We are the school for people who were told they were bad drivers
Verulavi started in 2009 with one instructor, one car and a stubborn belief that driving lessons did not have to be scary. Sixteen years later we have a team of coaches across multiple regions, but the philosophy has not shifted one millimetre: patience first, pressure never.
It began with a single stubborn instructor and one very patient car
Our founder, Lukas Berghammer, spent his first three years as a driving instructor at a large chain where lessons were timed to the minute and students were expected to keep up or fall behind. He watched dozens of perfectly capable people quit after two sessions because they felt rushed and humiliated. So in 2009 he bought a used dual-control hatchback, printed business cards at a local shop and started teaching one student at a time with no schedule pressure at all.
The first year he taught forty-one students. Thirty-nine of them passed on the first attempt. Word spread through neighbourhoods faster than any advertising could have, and by 2014 there were six instructors, all trained personally by Lukas, all teaching with the same unhurried method.
The first lesson taught
Students in year one
Three rules we have never broken since day one
Other driving schools change their approach every few years to chase new trends. We have kept the same core principles because they work, and because they are the reason our students trust us with their children.
Nerves are information, not weakness
When a student grips the wheel too hard or brakes too early, that is not a driving problem yet. It is a signal that we need to slow down, stabilise and rebuild trust before we move to the next skill.
Transparency over persuasion
You always know exactly how many hours you have booked, what each lesson costs and which skills you still need. No bundles you did not ask for, no mystery fees added at the end.
Real roads, real exam routes
We do not pad lessons with scenic drives. Every minute you pay for is spent on the streets, junctions and manoeuvres your local examiner will actually use on the day of your test.
Sixteen years, measured honestly
We review our internal logbook every season and publish the results. These numbers are current as of this year.
New drivers taught since launch
First-attempt theory pass rate
First-attempt practical pass rate
Training vehicles on the road
The coaches who actually sit in the passenger seat
We do not hire instructors from a call centre. Every coach goes through a four-part training programme, a shadow phase and a communication course before taking their first paying student.
Lukas Berghammer
Founder and lead instructor
Trained over 2,300 beginners personally. Specialises in the most anxious students nobody else will take on.
Marta Feldt
Highway refresher specialist
Over 4,300 logged motorway hours and a background in behavioural coaching. Runs our entire refresher curriculum.
Anton Kreil
Beginner course lead
Built the practice-pad method that half our beginner lessons now run on. Patient, warm and impossible to rattle.
Nia Okonkwo
Theory and exam prep coach
Knows every trap question in the local theory exam by heart. Runs our mock test scoring and debrief sessions.
Two programmes we have spent years getting right
Beginner Driver Course
The full route from never having touched a clutch to passing your exam in about eight weeks. Private practice pad, structured theory support and the same instructor from lesson one to test day.
Explore Course
Highway Confidence Refresher
For adults who have held a licence for years but still avoid motorways. Two focused weeks rebuilding merge confidence, lane discipline and shoulder-check habits you quietly stopped doing.
Explore RefresherA short timeline of sixteen years
We did not grow by chasing investor money or opening franchises too quickly. Every expansion happened only when we had a fully trained instructor ready to carry the Verulavi method properly.
Founded by Lukas with one car
First team of six instructors
Motorway refresher programme launched
38 cars and a full digital logbook
What we build is confidence, so here is what that looks like
We photograph our sessions, our students' milestones and the roads they learn on. Every image here comes from real Verulavi lessons in the past eighteen months.
Practice pad: where every beginner starts
Progress debrief after a busy lesson
Motorway refresher: week two, real traffic
Parallel parking drilled until it is muscle memory
The moment it all becomes worth it
Our home base, where the planning happens
Why our students pass more often than the regional average
The single biggest reason people fail their driving test is not lack of skill. It is lack of exposure to the exact conditions they will face. They learn on quiet roads, drive well in lessons, then panic in a new environment on exam day.
We fix that by scheduling our final three lessons on the actual test route, in the actual traffic hours, with an examiner-style scoring sheet. By the time you sit the real thing, the route is not new, the traffic is not new, and the pressure is not new. The only new thing is the person in the passenger seat holding the clipboard.
- Final three lessons run on the official test route
- Two scored mock exams with examiner-style briefs
- Debrief notes shared the same evening, not weeks later
- Retake consultation free of charge if you do need a second attempt
Theory pass rate on first attempt
Practical pass rate on first attempt
Lessons minimum on the real exam route
Hidden surcharges, ever
Thoughts from the passenger seat
Your First Driving Lesson: What Actually Happens in That First Hour
A calm walkthrough of the cockpit check, the first stall and why none of it means you are doing badly.
Read Article
Six Things Nervous Drivers Get Wrong About Motorways
The six assumptions adult drivers make about fast roads and how to fix each one with small, practical changes.
Read ArticlePartners, certifications and standards
We work with regional authorities, insurance providers and safety organisations to keep every course current with the rules that apply in each area we teach.
Every instructor working under the Verulavi name holds the professional qualification required to deliver paid driving instruction in the region they teach. For details on how we handle personal data, read our Privacy Policy, and for the full legal details of our company, see Legal Information.
Let's put you behind the wheel on your own terms
The first call costs nothing and commits you to nothing. Talk to one of our instructors, get a realistic plan, and decide after that.