happy. Contact Total Drive support for help moving your diary and pupil records.
Note: confirm any plan-specific feature differences directly with the providers before choosing.
Try Total Drive free. ADIs get 30 days free with no card on file and no prepayment. PDIs use Total Drive free of charge until they qualify. From £18 per month after that, cancel anytime.