Abu Dhabi license resource
YDA (Yas Driving Academy): Its Two Sites, Hours and Contact
Yas Driving Academy is one of Abu Dhabi's two authorised driving schools, and it has exactly two sites. The Yas Marina Circuit campus is the one that teaches driving; the Al Wahda Mall branch handles registration, classroom and simulator, and YDA states plainly that no practical training happens there. The central number for both is 600 593 223. This page gives the addresses, the opening hours YDA publishes itself, which site to go to for what, and how YDA compares with EDC.
Two sites, and only one of them teaches driving
YDA's main site is its campus at Yas Marina Circuit, on Yas Island (YS1). That is the full campus: classroom teaching, simulator sessions and practical yard training. It is also YDA's only site offering the eye test you need to open a traffic file, so if that is your next step, the circuit is where you are going.
The second site is a branch inside Al Wahda Mall — shop E271-E272, in the mall's second-floor extension. It handles registration, classroom sessions and the simulator. YDA's own wording is unambiguous: no practical training sessions are offered at the Wahda Mall branch. If you book there expecting to drive, you will be driving somewhere else.
That is the whole network. Two sites, not a branch list — which is worth knowing before you spend an evening looking for a YDA nearer to you.
YDA is not in Yas Mall
This one catches people constantly, and the names are the reason: Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Mall are two different places on the same island. YDA is at the circuit. We swept Yas Mall's own directory — 358 shops — and there is no YDA listing in it.
Al Wahda Mall is the only mall directory in Abu Dhabi that lists YDA at all. If a map result puts "Yas Driving Academy" inside a shopping centre other than Al Wahda, treat it as a mislabelled pin rather than a branch you can drive to.
Opening hours and how to reach YDA
The Yas Marina Circuit campus opens Saturday to Thursday 07:00–23:00, and Friday 15:00–23:00. The Al Wahda Mall branch opens Sunday to Thursday 09:00–22:00, and Friday and Saturday 09:00–23:00. Both are YDA's own published weekly hours, from yda.ae, and both are in the table below.
Those hours are worth pointing at, because they are rare. EDC — the other authorised school — publishes no opening hours for any of its sites, so our EDC page has an honest column of blanks where this one has times. Hours still move around public holidays, so a call before a long drive is never wasted.
The phone number for both sites is 600 593 223. The email differs by site: info@yda.ae for the Yas Marina Circuit campus, contactus@yda.ae for the Al Wahda Mall branch. Sending a mall question to the campus mailbox is a slow way to get an answer.
Who authorises YDA to train and test
YDA operates under a concession agreement with the Integrated Transport Centre — Abu Dhabi Mobility — published on 21 January 2026. The agreement covers driver training and testing, which is the formal basis for saying that Abu Dhabi has two authorised driving schools: Emirates Driving Company and Yas Driving Academy.
In practical terms that means training and testing at YDA both go through an authorised channel, the same as at EDC. A private instructor can add practice hours alongside that, but cannot substitute for the school stages either school is authorised to deliver.
Who owns YDA is not published
We looked, and no source publishes YDA's owner or parent company. That is an unusual thing to write on a page like this, so here is the reasoning: YDA is based at Yas Marina Circuit, a venue operated by another company, and it is easy to slide from "is sited there" to "is owned by whoever runs the venue". Those are different claims, and only the first one is evidenced.
So we name no parent company. If you need to know for a corporate or legal reason, ask YDA on 600 593 223 rather than trusting a directory entry that inferred it.
EDC or YDA: how to actually choose
Both are authorised, both take you to a full Abu Dhabi licence, and the honest answer is that the decision is usually made by geography and schedule rather than by anything about the schools. EDC is the larger and longer-established: a Mussafah headquarters campus, a campus in Al Ain, five more training branches across Al Dhafra and Dalma Island, and counters in four malls. YDA is two sites, both in the city.
One thing does differ concretely. Both schools keep a counter in the same second-floor extension of Al Wahda Mall — EDC's, and YDA's at shop E271-E272 — and neither of them teaches practical driving there. Registering at a mall counter is convenient; the driving happens at a campus either way, so factor in the trip to Mussafah or to Yas Marina Circuit before you commit.
For price, waiting times and the private-instructor option alongside either school, our driving-schools comparison guide sets them side by side, and our EDC page carries EDC's branch addresses and contact details.
Before you register: check you are on the right route
Whichever school you pick will happily enrol you on the route you select — it does not check that the route is the right one for you. Whether you are a complete beginner, hold a licence from a direct-exchange country, or qualify for Golden Chance changes which stages you owe at all, sometimes by thousands of dirhams.
If you are not certain, take the free licence quiz on this site before you book. Many learners then hire a private instructor for extra practice alongside the mandatory school training, which is what the instructor directory here is for.
YDA's two sites, and which one does what
YDA has exactly two sites, and unlike EDC it publishes its own weekly opening hours for both — first-party, on yda.ae, which is why they are printed here and why EDC's row of blanks is not an oversight. Only one of the two teaches driving: YDA states that no practical training sessions are offered at the Al Wahda Mall branch.
| Site | What happens there | Opening hours | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yas Marina CircuitYas Marina Circuit, Yas Island YS1 | Full campus — classroom, simulator and practical yard training. The only YDA site offering the eye test for opening a traffic file. | Sat–Thu 07:00–23:00Fri 15:00–23:00 | 600 593 223 | info@yda.ae |
| Al Wahda MallShop E271-E272, second-floor extension, Al Wahda Mall | Registration, classroom and simulator only. YDA states that no practical training is offered here. | Sun–Thu 09:00–22:00Fri–Sat 09:00–23:00 | 600 593 223 | contactus@yda.ae |
YDA is not in Yas Mall. Its campus is at Yas Marina Circuit — same island, different place — and a sweep of Yas Mall's own 358-shop directory finds no YDA listing. Al Wahda Mall is the only mall directory in Abu Dhabi that lists YDA at all.
Who owns YDA is not published. No source we could find names an owner or parent company. YDA is sited at Yas Marina Circuit, a venue somebody else operates, and being based at a venue is not being owned by whoever runs it — so we name no parent rather than repeat a guess.
The other authorised school is EDC, Emirates Driving Company, with a campus in Mussafah, a campus in Al Ain and four mall counters: EDC: branches, addresses and contact
Common questions
Where is Yas Driving Academy?
YDA has two sites. The main one is its campus at Yas Marina Circuit, Yas Island YS1 — classroom, simulator and practical yard training. The second is a branch in Al Wahda Mall, shop E271-E272 in the second-floor extension, which does registration, classroom and simulator only. The number for both is 600 593 223.
Is Yas Driving Academy in Yas Mall?
No. YDA's campus is at Yas Marina Circuit, which is a different place from Yas Mall despite both being on Yas Island. Yas Mall's own directory of 358 shops contains no YDA listing. The only mall YDA has a branch in is Al Wahda Mall.
Where is the YDA Al Wahda Mall branch?
Shop E271-E272, in the new second-floor extension of Al Wahda Mall. It opens Sunday to Thursday 09:00–22:00 and Friday and Saturday 09:00–23:00. Email contactus@yda.ae, or call 600 593 223. Note that EDC also has a counter in the same extension, so check which school you are looking for.
What are YDA's opening hours?
The Yas Marina Circuit campus opens Saturday to Thursday 07:00–23:00 and Friday 15:00–23:00. The Al Wahda Mall branch opens Sunday to Thursday 09:00–22:00 and Friday and Saturday 09:00–23:00. These are YDA's own published weekly hours; they can still shift around public holidays.
Does the YDA Al Wahda Mall branch do driving lessons?
No. YDA states that no practical training sessions are offered at the Wahda Mall branch. It handles registration, classroom sessions and the simulator. Practical yard training is at the Yas Marina Circuit campus.
What is YDA's phone number and email?
The phone number for both sites is 600 593 223. The email addresses differ: info@yda.ae for the Yas Marina Circuit campus, contactus@yda.ae for the Al Wahda Mall branch.
Where do I do the eye test for a traffic file at YDA?
At the Yas Marina Circuit campus. It is YDA's only site offering the eye test for opening a traffic file, so the Al Wahda Mall branch is not the place to start if that is your next step.
Who owns Yas Driving Academy?
It is not published. No source we could find names YDA's owner or parent company. YDA is based at Yas Marina Circuit, a venue another company operates, but being sited at a venue is not the same as being owned by whoever runs it — so we name no parent rather than repeat an inference. Ask YDA on 600 593 223 if you need it confirmed.
Is YDA an authorised driving school?
Yes. YDA operates under a concession agreement with the Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility), published on 21 January 2026, covering driver training and testing. Abu Dhabi has two authorised driving schools: Emirates Driving Company (EDC) and Yas Driving Academy (YDA).
How many branches does YDA have?
Two, and that is the complete list: the Yas Marina Circuit campus and the Al Wahda Mall branch. It is not a school with a long branch network, which is worth knowing before you look for a YDA closer to home.
EDC or YDA — which should I choose?
Both are authorised and both lead to a full Abu Dhabi licence, so the decision usually comes down to location and schedule. EDC is larger, with a Mussafah headquarters campus, an Al Ain campus, five further training branches and counters in four malls; YDA has two city sites. Our comparison guide covers price and waiting times, and our EDC page has EDC's branch addresses.
Can I use a private instructor with YDA?
The mandatory training and testing stages go through the authorised school. A private instructor is supplementary — extra practice, test-focused feedback, and coaching in your own language alongside the school's programme.