This page is specifically for California online traffic school reviews. If you’re looking for online traffic school reviews for a different state, please choose your state here.
Below, you’ll find my extremely detailed (probably too detailed) reviews of the top-rated traffic schools in California and I’ve also provided some referral links that include discount codes or coupons.
If you’re not already aware, you can complete your traffic school requirements online in California. Just one little problem… There are literally hundreds of online traffic schools approved and certified in California. Yeah, hundreds! How the heck are you supposed to know which course to sign up with? Don’t think for a second that just because a school is approved in California that it’s automatically high quality. That can’t be further from the truth.
So in addition to listing all of the available online traffic schools for California, I’ve also provided some reviews and recommendations.
Want The FAST Answer? Here Are The Top 3 Best California Online Traffic Schools.
As a former driving instructor, I know full well that you aren’t taking an online traffic school by choice. That’s why I based my recommendations on the easiest and fastest online traffic schools in California. There’s no reason for this to take a second longer or cost a penny more than is legally required. So, let’s take a look at the online traffic schools in California that will be fast and easy for you.
NOTE! – The state of California is no longer requiring course timers to be used. None of the online traffic schools listed below will require your course to be timed. Most people can get their online traffic school finished in under 2 hours.
Reviews, Comparisons, & Coupons For The Top 30 California Online Traffic Schools
You can see the full list of California approved online traffic schools at the bottom of this page, but first, here are some of my recommendations along with my thoughts on each course.
The online traffic schools listed below have been personally researched and taken by me, a certified CDL-A driving instructor. While I tried to list these courses from my favorite one down, after about the 10th course the quality becomes about the same for all of them. I highly recommend you stick with one of the top 5 courses I reviewed.
In the end, though, it really doesn’t matter which of the below traffic schools you sign up for. Check all of the reviews out and don’t stress too much about which one is the best one. They are all fast and easy as long as you stick with the courses on this list.
The Top 10 List
While I’ve reviewed 30 different online traffic schools in California, the below courses are the 10 best traffic schools you can take in California as of 2024. I highly recommend you stick with one of the top 10, but of course, you have many more choices which I’ve also reviewed for you.
#1: Go To Traffic School (Top Pick For 2024)
Pros
- Guaranteed to be the cheapest online traffic school in California.
- Very good reviews and online reputation.
- Most finish the course in under 3 hours.
Cons
- Some of the course content is very boring.
Go To Traffic School has always had one huge selling point. They guarantee to be the cheapest online traffic school in California. If you find a California state-approved online traffic school for a lower price, they will remove $1 from their total price. This makes it even cheaper. In prior years, I had a tough time recommending Go To Traffic School. Even though they have always been cheap, the quality used to be REALLY bad. For instance, the course was almost unusable on mobile devices. However, over the past couple of years, this has all changed.
Go To Traffic School has recently revamped the entire course. It now works very well on mobile devices, they have updated their videos, added interactive features including games to help you retain the info you need to remember, and have made a ton of other improvements. So these days, you not only get the lowest-priced traffic school in California, but you also get a high-quality course as well. It is actually now one of the most modern online traffic schools you can take in California. If your main objective is to simply find the absolute cheapest online traffic school in California that is still legit and can still be completed fast, Go To Traffic School should be a main consideration.
Go To Traffic School receives very positive reviews from verified students. You can see some reviews from verified students here as well as taking a look at their Yelp reviews. You can also learn more about this course in my more detailed Go To Traffic School review here.
See Current Go To Traffic School Discounts Here
#2: Best Online Traffic School
Pros
- No course timers
- Modern interface
- Voice-over option available
- English, Chinese, and Spanish audio are available
- No sign-up costs — pay only when you pass
Cons
- More expensive than competitors
Best Online Traffic School is another AWESOME option for those seeking online traffic schools in California. It offers a range of features and benefits that make it stand out in the crowd.
As a relatively new school, it boasts a fresh and user-friendly design. Navigating through the course is easy. Furthermore, the lessons are presented in a clear and easy-to-follow manner, with helpful images throughout.
This modern approach to course presentation makes the learning experience more interactive and less boring.
The best part?
You don’t need to pay anything upfront!
Yes, the Best Online Traffic School offers its courses 100% FREE. You only have to pay the $19.99 fee before you take the final exam.
Although it may not be the cheapest online traffic school out there, the Best Online Traffic School lives up to its name. The additional benefits and flexibility it provides make it a top contender among online traffic schools in California.
Check out my detailed Best Online Traffic School review here.
See Current Best Online Traffic School Discounts Here
#3 Improv Traffic School
Pros
- Most entertaining traffic school in California.
- 4 free tickets to an IMPROV comedy club are included.
- No payment info is required to start the course.
Cons
- The goofy humor used might not be entertaining for everyone.
- Some spelling and grammar mistakes in the course.
Everyone knows traffic school is boring and my guess is, you’re not taking online traffic school by choice. Luckily, Improv Traffic School decided to capitalize on the boredom factor. This school was created by a group of Hollywood comedians and their main goal was to make the course entertaining by mixing in some comedy. It was a good idea because it worked pretty well! In addition to the added humor, you can go at your own pace (do as much or as little at a time), you can’t fail it, there’s a money-back guarantee, they use animations, video, and graphics to spice things up, etc. Oh, and you can start taking the course for free. Another little perk is you get 4 free tickets to one of their Improv Comedy Clubs.
In addition to Improv Traffic School being sorta fun and entertaining, it is also stupid and simple. All online traffic schools in California must have 6 quizzes and a final exam. While they are all honestly pretty easy to pass, Improv Traffic School just seems to be a lot easier than most of the rest of them. If you don’t like goofy comedy and think the above video is dumb, just pass this one up. However, if your sense of humor is as cheesy as mine is, you might find this course to be the most enjoyable. You can learn more in my full Improv Traffic School review here.
See Current Improv Traffic School Discounts Here
#4: Aceable
Pros
- Best course to take if you’re using a phone or tablet.
- Most modern online traffic school in California.
- Content delivered in multiple formats.
Cons
- Watching the optional videos makes the course take longer than it should.
Aceable is an online traffic school that has really impressed me. Not only is Aceable one of the fastest and easiest online traffic schools in California, but it is also the most modern. Most online traffic schools are horribly outdated, but not Aceable. Aceable is one of the only online traffic schools in California that I know of that offers a dedicated app for Android and Apple users. Every other online traffic school in California that says they are “mobile-friendly” is only mobile-friendly by using a web browser. With Aceable, you get an actual app, which makes the experience and user platform much smoother. In short, if you plan on taking your online traffic school using a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet, Aceable is likely the school you want to go with.
When Aceable first launched, they had good intentions. They wanted to create the highest quality online traffic school available in California. Unfortunately, this led to some issues. While they were indeed the highest quality, they also had a course that took the longest to complete.
Over the past couple of years, they’ve made drastic changes to the coursework to ensure it is the fastest online traffic school course available in California. They still offer some optional videos you can watch, but those videos will slow you down a bit. The good news is that you now get both the highest quality AND the fastest course allowed by state law as the videos have become optional. That’s a pretty good combo, and their low price point isn’t too shabby either. Aceable should definitely be a top consideration. You can learn more in my Aceable review here.
Click Here For The Best Price On Aceable
#5: iDriveSafely
Pros
- Has one of the best user interfaces.
- VERY easy to pass.
- Works well on mobile devices.
Cons
- Some course material is getting a bit outdated.
- The optional video course takes too long to finish.
- Has a course timer (even though it’s not required).
iDriveSafely is definitely one of the oldest and best UX online traffic schools out there. These guys have been around since California first approved home study traffic school in the ’90s when they originally sent you a “home study packet” with study guides and VHS tapes (remember those?!). Things have improved vastly over the years though and it’s easier to take now than ever before. iDriveSafely has had more than 6 million people go through the course since it first went online over 20 years ago. You know what that means? They’ve got money. You know what them having money means to you? It means they can afford to pay higher-quality programmers to make the course better than pretty much any other school out there.
Some of these schools seem like they are run by some dude out of a garage (and that might not be far from the truth). I won’t sit here and guarantee you’ll have a great time with this course, but this is by far one of the most reputable online traffic schools approved in the state of California. Oh, and did I mention you can start the course for free? You don’t even need to give them any payment info to begin.
As with any other high-quality online traffic school in California, iDriveSafely has a guarantee that you’ll pass the course. You can also take iDriveSafely from any device and even switch between devices as you progress. They keep track of your progress, so you can either get the course done all at once or you can take breaks as needed and spread it out over a period of time. It has great UX, it’s easy, and it’s cheap. What else could you really want? However, you may not like the idea that there is a course timer. You can learn more about them in my full iDriveSafely review here.
See Current iDriveSafely Discounts Here
#6: MM Traffic School
Pros
- Small business owned.
- Above-average customer service experience.
- Extremely positive student feedback & reviews.
Cons
- No money-back guarantee.
- Some parts of the course are a bit boring.
MM Traffic School has quickly become one of the online traffic schools I recommend most. Perhaps the biggest complaint I get from people taking traffic school is the horrible customer service that so many online traffic schools have. This is not a problem with MM Traffic School. They might provide the best customer service of any online traffic school in California. This is even more impressive when you consider this is operated by a small San Diego-based business.
By signing up for MM Traffic School, you not only get yourself a fast and easy course, but you’re also helping out a California-based small business that provides superior customer service to most others.
While the course itself is almost entirely text and nothing all that special, they set the course up specifically so you can get through it as fast as possible. No videos to watch, no games to play, no stand-up comedians – just pure raw text where you can complete pages very quickly. Then, when you take one of the required quizzes, you use their open-book format to pass them very easily, even if you didn’t really read the course material at all.
Their unbelievably positive reviews are proof this is a good course. As of this review, they have perfect 5-star ratings on Google reviews, Yelp, and Facebook reviews. They also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Unless you really want flashy videos and Hollywood comedians in your course, MM Traffic School is just about the best out there. and you get to help a small business while you’re at it.
Check Out the Current Pricing For MM Traffic School Here
#7: Safe2Drive
Pros
- Above average reviews & ratings from customers.
- Well established with a long history of good service.
- Available in both English and Spanish.
Cons
- Some parts of the course are getting outdated.
- Some pages and videos take a long time to load.
Safe2Drive operates in several different states, but they are one of the most popular online traffic schools in California specifically. Safe2Drive is a little bit different than most other online traffic schools in California as they offer course content in multiple different ways. Most online traffic schools are just pages of text with maybe a picture thrown in here and there, but
Safe2Drive has some interactive features and videos that help to make things much less boring. The only downside to that is some of their videos tend to take a long time to load. This starts to get annoying as the amount of time waiting for videos to load adds up and makes the course take a little longer than it needs to. However, if the idea of having some videos and other entertaining features appeals to you, then Safe2Drive is a good school to consider.
Safe2Drive also receives some of the best student feedback and user reviews of any online traffic school in California. Take a look at their Yelp and Google reviews, as well as their A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. You can also see on this page that their customer service response time is lightning-quick.
As I’ve stated before, most online traffic schools receive inferior marks for customer service, but Safe2Drive seems to have a great system in place to help customers that need some help. If you’d like to learn a bit more about them, you can check out my more detailed reviews of Safe2Drive here.
Check Out Current Safe2Drive Pricing Discounts Here
#8: Urban Traffic School
Pros
- Some premium services are included for free.
- Course content delivered in multiple formats.
- Very good online reputation and student reviews.
Cons
- Some hidden fees and add-ons at the end of the course.
- Some videos are difficult to hear and understand.
While Urban Traffic School has been around for quite some time, they’ve really taken things to a new level over the past few years. This online traffic school has quickly become one of the most popular traffic schools in California and has had millions of people go through their course. As you can see in their very positive Yelp, Google, and Facebook reviews, students seem to be very satisfied with this traffic school. This online traffic school also uses a service called Shopper Approved which surveys verified students and the number of positive reviews is staggering. They of course also have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
One thing I like about Urban Traffic School is the effort they put into their course. Most online traffic schools just do the bare minimum consisting of text and images, but Urban Traffic School has content in multiple formats. I did find that some of their videos are a bit difficult to understand due to sound effects and background music that is too loud, but overall I would say
Urban Traffic School is far above the vast majority of other online traffic schools that are available. This online traffic school also includes some free extras that most other online traffic schools charge extra for such as expedited completion certificate reporting to the court and a free audio read-along feature. By far, Urban Traffic School has some of the best reviews of any other online traffic school in California.
Get The Best Urban Traffic School Pricing Here
#9: Ticket Toaster
Pros
- Fastest completion certificate submission of any other course.
- Lowest price guarantee.
- No payment info is needed until the end of the course.
Cons
- Some answers to quiz questions are hard to find.
- Some online reviews are biased due to monetary incentives.
Ticket Toaster is an online traffic school that I just discovered recently, even though it appears to be used quite a bit by California drivers. When I first started researching this traffic school, I was a bit surprised by the number of very positive reviews they get. They receive almost unanimously perfect reviews from Yelp, Facebook, and Trust Pilot (a service that surveys verified students as they are taking the course).
One concern I have with their user reviews is that some of them are biased. They offer a referral program to students after they finish the course. Those students then go out and leave positive reviews while providing a referral code for a discount. This leads to some customer reviews being biased. However, after going through the course myself and reading through hundreds of reviews, I still think Ticket Toaster would receive positive reviews even without their referral program.
Ticket Toaster is perfect for those of you who procrastinated taking your traffic school. They submit completion certificates to the court faster than just about any other online traffic school in California. Most other online traffic schools charge extra for “expedited” court notifications if you need to get it there faster than 1 or 2 weeks. At Ticket Toaster, your completion certificate is generally submitted to the court within a day or two at no extra charge. They also have the lowest price guarantee and don’t even require payment information until the end of the course. The course itself is pretty standard, but some of the quiz questions can be tough to find as they are sometimes hidden inside secret messages throughout the course, a feature to have in place to help make the course more entertaining. Overall, though, this. Is one of the best online traffic schools in California.
Check For Ticket Toaster Discounts & Coupons Here
#10: 5 Dollar Traffic School
Pros
- Really is $5 with no hidden fees.
- 24/7 technical support.
- Very positive reviews and online reputation.
Cons
- Coursework is pretty boring.
- No Better Business Bureau rating.
5 Dollar Traffic School is yet another very popular online traffic school in California. The reason is pretty obvious – it’s cheap! You might be wondering if 5 Dollar Traffic School really is just 5 bucks, and it actually is. Now, keep in mind, for $5 you’re not going to get the most advanced online traffic school coursework. This online traffic school is the bare-bones minimum, but that’s all some of you care about.
If you just want to get it done fast and cheap, this is a perfectly good option. 5 Dollar Traffic School does have some upgrades available and the upgrades get a little pricey, but none of the upgrades are required. Further, they do not have any hidden fees at the end of the course. It’s all presented in the beginning, so you’ll know what you’re going to be paying as soon as you sign up.
But for being so cheap, does this place actually receive positive feedback from customers? Actually, yes! Check out their very high reviews on Yelp, Facebook, and Google reviews. You can also check out reviews from verified customers on both Verified Reviews and Trustpilot. They have no rating with the Better Business Bureau but considering all the other positive reviews for this traffic school elsewhere, I think it’s safe to say this is a legit online traffic school that you can get done fast and cheap.
Check Out 5 Dollar Traffic School Here
Additional Online Traffic Schools To Consider
While I highly recommend you stick with the top 10 California online traffic schools listed above, it’s always good to have options. Here are even more reviews of California’s fully legit and state-approved online traffic schools.
#11: No Stress Traffic School
No Stress Traffic School is another relic in the online traffic school space as they’ve been around for many years. As the name of the school implies, they do everything they can to take all the stress out of your online traffic school experience.
From an easy sign-up process to the lowest price guarantee and automatically sending your certification to the courts, you can rest assured this certified school will fulfill all of your court requirements in California. As with most other courses, you can log in and out at any time using any device, so you truly can do this at your own pace and from anywhere.
No Stress Traffic School is starting to get a bit outdated in some areas. For example, if you want to use your smartphone or tablet to take this course, you’ll have to pinch and zoom quite a bit as their course is not optimized for mobile devices.
The reason I still wanted to include this online traffic school on the recommendation list is simply due to them being a fully legit online traffic school and offering the lowest price guarantee. A lot of people taking traffic school don’t care if a course is optimized for mobile devices or uses fancy interactive games, they just want to get it done fast and cheap.
If this accurately describes how you feel (and believe me I understand), this is just another school to consider. I wanted to provide as many options as possible, so even though this school appears to be a bit more outdated, it’s another choice for you to have at your disposal. Feel free to check out more in my full No Stress Traffic School review.
#12: Traffic School To Go
Pros
- Free re-registration if you fail the course.
- Simple and straightforward coursework.
- Lowest Price Guarantee
Cons
- Only a B rating with the Better Business Bureau.
- Mixed reviews from customers.
- The identity verification system needs work.
Operated by the National Safety Council, Traffic School To Go was one of the very first online traffic schools in the nation. The course is designed so you can complete it using any device with an internet connection. In addition, this course is guaranteed to be the cheapest. So basically we have an online traffic school with an excellent reputation, combined with low pricing and 24/7/365 customer service.
As you can see on Yelp and Google reviews, they don’t receive great ratings, but they do have a very high 4.7 rating on Shopper Approved which is a site that surveys verified students. I’m not too sure what to make of those mixed reviews, but I thought Traffic School To Go was a pretty decent experience.
Traffic School To Go is starting to become a bit outdated though and becomes obvious when you’re taking the course. That doesn’t mean the material is wrong or anything, but it would be nice to have a more modern-looking and feeling course.
This is fully certified for every court and every county in the state of California though, so it’s totally 100% legit. It’s also cheap, so if you don’t care about all the bells and whistles but just want to get the traffic school done as quickly and easily as possible, you should certainly consider Traffic School To Go.
They will actually match or beat any lower price you find. I created a much more detailed review of Traffic School To Go if you’re interested in learning more about this course.
See updated Traffic School To Go pricing here
#13: Traffic School 101
Pros
- Every 100th customer gets the course for free.
- Very simple “no-frills” coursework.
- Works well on slow internet connections.
Cons
- Coursework is very boring.
- Doesn’t work well on mobile devices.
- Lots of outdated material.
Some people don’t want to spend their time going through videos or playing interactive games. If you’d actually prefer a very basic and plain text-based course, Traffic School 101 is the course for you. I’m not sure why you would want a text-based course, as I find them incredibly boring, but I’ve had feedback from people who say they prefer it (especially if they have a slow internet connection such as satellite which I’ve had to suffer with before).
This course is almost entirely text-based. Think of it as an e-book with a few quizzes mixed in. While I find this format to be a bit boring, it is absolutely a very fast way to finish your traffic school requirements since there aren’t videos to watch or games to play. You can go as fast as you can hit the “next” button on each page and pass the quizzes.
Unfortunately, Traffic School 101 doesn’t work all that great on mobile devices. Sure, it works, but since it isn’t formatted for mobile users, there is a lot of scrolling, pinching, and zooming that needs to be done. It can also get a little bit glitchy. For this reason. I only really recommend Traffic School 101 to people who are using a PC.
As long as you’re willing to do that, this is one of the fastest ways to complete your online traffic school requirements in California due to how simplistic this course is. You can find out more about what this online traffic school is like in my full Traffic School 101 Review.
This link includes an automatic 10% discount for Traffic School 101
#14: DriversEd.com
Pros
- Cool unique 3D videos.
- Test and quiz questions are very easy.
- Guaranteed to pass.
Cons
- The course takes a bit longer to complete than other options.
- Customer service can have long hold times.
DriversEd.com is a school I normally recommend for online driver’s ed courses, although they are approved in a few states for online traffic school including California. This company is huge with driver’s ed programs and repackages the material from driver’s ed courses into an online traffic school.
The advantage of this is, the quality is very high because there are more quality checks for drivers ed programs. The graphics and animations they use are very high quality and have a cool 3D look that’s easy on the eyes. The videos do make the course take a little bit longer than other online traffic schools though.
Another thing that DriversEd.com has going for it is the experience they have. Literally, millions of people have used this course to complete their traffic school requirements, so they have had a lot of practice perfecting their courses. While they don’t have a dedicated app, this course is very mobile-friendly by simply using your browser.
The main advantage of DriversEd.com is the multiple formats they have. The majority of your traffic school will be text, but there are several optional videos and games as well. The videos help to break up the monotony of the course, but since they are optional, you can blow right by them if you want and just get the course done fast.
No course timers or anything is preventing you from just clicking “next page” over and over again until you get to the quizzes. As long as you pass the quizzes, you don’t have to read a single word if you don’t want to. I only have a review of their online driver’s ed course, but if you want to see what that’s like, check out my review here.
Check For Current Coupons & Discounts For DriversEd.com Here
#15: The Online Traffic School, Inc.
Pros
- Works very well on mobile devices.
- The first online traffic school in California.
- Very quick and easy to pass.
Cons
- Poor customer service with long hold times.
- Long processing time for completion certificates.
- Identity verification system glitches.
The Online Traffic School, Inc. has been around since 1996 and is one of the most popular California online traffic schools. Over the years, I’ve watched some of their reviews and ratings decline as the course gets more and more outdated. They have recently had their rating with the Better Business Bureau get downgraded from an A+ rating to an A rating.
They have at least released apps so you can complete the course from your smartphone or tablet in an actual app instead of a web browser, so I do need to commend them on that. They also offer things like 24/7/365 customer support and a money-back guarantee, so they still do offer some redeeming qualities.
These California online traffic school reviews are starting to get a bit repetitive, but as with many others on this list, The Online Traffic School has a good mix of text, video, and even some games or interactive features to keep things interesting. A couple of things I don’t like about The Online Traffic School include identity verification glitches and long customer service hold times. If the identity verification system can’t verify that YOU are the one taking the course, you’ll need to contact customer service, and this can be a big pain as their hold times are pretty long. They also are slow to process completion certificates, so if you wait until the last minute, you’ll need to purchase an upgrade to have it processed faster. You can learn more about this course in my full Online Traffic School, Inc. review.
Get The Best Deal On The Online Traffic School, Inc. Here
#16: Comedy Traffic School
Pros
- No payment info is required until you pass.
- Free comedy club tickets are included.
- Over 99% of students pass.
Cons
- Hidden fees at the end of the course.
- The video course takes way too long.
Comedy Traffic School is yet another online traffic school that offers a course based on humor. As you go through the course, you’ll be met with videos from comedians like David Spade, Jerry Seinfeld, and Erik Estrada.
I personally think Improv Traffic School is a more entertaining course if you want to take the comedy approach, but then again, humor is subjective so that’s just my own personal opinion. However, in addition to the humor aspect, I feel that Comedy Traffic School takes too long to complete as the course material is mostly video. Watching videos takes a lot longer than going through the text, especially since the quizzes and exams in California are open books.
However, over 99% of students pass the course on their first try, you get free comedy club tickets, and you don’t need to give them any payment info until you actually pass, so this truly is a risk-free traffic school to sign up for.
Another thing I’m not thrilled about with Comedy Traffic School is the hidden fees they have at the end of the course. Things like a $9.95 “processing fee” and extra charges if you want your completion certificate mailed to you. These things should be included in the price of the course and not tacked on after someone has already spent hours going through and ultimately passing the coursework.
The free comedy club tickets are also only available in Sacramento and Los Angeles, so if you don’t live in those places, that likely won’t be a perk for you. Check out their Yelp reviews, Facebook reviews, and my own personal detailed review if you want to learn more.
Get The Best Price On Comedy Traffic School Here
#17: Traffic School Online
Pros
- Upfront pricing with no hidden fees.
- Money-back guarantee.
- Instant certificate delivery to the court.
Cons
- The course takes a little longer than other traffic schools.
- Some videos take too long to get through.
Traffic School Online is one of the very first online traffic schools approved in the state of California. They have been doing what they do for literally decades with good reviews from students and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau. Since hidden fees are so common with online traffic schools, I always like to point out the traffic school that doesn’t have them.
I’m happy to report that Traffic School Online does not have any hidden fees. All their pricing is upfront and their pricing is on par with the rest of the industry. They also include some things that other online traffic schools charge extra to get.
For example, they have instant electronic certificate delivery to your court. Many other online traffic schools take a week or two to “process” the certificate in the hopes you will purchase one of their expedited delivery methods at overpriced costs.
The course itself does take a little bit longer than I’d like. They have some good videos to break up the text which is nice, but since the state of California does not require course timers, I personally find plain text to be easier to get through.
When I have to sit and watch a video, it tends to slow me down. However, that is more personal preference. Many people prefer video, so if you’d like a course that offers that, Traffic School Online would be a good choice. You can learn more about this school in this more detailed review of Traffic School Online.
Check For Traffic School Online Discounts Here
#18: TrafficSchool.com
Pros
- Upfront pricing with no hidden fees.
- In business since 1994 with positive customer reviews.
- Pass or don’t pay.
Cons
- Identity verification issues.
- Limited customer service hours.
- Course material getting outdated.
TrafficSchool.com is one of the oldest online traffic schools as this company was founded way back in 1994. They started off by sending people home study booklets and transitioned to offering traffic school online. I personally think this online traffic school is getting a bit outdated and the course material is very boring.
I also have a gripe with their identity verification system. This is a system that is required for all online traffic schools in California, but some schools seem to have better systems than others.
The system at TrafficSchool.com seems to be a little more prone to failure. If your identity can’t be verified, you’ll get kicked out of the course until customer service can verify your identity. They offer somewhat limited customer service hours with no customer support on the weekends at all, so this can be problematic.
With that said, the course is fast and easy to complete. They also receive extremely high customer reviews. You can see tons of 5-star reviews on Yelp and Shopper Approved. They also allow you to start taking the course for free, so you can give it a try truly risk-free. While this isn’t one of my personal favorites, their overwhelmingly positive reviews can’t be ignored and they do get the job done very quickly and easily.
Check Current Pricing For TrafficSchool.com Here
#19: Best Traffic School
Pros
- Discounts & coupons are usually available from coupon sites.
- Very fast and easy course.
- Excellent customer reviews.
Cons
- Frequent glitches in the course.
- Boring and outdated material.
- Doesn’t work well on mobile devices.
Best Traffic School receives very positive reviews online from customers, but I’m not entirely sure why. It’s certainly fast, easy, and cheap, and discounts are almost always available, but the course just didn’t work well for me from a technical standpoint.
I was faced with frequent glitches going through the coursework. For example, while taking a quiz, the page would automatically scroll to the top anytime I selected an answer. Some of my quiz scores even changed after I logged out and back in.
I found in some of the reviews online that others faced the same issues I was having, but there were very few complaints about it and the overall reviews were extremely positive. I also didn’t think the course worked well on my iPhone.
I must be an outlier in this though because if you look at their Yelp reviews they are extremely positive. Their Facebook page is also full of positive reviews and they have maintained an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau with no customer complaints.
So while I don’t think this course works well from a technical standpoint, the glitches I experienced were pretty minor and they get very good reviews from other students. For those reasons, this might still be a traffic school you want to consider. Just make sure you check out coupon sites and search for discounts as they are almost always available.
Check Out Best Traffic School Here
#20: DmvEdu.org
Pros
- 10% of proceeds go to charity.
- Very simple to use.
- Eazy quizzes.
Cons
- Glitches throughout the course.
- Untrustworthy reviews.
- Poor spelling and grammar.
Let me be clear that DmvEdu.org is fully legit and has been a certified online traffic school in the state of California for a long time, but it isn’t exactly one of my favorites for a few reasons. I will say that this course is very quick and easy with some of the most simple quizzes I’ve ever seen, but I encountered several glitches throughout the course, especially on my iPhone.
Pages wouldn’t load right, there would be images that never loaded, and there were all sorts of spelling and grammar errors throughout the coursework. I’m not sure how this course got approved with so many errors and glitches, but they’ve been approved for a while.
I’m also very suspicious about their online reviews.
They only have 2 reviews on Google, 1 review on TrustPilot, and no reviews on Yelp or Facebook. That is a very low number of reviews for a school that has been around for so long.
However, they also use a service called Shopper Approved which is a service that surveys students as they are going through the course. On that site, they have a very high rating.
Here’s the thing though – they ask students to rate the course right after they are finished registering before they’ve gone through any of the course material at all! This is very dishonest and makes them pretty untrustworthy in my opinion.
Check For Current DmvEdu.org Pricing Here
#21: Highway Traffic School
Pros
- No hidden fees.
- Its no-frills course makes it very easy to navigate.
- A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
Cons
- The course material is very boring.
- Lack of online reviews.
There really isn’t much to say about Highway Traffic School. This is pretty much your typical online traffic school course. It’s almost entirely text (not necessarily a bad thing) and the material is bland, but they get the job done quickly and easily.
Interestingly, this online traffic school has been around for over 20 years but they have very little in the way of online reviews. They do get good reviews on TrustPilot and also have an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, but they don’t have anything on Yelp or Facebook, or anywhere else to get student reviews from.
Overall, though, this course is best for those who want a no-frills and very basic traffic school course. While there’s nothing to set them apart from any other run-of-the-mill traffic school, that’s just fine.
All people care about is getting their traffic school done fast, easily, and cheaply. Highway Traffic School delivers on this. It also works well on mobile devices and I ran into no technical glitches or errors. For these reasons, I think Highway Traffic School would work just fine for most people.
Check Here For Highway Traffic School Pricing Deals
#22: DefensiveDriving.com
Pros
- Text and video courses are offered.
- In business for over 20 years.
- Mask your ticket or get up to $250.
Cons
- Shady online reviews & reputation.
- Very outdated course.
- Hidden fees at the end of the course.
DefensiveDriving.com is one of the first California online traffic schools ever approved over 20 years ago, but I have a difficult time recommending this online traffic school.
For starters, the course material is very outdated. I mean it looks and feels like it’s straight out of the 90s. I don’t think this course has been updated at all since it launched over 20 years ago.
They do offer a video course if that’s your preference, but that course will take you much longer to get through than just the plain text course. It did work ok on my iPhone but page load times seemed to be way longer than most other online traffic schools I’ve reviewed.
They also have some hidden fees at the end of the course which is always an immediate turn-off for me.
Another thing I don’t like is their very shady “reviews” if you can even call them that. There are several complaints about them on Yelp as well as on their Better Business Bureau page. The reviews they tout about though are from Shopper Approved with almost a perfect 5-star rating.
These reviews are gathered from students directly after registering, so they aren’t even really reviews about the course, people are just rating their experience with the registration process. This is pretty deceitful in my book and is reason enough to not recommend them.
Check Out DefensiveDriving.com Here
#23: Fast Lane Traffic School
Pros
- No hidden fees.
- Course offered in both English and Spanish.
- Home Study booklet course also available.
Cons
- Boring coursework consisting of mostly text.
- Customer service hours are limited.
Fastlane Traffic School isn’t one of the more popular online traffic schools in California, but it’s actually pretty decent. This is one of the seemingly few online traffic schools that also offer their course in Spanish, so if English isn’t your first language, you might want to give this one some extra consideration.
They also offer a home study booklet course where they mail you the booklet to complete at home and you mail it back to them. This is a little more expensive but some people, especially older people, tend to like this method more than doing it online. The online course itself is pretty boring and is just plain text, but that also makes it fast to get through.
They don’t have much in the way of online reviews. They have good Yelp and Google reviews but the number of reviews is pretty limited. I was not able to find a Better Business Bureau profile on them.
Unfortunately, there just isn’t much customer feedback, but I can at least personally tell you the course worked well on both my phone and PC with no glitches and it was fast and easy to get through.
There were also no hidden fees at all at the end of the course which is always nice since it’s common practice among traffic schools. This is a good course to take, especially if you prefer a booklet or Spanish class.
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#24: California Online Traffic School
Pros
- 24/7 U.S.-based customer support.
- Owned by the American Safety Council.
- Pass or don’t pay guarantee.
Cons
- Lack of online reviews & customer feedback.
- Low Better Business Bureau rating.
California Online Traffic School is owned and operated by the American Safety Council, which owns several online traffic schools and defensive driving courses across many states. This is a pretty basic online traffic school and there isn’t much to set them apart. It’s a text-based course that is relatively easy and painless to get through.
It works just fine on both PC and mobile devices. They don’t have an actual downloadable app for mobile devices, but even when using the course in a browser the pages load up quickly and there aren’t any real major glitches. They also offer 24/7 customer support and have a pass or don’t pay guarantee.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much in the way of student reviews for this traffic school. The only real feedback I was able to find is their low Better Business Bureau rating. This is a real cause for concern as I’ve seen even some very low-quality online traffic schools receive high marks on the BBB website.
I do have to say though from my personal experience I did not think this was a bad course. There’s nothing special about it, but it also worked just fine for me and probably would for you too.
Check Out California Online Traffic School Here
#25: Traffic School 4 Busy People
Pros
- Very positive reviews and customer feedback.
- Guaranteed to pass.
- Easy open-book tests.
Cons
- The course is mostly just pages of text.
- Several grammar and spelling issues.
Traffic School 4 Busy People is another traffic school in California that is what I would call “typical” or “average.” It’s not a bad course at all, there’s just nothing to set it apart from any other “typical” online traffic school. What I mean is, this is just pages of text with some pictures and quizzes throughout.
This is how the majority of traffic schools in California work. It’s bland and boring, but you can get through the course much faster than if you actually took your traffic school in a classroom. You’re guaranteed to pass, the quizzes and tests are simple and open-book, etc. I did find quite a few spelling and grammar mistakes, but this is a pretty minor complaint.
Other students tend to rate them pretty well, too. They have a 4.5-star rating on Yelp, positive feedback on Google Reviews, almost a perfect 5-star rating on their Facebook page, as well as positive reviews from verified students on Trustpilot and Shopper Approved.
Just for good measure they also have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating with zero customer complaints. Overall this online traffic school isn’t anything all that special, but it gets the job done.
Get The Best Price On Traffic School 4 Busy People Here
#26: Defensive Drivers Group
Pros
- 100% satisfaction guarantee.
- Some upgrades are included for free.
- No hidden fees.
Cons
- Lack of reviews or an online reputation.
- No audio read-along or entertaining features.
Defensive Drivers Group is, as you might expect by now, a typical California online traffic school. There’s nothing really bad about this course, there just isn’t much to say about it as it is just your typical traffic school.
Like most traffic schools in California, this course is just pages of text broken up into 6 sections with a quiz after each section and a final exam at the end. It’s fast and easy to get through and it should also be noted that this online traffic school has no hidden fees at the end of the course. They don’t offer an audio read-along feature which would be nice, but if you don’t care about that it’s a non-issue. They also have fast certificate processing and won’t try to get you to purchase expedited processing as they do it fast anyway.
There aren’t many reviews for Defensive Drivers Group as it just isn’t one of the more popular courses, but I can tell you from personal experience that this is a fully legit online traffic school that works well on all devices and has quizzes that are very easy to pass. While there’s nothing that sets them apart, I can still recommend this traffic school.
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#27: One Day Traffic School
Pros
- Easy not navigate.
- Coupons and discounts are available.
- 100% guaranteed to pass.
Cons
- Confusing pricing packages.
- Essentially no online reviews or ratings.
One Day Traffic School is yet another (yup you guessed it) typical online traffic school in California. There’s nothing special about this course, but it’s easy to navigate, the quizzes are simple, you’re guaranteed to pass, and it will fulfill all of your requirements pretty fast.
I think most people can get this course done within about 3 hours. One tip is to never pay full price for this online traffic school. There are almost always discounts and coupons available. It seems like that’s how they get most of their business by using coupon and discount sites.
Unfortunately, their pricing packages are very confusing and most people wouldn’t know the best package to sign up for. Often, the coupon or discount offered is only available for a certain package and that package will not be selected by default.
There are also essentially no reviews from prior students giving ratings or posting about their experiences. I can attest that this traffic school is perfectly fine though, I just wish they didn’t have such confusing pricing packages.
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#28: Adrianas Traffic School
Pros
- Content delivered in multiple formats.
- Booklet course also offered.
- Can finish the course quickly.
Cons
- Lack of online reviews.
- No Better Business Bureau rating.
- Uses third-party course.
Adrianas Traffic School is a tough one to research. This is one of the many online traffic schools in California that just isn’t used all that often and isn’t very popular. I think that’s mostly due to a lack of marketing as the course itself is simple and easy.
They also offer a booklet course if you prefer to take your traffic school at home that way. It should be noted that Adrianas Traffic School uses a third-party course that is developed and maintained by an outside company. This isn’t necessarily bad as the course is mobile friendly and offers course content in multiple ways, but the price is a little bit higher for this course as they essentially need to “resell” it.
There aren’t any reviews at all for Adrianas Traffic School and they have no rating or profile with the Better Business Bureau. I can tell you from personal experience though that this course works just fine and I had no issues with it. This wouldn’t be my first recommendation, but I’ve certainly seen much worse.
Check Out Pricing For Adrianas Traffic School Here
#29: 1st Choice Traffic School
Pros
- Small business owned.
- Works well on mobile devices.
- Booklet course also available.
Cons
- Reseller for a 3rd party course.
- Customer service issues.
1st Choice Driving and Traffic School is a good online traffic school to sign up for if you want to help a small business located in Los Angeles. The online traffic school they offer works well on mobile devices, offers content in multiple formats, and they also have a booklet course available.
Keep in mind, however, that 1st Choice does not develop or maintain its online traffic school. They simply resell a 3rd party owned course. Due to this, they really can’t personally help you if there is an issue in the course. You will need to call the 3rd party customer service line which is known to not be that great.
Finding reviews for this online traffic school is a bit tough since most of the reviews are for their actual driving school where they have driver education programs and in-class traffic school courses. I can verify that this course is legit though and while it isn’t anything all that special, you can complete the course very quickly and easily.
Check Out 1st Choice Driving & Traffic School Here
#30: Open Every Day Traffic School
Pros
- Fast & easy to get through.
- Small business owned.
- Excellent customer service.
Cons
- No addon features like audio read-along.
If you really want to help out a small business Open Every Day Driving School is an option you should consider. This online traffic school is owned and operated by a small driving school located in Anaheim, California.
Their online course features one of their instructors as they bring you through the entire process quickly and easily. They also have fantastic customer service. If you call the customer service line, there’s a good chance you will speak with the actual instructor that takes you through the course virtually.
While there are no hidden fees which are always good, they don’t have any addons to this course such as audio read-along. This makes the course feel a bit more boring than it should, but these are nit-picky issues and overall this is one of the best small business-owned traffic schools that I could recommend.
Check Out Open Every Day Traffic School Here
#31: Ticket Snipers (Traffic School Alternative)
Pros
- NOT an online traffic school.
- No coursework to complete.
- No need to attend court.
Cons
- Not guaranteed to work.
- Not all cases qualify.
For this final review, I’m actually going to cheat. Ticket Snipers is NOT an online traffic school. instead, this service uses attorneys to go to court on your behalf. They can either dismiss your traffic ticket or work out a plea deal to get your ticket reduced to a non-moving violation like a parking ticket. They can also help to reduce fines, keep your record clean, and get points taken off your driving record.
Ticket Snipers does not accept every case, so you’ll need to go to their website and verify if you’re eligible. They receive very good reviews on Google reviews and they also have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating.
So if you would like to try and avoid having to take an online traffic school at all, give Ticket Snipers a shot and see what they say.
Learn More About Ticket Snipers Here
What Is California Online Traffic School Like?
It’s boring. Yes, even an online traffic school is boring. And yes, even the courses I listed above are boring. They are simply more tolerable than other courses. So don’t go taking my reviews as if those courses will be a festival of happiness and puppies, because you’re about to be bored out of your mind.
However, think of the alternatives. You can either not go to traffic school and have a ticket on your record, or you can waste an entire Saturday in a stuffy classroom with total strangers being lectured to by some loser that spends his life teaching about driving safety (I can say that because I’m a loser that spends his life teaching about driving safety).
To more directly answer the question, however, depending on the course you take there will be anywhere from 6 to 12(ish) sections. After each section, you take a super easy quiz. If you manage to fail the super-easy quiz, you can keep taking it (and failing it) until you get it right. At that point, you may move on. At the end of the course is a final exam. Again, it’s super easy so don’t even sweat it. Once you pass the final exam, you’re done!
California Online Traffic School State Requirements
California online traffic schools are forced to abide by certain state requirements. Fortunately, the requirements for taking California online traffic schools are much less strict than in most other states. For example, California no longer requires course timers to be used. That means if you’re supposed to take a 6hr traffic school class, you can actually get through it much faster. They aren’t timing you as they do in many other states.
You also can’t fail your online traffic school in California. You will be required to pass 6 quizzes and a final exam to complete your requirements. If you fail a quiz or the final exam, you simply keep retaking it until you pass. You might not get the exact same questions each time, but they will be similar. The quizzes and final exam are also “open book” so if you can’t seem to pass, you honestly probably shouldn’t be on our roadways anyway!
What Happens After I Finish My California Online Traffic School?
Once you’re finished taking the course, assuming you passed everything (very likely), the school will electronically send your completion certificate to the proper court. Just be aware there may be a processing time of up to a week, so don’t procrastinate as fees to expedite your completion certificate can get expensive. Realistically, you could probably complete this course while sitting in front of the TV. Just do it and get it over with at least a week before your due date.
Is There A Time Limit To Complete Online Traffic School In California?
Yes! Depending on the police department that issued your ticket, you may see a traffic school option directly on the citation. This option should include further instructions on the requirements to complete an online traffic school in California. Otherwise, you should call the county clerk’s office (where you got your ticket) as soon as possible and ask. If you require a court appearance, they will give you all of the information required to complete the course.
Will My Insurance Company Find Out I Got A Traffic Ticket?
That’s the beauty of the California online traffic school system. Your insurance company never has to know. While there may be some exceptions, for simple moving violations, you can completely eliminate the citation from your record – as if it never happened. Nice huh?!
In addition, California online traffic schools can be used to remove points from your driving record. You are able to take traffic school every 2 years, so if you have accumulated points on your driving record, this is a good way to remove those points which could also lower your auto insurance premiums.
You need to define what “quality” means. I got a speeding ticket, i know how to drive, i know the laws, I broke them, what does “quality” mean? I don’t need a lesson, i need to pass a basic test. How about base your reviews on which is the simplest, easiest, fastest, less of a headache, way of getting through it?
Thanks for the feedback! By “quality”, I mean exactly what you mean. The simplest, easiest, fastest courses, and all at a fair price. That’s one of the reasons I posted several different options above and also stated why I think they are good options. There are literally HUNDREDS of online traffic schools approved in California so I posted the ones I think are higher quality, by which I mean, no course timers, 24/7/365 customer support (just in case), easy tests (we even have answers for some of the courses on this site), money-back guarantees, long-term operating history, A+ BBB ratings, etc.
I will however take your feedback into consideration as I continually update the site. I can see how I can better define the exact reasons why I recommend the schools above and what makes them higher quality.
Thanks again for the feedback and good luck! Truth be told, there is not fun and exciting online traffic school. I wish there was!
Thank you for the informative reply.