About us
A local driving school, teaching this coastline since 2005
Four instructors, manual and automatic, covering eleven towns and villages from a base in Dyserth.
In short
SMS Driving School was founded in 2005 by Simon Vicary and is based in Dyserth, Denbighshire. The school has four instructors: Simon Vicary and Gwyn Davies teach manual tuition, and Jenny Williams and Andrea Jones teach automatic. It covers Rhyl, Prestatyn, Abergele, Rhuddlan, Dyserth, Towyn, Gronant, Meliden, St Asaph, Kinmel Bay and Talacre, and is rated 4.8 from 23 Google reviews.
How the school started
Simon Vicary set up SMS Driving School in 2005. He came to instructing from an emergency service driving background, with over 20 years of driving experience behind him before he ever taught a lesson.
Twenty years on, the school still works the same stretch of coast: Prestatyn and Rhyl at the centre, out to Talacre in the east and Abergele in the west. Most of our pupils still come through word of mouth, which after two decades is probably the most honest review a driving school can have.
How we teach
Every lesson is one to one. You will have the same instructor from your first lesson to your test, not whoever is free that week, because the value of an instructor is largely in knowing where you specifically struggle.
Lessons are built around your pace. Some people need six hours on roundabouts and two on parking, some the reverse. We will also tell you honestly when you are not ready for a test, which is not always the popular answer but is cheaper than a failed attempt.
The team
Your instructors
Our pupils name these four individually in their reviews, which is exactly how it should be.
Simon Vicary
Owner and manual instructor
Simon founded SMS Driving School in 2005 and still teaches manual tuition across Prestatyn, Rhyl and the surrounding villages. He is an ex-emergency service trained driver with over 20 years of driving experience behind him.
Gwyn Davies
Manual instructor
Gwyn teaches manual tuition across the full SMS coverage area, from Talacre and Gronant in the east through to Abergele in the west. He has availability for new pupils now.
Jenny Williams
Automatic instructor
Jenny teaches automatic tuition and is regularly named in first time pass results at Rhyl test centre.
Andrea Jones
Automatic instructor
Andrea teaches automatic tuition and is the instructor most frequently named by pupils in recent Google reviews, particularly for building confidence with nervous learners.
Photographs of the team are being added shortly.
The cars
A modern, dual control fleet
Every car we teach in is fitted with dual controls, so your instructor can intervene if they need to. That is not just a safety feature, it is what lets you attempt things slightly beyond your current confidence without risk.
- Dual controls
- Climate control
- Traction control
- Sat nav
- Power steering
- ABS braking
- Lumbar support
Ready to get started?
Call or message SMS Driving School and we will find you a slot that fits around work, school or college.
Mon to Fri 8am to 5pm, Sat 9am to 12pm. Based in Dyserth, Rhyl, Denbighshire.