HGV training refunds and deposits: your rights
When you can cancel and get your money back, which "non-refundable" terms may not hold, how to get money back through your card, and what Kent and national providers' terms actually say.
Short answer
If you booked online or by phone, you can normally cancel within 14 days and get everything back, deposit included, unless you asked for training to start in that time. After that, the provider's terms apply, but a term that lets it keep a large prepayment whatever the reason is unlikely to be fair, and unfair terms aren't binding. If you paid any of it by credit card, the card company can be liable too.
The 14-day cooling-off period
- It applies to services you book online, by phone, or away from the provider's premises, such as at your home. It ends 14 days after the day you agree the contract.
- You can cancel for any reason, and any deposit must be refunded in full.
- The provider shouldn't start training in those 14 days unless you ask it to. If you did ask, and then cancel, you pay for what's been provided so far.
- If the provider didn't tell you about your right to cancel, you pay nothing for anything supplied in the 14 days.
- If you booked in person at the provider's premises, there's no legal cooling-off period. Only its own terms apply.
"Non-refundable" isn't always the end of it
- An unfair term in a consumer contract isn't binding on you.
- A term can be unfair if it makes you pay a disproportionately high sum when you cancel, including for training you never received.
- The Competition and Markets Authority says terms making prepayments non-refundable regardless of why you cancel are unlikely to be fair.
- A provider can usually keep a deposit if it's a small percentage of the price and clearly described as non-refundable.
If the training is poor
Every training contract must be carried out with reasonable care and skill. If it isn't, you can ask the provider to put it right, for example with extra training. If that isn't possible, or would take too long, you can ask for a price reduction. In England you have up to 6 years to make a claim.
Getting money back through your card
- Credit card: under Section 75, the card company is jointly liable if the course cost more than £100 and up to £30,000. That applies even if you only paid part of it, such as the deposit, by credit card. If the card company refuses, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.
- Debit card: ask your bank for a chargeback. It can only recover what you paid on that card.
Small claims
In England you can make a small claim for up to £10,000. If the provider disputes it, you'll be offered free mediation first. The court fee for a claim between £5,000 and £10,000 is £455; smaller claims cost less.
What providers' terms say
From each provider's published terms, checked 17 October 2026. Read the full terms before you pay; they can change.
| Provider | Deposit and cancellation terms |
|---|---|
| Learn2Pass HGV | Deposits are non-refundable unless Learn2Pass cancels the course. Cancelling or rearranging with less than 14 days' notice forfeits the fees paid. |
| HGV Training Hub | The £299 deposit is non-refundable. No published schedule for the rest of the price. |
| Mainstream Training | A non-refundable deposit, usually 10% of the course fee. Full refund less the deposit up to 14 days before the course starts. |
| Wallace School of Transport | Refund of 70% with 31 or more working days' notice, 50% with 21 to 30, and 30% with 15 to 20. |
| A-Class Driving School | A £250 deposit, non-refundable unless you cancel within 7 days. After that, a 50% cancellation fee plus a £100 registration fee. (Terms on its older website.) |
| Driver Training Centre | Deposits, and fees for courses or tests not taken, are non-refundable. |
| HGV Training Centre | 14 days to cancel. Deductions after that rise to 100%, no refund, from 11 months. |
| Easy As HGV | Full refund within 14 days if training hasn't started. 70% deducted after that, rising to no refund from 11 months. £200 kept if the theory test service has been activated. |
| HGV Training Network | Full refund within 14 days if training hasn't started. 60% deducted after that, rising to no refund from 11 months. No refund for a course starting within 4 weeks. |
| HGVT | 14-day cooling-off with a full refund. No cancellations after 14 days except in listed circumstances. Training not booked within 6 months becomes void, with no refund. |
| TrainHGV and HGV Nationwide | Matching terms: 14 days to cancel; 60% deducted after that, rising to no refund after 9 months. £300 deducted from any refund if you started in the cooling-off period. |
| The LGV Training Company, Surrey and Hampshire HGV Training | The same terms as Easy As HGV and HGV Training Centre: 70% deducted after 14 days, rising to 100%, and £200 kept if theory revision has been activated. |
| Hughes Driver Training | After 14 days but within a month of booking, a 30% refund (70% deducted), falling to nothing over time. |
| Craig Baker Driver Training | A £500 non-refundable deposit. Then 75% refunded within 3 months of booking, 50% within 6 and 25% within 9; nothing after 12 months or with less than 14 days' notice. |
| National Driving Centre (Croydon) | Deposit lost with 8 to 21 days' notice (plus a £50 admin fee), 50% of the course fee with 1 to 7 days' notice, and the full fee on the start day. |
Before you pay a deposit
- Get the cancellation and refund terms in writing, and check what happens if you cancel 1 week, 1 month and 6 months after paying.
- Ask how long you have to use the training, and what happens if you can't get a medical or provisional licence.
- Pay the deposit by credit card if you can.
- Don't ask for training to start inside 14 days unless you need it to.
- Keep the advert, the quote and every message.
The 12-question checklist covers refunds along with everything else to ask.
Common questions
Can I get a refund on HGV training?
If you booked online or by phone, you can cancel within 14 days for a full refund, unless you asked for training to start in that time. After that the provider's terms apply, but terms that keep large prepayments whatever the reason are unlikely to be fair.
Is an HGV training deposit refundable?
Within the 14-day cooling-off period, yes, in full. After that, a provider can usually keep a deposit if it's a small percentage of the price and clearly described as non-refundable.
Can I claim my HGV training money back from my credit card?
Yes, under Section 75, if the course cost more than £100 and up to £30,000, even if you only paid part of it, such as the deposit, on the credit card.