Practical driving test: preparation and booking

Show that you can drive consistently well, with confidence and without help or guidance from an instructor.

It’s important to keep practising your driving. The more you practise, the better you’ll get.

Remember, if you supplement your lessons by practising with friends or relatives, they must:

be over 21 years old
have had a driving licence for at least 3 years for the category of vehicle you’re driving
receive no payment, even petrol money, for their help.

If the person who is helping you to practise passed their driving test a while ago, it might be a good idea to remind them to take a look at The Highway Code and refresh their driving knowledge on Safe Driving for Life, and to think about reading The Official DVSA Guide to Learning to Drive and The Official DVSA Guide to Driving - the essential skills too.

Just like your lessons, it’s a good idea to record your practice so that your instructor knows what you’ve done and can advise you about what to practise in the future.

How much does it cost?

Weekday - £62

Evening or weekend - £75

Remember

you should only book your driving test when your instructor says you're ready. 53 out of every 100 driving tests were failed in Great Britain during December 2023. Make sure you’re test ready
take the practical driving test before your theory test 'pass certificate' expires (2 years*)

*Note: you can retake the theory test 6 months before it expires if you need more time to prepare for your practical.

Preparing for your practical test

Your driving lessons should prepare you for your practical test, especially if you’ve worked through the 'Record of pupil's progress' (see links below) with your instructor.

Your driving instructor may offer you a mock test before taking your practical test. This can help you gain a much better idea of what driving unaided feels like.

Show me, tell me questions

Your examiner will ask you 2 vehicle safety questions.

'tell me’ question - (where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task) at the start of your test, before you start driving
‘show me’ question - (where you show how you’d carry out a safety task) while you’re driving

Practice the questions with your instructor. This is essential knowledge you'll need to know for the test, and in the future when you drive your own car.