Taking Your Practical Driving Test

There is no minimum number of professional lessons or private practice hours you must complete before taking the practical driving test. The test assesses whether you can drive safely and independently, not how many hours you have spent learning.

DVSA's Ready to Pass guidance says learners will usually be ready when they can drive without prompts, do not make serious or dangerous mistakes, can pass mock driving tests and can demonstrate their ability consistently and independently.

DVSA also provides 27 driving skills with five levels of progress. Its current guidance describes consistently reaching Level 5: Reflection across all 27 skills as an indicator that you are ready to take the test.

If you are learning with an instructor, they can help you assess whether your driving is consistently at the required standard. For more about how driving develops before test day, see Learning to drive.

You must have passed your theory test before you can book a practical car driving test. The current official test fees are:

The booking rules for car driving tests changed during 2026. You must now book and manage your own car driving test. Your driving instructor or another person cannot book, change, swap or cancel it for you.

When booking, you can enter your driving instructor's reference number so the booking system can check their availability if you intend to use them and their car for the test.

DVSA currently releases a new week of appointments at 6am every Monday, including bank holidays, with appointments released 24 weeks in advance. Earlier appointments created when another learner changes or cancels a test can become available at other times during the week.

You are not allowed to use unofficial services that scan the DVSA booking system for available appointments. You should search for and manage appointments through the official booking service yourself.

You can currently make up to 2 changes to a car driving test booking. There are also restrictions on which test centres you can move an existing booking to.

Booking arrangements can change, so check the current GOV.UK guidance before booking, changing or cancelling a test.

Book your practical driving test on GOV.UK

You must take:

• Your UK driving licence
• Your theory test pass certificate, if you have it
• A suitable car for the test

You do not need to take your booking confirmation. If you have lost your theory test pass certificate, you do not need to get a replacement — the examiner can check that you have passed.

DVSA does not provide a car for the test. Most learners use their driving instructor's car, but you can use another suitable vehicle if it meets the rules.

If you do not bring the required driving licence or a suitable vehicle, your test can be cancelled and you may lose your test fee.

DVSA recommends arriving at the test centre around 5 minutes before your appointment.

Yes, provided it meets DVSA's requirements. The car must be roadworthy, taxed, properly insured for a driving test and have a valid MOT where required. It must also meet DVSA's specific vehicle requirements.

Your own car does not need dual controls.

Some vehicles cannot be used because they do not provide the examiner with adequate all-round vision.

If you intend to use your own vehicle, check the current DVSA requirements before test day rather than assuming that any road-legal car will automatically be suitable. Check the rules for using your own car for the driving test

There are four main parts:

1. An eyesight check
2. ‘Show me, tell me’ vehicle safety questions
3. General driving ability, including independent driving
4. Reversing your vehicle

You will usually drive for around 35 minutes.

The test is fundamentally the same whether you take it in a manual or automatic car, although the type of vehicle you pass in can affect the vehicles your licence allows you to drive afterwards.

Before you start driving, you will need to read a vehicle number plate. You must read it from:

• 20 metres for a vehicle with a new-style number plate
• 20.5 metres for a vehicle with an old-style number plate

If you cannot meet the eyesight requirement, you will fail the test and the driving part will not continue.

You will be asked 2 vehicle safety questions. The examiner asks:

• One ‘tell me’ question before you start driving
• One ‘show me’ question while you are driving

If you answer one or both incorrectly, you will normally receive one driving fault.

If your driving becomes dangerous or potentially dangerous while carrying out the 'show me' task, this can result in a serious or dangerous fault.

The official questions are published on GOV.UK. Read the official ‘show me, tell me’ questions

You will drive in various road and traffic conditions. The examiner will assess how you apply your knowledge and skills while dealing with the situations you encounter.

The test does not include motorway driving. DVSA does not publish driving test routes, so there is no official test route to learn before your test.

During the test you will be asked to pull over and move away at different points. This can include:

• A normal stop at the side of the road
• Pulling out from behind a parked vehicle
• A hill start

Making a mistake does not automatically mean that you have failed. Continue driving unless the examiner tells you otherwise.

You may notice the examiner recording information during the test. This does not necessarily mean you have made a driving fault.

The examiner will normally only stop the test early if they believe your driving presents a danger to other road users.

You will drive independently for around 20 to 35 minutes. You will be asked to follow:

• Directions from a sat nav
• Traffic signs
• Or a combination of both

The examiner decides which method you will use. If you follow a sat nav, the examiner provides and sets it up. You cannot use your own sat nav for this part of the test.

What if you go the wrong way?

Going the wrong way does not automatically result in a driving fault. If you miss a turning or take a different route, continue driving safely. The examiner will help you return to the route if necessary.

You should not make a sudden or unsafe decision simply to correct a navigation mistake.

You will be asked to complete one reversing exercise. This will be one of the following:

• Parallel parking at the side of the road
• Parking in a bay, either driving in and reversing out or reversing in and driving out
• Pulling up on the right-hand side of the road, reversing for around 2 car lengths and then rejoining traffic

You may be asked to carry out an emergency stop during the test. DVSA currently requires an emergency stop on approximately 1 in every 7 car driving tests, selected at random.

If your test includes one, the examiner will explain the exercise before asking you to carry it out.

The emergency stop is separate from the reversing exercise. If an emergency requiring an appropriate stop has already occurred naturally during your test, the examiner does not need to conduct a separate emergency-stop exercise.

Yes. You can ask for someone to sit in the back of the car during your test and to be present when you receive your result and feedback. This could be your driving instructor, a relative or a friend.

An observer must be over 16 and cannot take part in the test or help you while you are driving.

An examiner's supervisor may also sit in the vehicle to observe the examiner. They are assessing the examiner rather than you.

There are three types of fault:

Driving fault — a mistake that is not potentially dangerous. Repeatedly making the same type of driving fault can result in a serious fault.

Serious fault — something potentially dangerous.

Dangerous fault — a fault involving actual danger to you, the examiner, another person or property.

To pass the test, you must make:

• No more than 15 driving faults
• No serious faults
• No dangerous faults

You do not need to drive perfectly to pass. A mistake affects the result according to the circumstances and how the examiner assesses the fault and its consequences.

The examiner will tell you whether you have passed or failed. They will also explain the faults recorded during your test.

If you allowed your driving instructor or another person to listen to the result and feedback, they can be present for this conversation.

Your result provides useful information about the areas of your driving where faults were recorded, whether you pass or fail.

If you pass, the examiner will give you a pass certificate. They will ask whether you want your full driving licence to be sent to you automatically. If you do, you give your provisional licence to the examiner.

If you do not use the automatic process, you must apply for your full licence yourself within 2 years of passing.

You can start driving straight away. You do not need to wait for your full licence to arrive. Before driving without supervision, you must make sure your insurance covers you to drive as a full licence holder without supervision.

Passing your practical driving test shows that you met the minimum standard required to drive independently on that particular day. It does not mean that your development as a driver is complete.

The National Standard for driving cars and light vans recognises that drivers should continue developing their knowledge, judgement and driving behaviour throughout their driving career.

Further development can come through experience, reflection, feedback from others or additional professional support where useful.

If you do not pass, the examiner will explain the faults recorded during your test. Your result gives you information about what happened and the areas that need further development.

You will need to book and pay for another test. The new test must be for a date at least 10 working days after the test you failed.

Use the examiner's feedback and your result to understand why the faults occurred and what needs further development before taking another test. Understand your driving test result on GOV.UK

If you have a disability, health condition or learning difficulty, tell DVSA when you book your driving test. You still have to demonstrate the same driving standard to pass, but adjustments can be made to help you access the test.

Depending on your needs, this can include additional time for instructions or directions.

If you are deaf or have a hearing impairment, the examiner can use written information and hand signals, and arrangements can be made for a British Sign Language interpreter.

If you have reading difficulties, you can write down the number plate during the eyesight check rather than reading it aloud.

For some learning difficulties, adjustments can also be made to the independent-driving part of the test.

Tell DVSA about your needs when booking so appropriate arrangements can be considered. Read the official guidance about support during your driving test