Drive Carmel

Drive Carmel is a driving school in Monterey Park, CA, located at 1340 Munras Ave Suite 330. It provides behind-the-wheel instruction and drivers education curriculum to students preparing for their DMV drive test. The school serves the Central Coast with instructors available after school, on weekends, and on holidays. It holds a rating of 4.90 based on 42 reviews.

The behind-the-wheel instruction and instructor training programs were created by retired CHP Officer Richard Richards. The drivers education curriculum was developed and taught by retired CHP Captain William Perlstein. Driving instructors have a combined 80+ years of law enforcement experience and have taught thousands of students throughout the Central Coast. The school is a DMV licensed driving school (#E2117) with a team of fully trained and licensed driving instructors. All training SUVs undergo California BAR-certified inspections and are fully licensed and insured.

Drive Carmel was founded in 1999 by Mary Gifford. In 2005, retired CHP Officer Richard Richards began teaching for the school. In 2015, CHP Captain William Perlstein joined and revamped the driver education program. Upon Mary’s retirement in 2018, William and Richard partnered as owner and operator. In 2025, Drive Carmel acquired Drive Rite Driving School in Hollister, California, from longtime owner Martha Fowles. The team includes instructors Bobby Richards, Chris Perlstein, Darren Gurley, Martha Fowles, Matt Weed, Pedro Aguilar, Pete Maiden, and Wim Sprenger. The school does not advertise and relies on word of mouth. It sponsors school and student events, programs, sports, and organizations, especially those that keep students safe, like Sober Grad Nights.

The business maintains a strong local reputation, reflected in consistently high customer ratings. It has a steady record of repeat and referred customers.

Drive Carmel combines decades of law enforcement experience with a community-focused approach to driver education in Monterey Park.

Drive Carmel sits on Munras Ave in Monterey Park, just a short walk from the intersection with Soledad Drive and near the Del Monte Center bus station.

BizScoreAI awarded a perfect 100 out of 100 for its Schema and Structure score, ensuring that AI assistants and search engines clearly understand the business offerings. The site also achieved a strong 81 out of 100 for Performance, which helps keep visitors engaged by loading quickly. Additionally, the business ranks number 2 of 3 Driving School businesses that BizScoreAI has scored in Monterey Park.