Beyond Driver’s Ed: Inside BMW’s Teen Driving School
Jeremiah Hourihan
SVP, Northeast Zonal Executive
February 10, 2026
After my 16-year-old son Emmett had his learner’s permit for about six months, my wife and I decided it was time to help him build on his good judgement, skills and habits. With about 8 to 10 hours of experience behind the wheel, I took him to the BMW Teen Driving School in Spartanburg, SC for their one-day driving course.
PURE partners with BMW to offer eligible members 20% off the BMW Teen School at BMW Performance Driving Centers in South Carolina and California.
Friday evening: arrival
Getting to the BMW Performance Center was very easy. There was an abundance of direct flights to the Spartanburg, SC airport, which was just a few miles from the BMW campus.
Saturday morning: lessons in control
We took an Uber to the campus and after a short classroom session, the teens were assigned their cars—two per car, with six teens per instructor.
Surprisingly, the instructors weren’t in the cars but gave step-by-step instructions over walkie-talkie. This put healthy pressure on Emmett, and I was proud to see him rise to the occasion.
Note for other parents: I worried my son might not be ready, but the instructors met each teen exactly where they were, regardless of experience.
The training covered three core areas:
- Skid pad and loss of control: They started on a quarter-mile circular skid track, wet down by a sprinkler system. The goal was to intentionally lose control to understand the limits of the car in poor conditions and how to regain control.
- Slalom and handling at speed: Next, came a slalom course with cones laid out to test handling and control. This is where they learned how the car behaves at speed, responds during aggressive turns and what the car can—and can’t—do when pushed.
- High-speed braking and emergency stops: The final course focused on high-speed braking exercises. The teens practiced emergency braking at increasing speeds, from 20 to 60 mph, and experienced firsthand how much longer it takes to stop as speed increases. They also practiced braking as hard as possible using both feet—the instructors’ recommendation for true emergency situations.
Saturday afternoon: bringing it all together
After lunch with the parents, the teens put their new skills to the test on the BMW Teen Challenge Course. The program wrapped at 5 p.m. with course completion certificates in hand, and by 7 p.m., we were headed home.
Travel tips: For parents wondering about logistics, it’s definitely possible to do this as a quick 24-hour trip without feeling rushed. This is what we did. We also chose to use Uber over renting a car.
The city of Greenville is nearby and a lovely option if you want to stay longer with great food, culture and a scenic downtown along the Reedy River.
There’s downtime for parents while the teens are taking the course, so bring a book, podcast or you can check out Greenville.
Emmett walked away a more confident and skilled driver. He loved driving the BMW M3 he was assigned and learning how to handle a car in real crisis situations. Watching him grow in just one day was incredible—it really is accelerated training you can’t get anywhere else.
Now Emmett’s younger sister, who’s 14, is already counting down the days until it’s her turn to attend the school.
