Well, well, well. Here you are. You’re either an excited (and maybe a bit nervous) teenager about to get your driver’s license, or you’re a terrified parent who’s “baby” is about to start driving a car. Whether you’re the “baby” or the parent, this is a massive milestone! Obtaining a driver’s license is sort of a right-of-passage into adulthood. I remember when I got my driver’s license. I must have stared at the darn thing for 4 hours I was so excited to finally have it!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For starters, you need to be at least 15 and a half years old to start training, and you must go through a certified Ohio driver’s ed course before you can earn that piece of plastic. Now, there are two ways you can do this…
The first way to complete your Ohio driver’s ed requirements is to go through a traditional classroom-based driver’s ed course.
The second way to complete your Ohio driver’s ed requirements is to go through an online drivers’ ed course.
For the purposes of this article, I am going to focus on helping you find the single best Ohio Driver’s ed online course. I’ll provide you with several good options to go with, but I will also be very clear about who my top recommendation is.
Want The FAST Answer? This Is My Top Recommended Online Driver’s Ed Course For Ohio
Is Taking An Ohio Driver’s Ed Online Course REALLY Better Than A Classroom?
There isn’t really a right answer here. Everyone learns in their own individual ways, so some students would be much better off going through a traditional classroom rather than an online driver’s ed course. However, as a former driving instructor, I do have my own opinion on this…
I really like these online driver’s ed courses. They are interactive, students can go at their own pace, and most driver’s ed students have no problem having the motivation to go through the material. The reward for completing the course is pretty high for most teens!
Learning about driving laws, regulations, and safety isn’t exactly a fun topic. In a traditional classroom, students tend to daydream or just not pay attention during the boring lectures about driving statistics and laws. With an online course, however, it’s too interactive to not pay attention, plus when students get bored, they can log off and pick it up again later when they are ready.
So all in all, as a former driving instructor I will never say that one is better than another, but I have no problem with these online driver’s ed courses and personally prefer them.
What Is The Process To Obtaining A Driver’s License In Ohio?
If you do decide to use an Ohio driver’s ed online course to complete the training requirements, this is how the process works…
- Sign Up For An Ohio State Certified Online Driver’s Ed Course – I’ll list all of the certified Ohio state-certified driver’s ed online courses below. Just make sure the online driver’s ed course you sign up for is actually approved by the Ohio BMV because if it isn’t certified specifically for Ohio, you’ll be wasting a lot of time and money.
- Go Through The First 2 Hours Of Your Online Training – Once you complete 2 hours of your online training, you’ll receive a “certificate of enrollment”. This is where it gets fun!
- Go Get Your Ohio Temporary Instruction Permit Identification Card TIPIC. Go to the BMV, get your eye exam done, and take a written test. Then, head over to the Deputy Registrar License to show proof of ID and other documents so that you may purchase your TIPIC.
- Start Your Behind The Wheel Training – Now you actually get to drive! Nice! Get yourself enrolled into a state-certified Ohio driving school. This part can’t be done online. You’ll need to complete 8 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction with a certified driving instructor. After that, you must complete at least 50 hours of behind-the-wheel driving (including 10 at night) under the supervision of your parent or guardian.
- Finish Up Your Online Course – Complete the remaining 10hrs of your online driver’s ed course.
- Take Your Driving Test – At this point, you’re almost done, but you’ll need to take a driving test at the BMV. Make sure you schedule an appointment with the BMV to have this done.
- Get Your Probationary License – Once you’ve passed your driving test, you are able to apply for your probationary license! This means you’re able to drive all by yourself, but there are some restrictions such as driving curfews.
- Get Your Unrestricted License – You’ll have a probationary driver’s license until you reach the age of 18, at which point you’ll obtain your full and unrestricted Ohio driver’s license. Woot!
The BEST Ohio Driver’s Ed Online Course
So, as a certified driving instructor, who do I think has the single BEST Ohio driver’s ed online course? Without a doubt, I believe DriversEd.com has the best course you can sign up for. They are one of the oldest online driver’s ed courses to be approved in the state of Ohio. All that experience helps make them the best.
It is also a newly created course which means great updated videos, animations, games, and they are even working on some 3D and virtual reality stuff, which nobody else in the industry is doing. Super cool!
If I had to recommend the best Ohio online driver’s ed course to a close friend or family member, DriversEd.com would be my recommendation without hesitation.
Ohio Driver’s Ed FAQs
How many hours of behind-the-wheel practice is required in Ohio?
After getting your learner’s permit, you need to complete 8 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction hours. Plus, you need 50 hours of behind-the-wheel practice, ten hours of which should be done at night with your parents or legal guardians.
Note: You won’t need to log these 50 hours because your parent or guardian will already fill out a Fifty Hour Affidavit and get it notarized. You will then need to present the affidavit at the Driver Exam Station when you test for your license.
Is there a limit to how many hours can I complete in one day?
The answer to this varies on the program you are enrolled in if they have course timers. The state of Ohio requires that you are locked out of your account for 24 hours after you reach a 2-hour limit of course work per day, so you can only work on the 2-hours worth of lessons.
What happens if I fail the final exam?
Most course providers allow students to take the exam again if they fail it the first time. Students are usually given 3 attempts, but you should wait for 24 hours to pass before you can take the next. Aceable, for example, will give you 3 chances to pass the final exam.
Keep in mind though that the state of Ohio requires that you restart the course every time you fail, so it’s a bit annoying if you don’t get to pass the first time around.
Also, passing the course’s final exam will only prove that you passed your driver’s ed course. To get your permit, you’ll still have to take and pass a written knowledge exam at the BMV.
Once I get my probationary license, what will be the restrictions that I need to follow?
There are different restrictions applied depending on how long you’ve held your probationary license.
If you’re under 18, and you’ve held the probationary license for less than a year, you are not allowed to drive between midnight and 6 A.M. In addition, you can’t drive the car if your passengers include more than one non-family member. You can bypass this if you’re accompanied by a parent or guardian, but they have to sit on the passenger seat.
Now, If you’re under 18 and you’ve held your probationary license for longer than a year, you will only be NOT allowed to drive between 1 A.M and 5 A.M if you’re not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian
If you violate any of these restrictions and you are convicted of a traffic offense within the first six months after you get your probationary license, you’ll get punished. The punishment usually is not being able to drive without a parent or guardian having to accompany you for six months or until you’re 17 years old.
If you receive multiple traffic violations before you become 18 years old, your license may be suspended. Worse, if the conviction is alcohol-related, your license will be suspended for at least six months.
A List Of ALL Certified Ohio Online Driver’s Ed Courses
While you know who my top choice driver’s ed course is, I also wanted to create this list for you to reference. All of the below online driver’s ed courses are approved and certified for the state of Ohio, so any of them will work.
For your convenience, I also listed them in order of my favorite to least favorite. Of course, that is mostly just my opinion and any of the below courses are legitimate, but I thought it might help as I have experience in the industry.
Aceable Drivers Ed
Website: www.aceable.com
Discount available? Click here!
DriversEd.com
Website: DriversEd.com
Discount available? Click here!
Costech Technologies Inc.
Website: www.ohiodrivereducation.com
Discount available? No
Virtual Drive of Ohio
Website: www.vdriveusa.com
Discount available? No
Top Driver
Website: www.topdriveronline.net
Discount available? No.
All Star Driver Education, Inc.
www.allstardrivereducation.com
Discount available? No
American Safety Council, Inc.
Website: www.FirstTimeDriver.com
Discount available? No
igottadrive.com
Website: www.igottadrive.com
Discount available? No
Jordan Driving School, Inc.
Website: www.onlinedriveredohio.com
Discount available? No