Comparison

Driver Excellence vs Total Drive

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Driver Excellence

This app provides drivers with detailed performance analysis and tips for improvement. It allows drivers to compare their performance with teammates and offers team leaders a view of driver league tables and engagement levels. The goal is to help drivers enhance their driving style and potentially win awards.

Highlights
  • Detailed driving performance analysis
  • Personalized improvement tips
  • Team performance comparison
  • Driver league tables for teams
  • App engagement tracking for team leaders
  • Performance management tools
Features
Read full description

MICROLISE DRIVER EXCELLENCE APP The Driver Excellence mobile application from Microlise is designed to empower drivers to improve their driving performance, by providing them with detailed analysis, any time, anywhere. Driver Excellence gives drivers a detailed view of their performance against a number of criteria, and provides advice and tips to achieve improvements. The app also gives drivers a view of their performance compared to others in their teams. Team leaders can use the app more extensively, viewing a driver league table showing all drivers in the team sorted in order of performance. Additional information is also available that shows the level of engagement with the app from each of the driver in the team. Driver Excellence allows drivers to manage their own performance and make necessary adjustments to their driving style in order to improve… It could even help you to win next year’s Microlise Driver of the Year Award! Please note that the Driver Excellence application will only be of any use to you, if you work for / on behalf of a company that uses the Microlise Transport Management Solutions. If you do not work for a company using Microlise software, you will not be able to logon or access any driver performance data.

About

Total Drive

This comprehensive application helps driving instructors and schools manage their entire business. It offers features for scheduling, pupil records, payments, progress tracking, and integrated training materials. Both instructors and learners can utilize the app for efficient management and progress monitoring.

Highlights
  • Diary and scheduling
  • Pupil records management
  • Lesson and payment tracking
  • Progress and test result monitoring
  • Integrated training aid material
  • Paperless digital records
  • Online and offline functionality
Features
Read full description

Save time. Reduce admin. Get paid faster. Total Drive is the all-in-one business management app for driving instructors and driving schools. Designed specifically for UK driving instructors, Total Drive helps you manage lessons, pupils, payments, teaching resources, and business performance from one easy-to-use platform. Whether you're an independent instructor or running a driving school, Total Drive gives you the tools to stay organised, improve efficiency, and deliver a better experience for your pupils. WHY INSTRUCTORS CHOOSE TOTAL DRIVE β€’ Manage your lesson diary from anywhere β€’ Track pupil progress and lesson records β€’ Reduce no-shows with automated reminders β€’ Accept card payments and get paid faster β€’ Monitor income, expenses, and business performance β€’ Use interactive 3D teaching aids during lessons β€’ Improve lesson quality and pupil understanding β€’ Manage waiting lists and new enquiries β€’ Run your driving school more efficiently β€’ Access your data securely across devices BUILT FOR DRIVING INSTRUCTORS Total Drive isn't a generic scheduling app. It's built specifically for the needs of driving instructors and driving schools, helping you spend less time on administration and more time teaching. JOIN THOUSANDS OF UK DRIVING INSTRUCTORS From managing lessons and payments to tracking pupil progress and growing your business, Total Drive helps you stay organised, save hours every week, and deliver a professional experience for every pupil. Download Total Drive today and take control of your driving instructor business.

Screenshots

Driver Excellence4 screens
Total Drive4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Total Drive at 66% against Driver Excellence's 15%. Total Drive also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Driver Excellence ships an update every 3 months, Total Drive every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Driver Excellence versus Total Drive: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDriver ExcellenceTotal Drive
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews66.2% of reviews β€” better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size29 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMicrolise LimitedTotal Drive Software Ltd

Customer experience

Driver Excellence

Written reviews39 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral12.8%
Negative71.8%

Total Drive

Written reviews68 reviews
Positive66.2%
Neutral5.9%
Negative27.9%

Bugs and requests

Driver Excellence

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Total Drive

Reported bugs

21 issues
  • App can be slow or crash
  • UI not user friendly
  • Account deleted in line with GDPR
  • Progress not updating on student app
  • App broken, things not working
Show 16 more
  • App is more down than working
  • No access to diary, notifications
  • Instructor didn't arrive
  • App doesn't open, stays on loading screen
  • Password not correct, number not recognised
  • Adding lesson option glitch on mobile
  • Red line bar running through wrong day
  • App keeps hanging
  • Doesn't record scores properly
  • Old password doesn't work
  • No text message for password reset
  • App asks for school pin without account
  • Information gets lost without WiFi
  • Appointments disappear without WiFi
  • Syncing issues with personal calendar
  • iPad landscape mode unusable

Requested features

14 requests
  • Fix UI for clarity
  • Improve lesson gap feature
  • Add 20-hour block plan
  • Make cancellation charge customisable
  • Export receipts for payments
Show 9 more
  • Fix notification count bug
  • Sync personal diary with area names
  • Allow booking for waiting list pupils
  • Make 'book online' tab easier to find
  • Improve booking process for returning pupils
  • Develop chat feature further
  • Improve iPad experience
  • Fix red line bar issue
  • Allow adding lessons on mobile

In-app purchases

None

Driver Excellence

No in-app purchases

None

Total Drive

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Driver Excellence free?
Driver Excellence is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Total Drive free?
Total Drive is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Driver Excellence or Total Drive have ads?
Neither Driver Excellence nor Total Drive shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Driver Excellence or Total Drive?
Driver Excellence ships an update every 3 months, and Total Drive every 3 weeks. Most recently, Driver Excellence was updated on September 21, 2026 and Total Drive on September 24, 2026.

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