NY 5-Hour Pre-Licensing Course Cost
Prices for the New York online pre-licensing course are set by each provider, not by the DMV, so they vary. This page lists the price each provider publishes on its own site, with a dated source, and notes where a provider does not publish a flat price rather than guessing at a number.
How Much Does the NY Online Pre-Licensing Course Cost?
Among DMV-approved OPL providers with a published price, New York's 5-hour course ranges from 39.00 dollars (I Drive Safely's promotional rate) to 49.95 dollars (American Safety Inc), with Safe2Drive priced at exactly 49.00 dollars. These are one-time course fees, not subscriptions, and they typically include the provider's electronic completion reporting to the DMV as part of the price. Prices can change at any time; the dates in the table below tell you exactly when each figure was last checked.
Which Providers Have a Published, Dated Price?
Four DMV-approved OPL providers publish a price: I Drive Safely at 39.00 dollars, NTSI at 44.95 dollars, Safe2Drive at 49.00 dollars, and American Safety Inc at 49.95 dollars, while American Safety Council does not publish one. Every one of these prices came directly from that provider's own New York course page, not from a third-party comparison site, and each number carries its URL and date in the Sources table below. American Safety Council is also a DMV-approved provider, but its course page does not display a price as plain text, so no dollar figure for it appears on this page; check its own page directly for the current price.
| Provider | Price | Checked | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Drive Safely | 39.00 dollars (promotional) | 2026-09-19 | idrivesafely.com |
| NTSI | 44.95 dollars | 2026-09-19 | ntsi.com |
| Safe2Drive | 49.00 dollars | 2026-09-19 | safe2drive.com |
| American Safety Council | See provider site for current price | - | newyorksafetycouncil.com |
| American Safety Inc | 49.95 dollars | 2026-09-19 | americansafetyinstitute.com |
What Does I Drive Safely Charge for the Course?
I Drive Safely's own New York course page shows a promotional price of 39.00 dollars, marked "No Hidden Fees"; it is the lowest of the four published prices tracked here, though promotional rates can change. This is the one provider on this page that this site may earn a commission from if you enroll through the link below, which is exactly why the price discipline matters here: see Affiliate Disclosure for the full statement on how that commission works and why it does not change the price you pay.
I Drive Safely - NY 5-Hour Pre-Licensing Course
Does New York Charge the Student a Separate DMV Fee?
No. New York does not charge the student a separate state fee for the pre-licensing course; the DMV instead charges the provider directly, 8 dollars per student for OPL sponsors and 1 dollar per certificate for classroom schools. The OPL sponsor fee comes from 15 NYCRR Part 10, section 10.12(a)(3), and the classroom certificate fee comes from Vehicle and Traffic Law Section 502(4)(h); both are baked into what a provider charges you, and there is no additional line-item state fee added at checkout on top of the provider's advertised price. If your road test itself carries a DMV fee, that is a separate, later charge covered on Road Test, not part of the pre-licensing course price.
Is a Classroom Course Cheaper or More Expensive Than OPL?
This site does not maintain a classroom-provider price comparison, since classroom pricing varies widely by individual driving school and region rather than by a small, DMV-published national roster the way OPL pricing does. The DMV's per-student fee structure is different between the two formats (8 dollars for OPL versus 1 dollar per classroom certificate), which can show up in retail pricing, but the two formats are not directly comparable on this site's data; ask a local driving school directly for its classroom pre-licensing price.
Should You Pick the Cheapest Provider?
Price is one factor among several worth weighing: also consider whether the provider offers Spanish-language instruction if you need it, whether it explicitly supports mobile devices, and its stated refund policy, all covered provider-by-provider on Approved Providers. A 5-dollar difference in course price matters less than picking a provider that is actually on the DMV's current approved list; see Approved Providers for the full roster before you decide.
Sources
| Fact | Value | Authority | URL | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I Drive Safely price | 39.00 dollars (promotional), "No Hidden Fees" stated on page | I Drive Safely | https://www.idrivesafely.com/new-york/5-hour-pre-licensing-online/ | 2026-09-19 |
| NTSI price | 44.95 dollars | NTSI | https://ntsi.com/new-york/5hr-pre-licensing/ | 2026-09-19 |
| Safe2Drive price | 49.00 dollars | Safe2Drive | https://www.safe2drive.com/new-york-online-pre-licensing-course.aspx | 2026-09-19 |
| American Safety Inc price | 49.95 dollars | American Safety Inc | https://americansafetyinstitute.com/new-york-5-hour-pre-licensing-course/ | 2026-09-19 |
| DMV provider-side fee (OPL) | 8 dollars per student | NY DMV, 15 NYCRR Part 10, section 10.12(a)(3) | https://dmv.ny.gov/forms/cr10.pdf | 2026-09-19 |
| DMV provider-side fee (classroom) | 1 dollar per certificate | New York State Legislature | https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/502 | 2026-09-19 |
Frequently asked questions
Does the price include the DMV's own fee?
Yes, in the sense that the provider pays its own DMV fee out of what it charges you; there is no additional state fee charged to you separately at checkout for the course itself.
Are there hidden fees on top of the advertised price?
NTSI, American Safety Inc, and I Drive Safely all explicitly advertise "no hidden fees" on their New York course pages; confirm the exact total at checkout with your chosen provider, since advertised pricing can change.
Do prices differ for Spanish-language versions of the course?
Not according to the providers' own pages; providers offering Spanish (NTSI, American Safety Inc, American Safety Council, and others) do not show a separate price for that language option on their New York course pages.
Is there a discount for paying by a specific method?
No DMV-approved provider's New York course page advertises a payment-method discount; check the specific provider's own payment page for any current promotion or discount code.
Can you get a refund if you change your mind after paying?
Refund policies are set by each provider; Safe2Drive's own page states a refund if a student requests one within 30 days of registration and before completing the course. The other providers' New York course pages do not state a refund policy.