To book your pratical test online please click here
Your driving test will start with an eyesight check and some vehicle safety questions. You will then start your practical driving test which will include some specific manoeuvres.
The practical driving test (car)
The current practical driving test fee for a midweek test is £62.00 and for a weekend or evening test £75.00
On the day of your test we will pick you up an hour before the test is due to commence and have an hour warm up driving lesson. We will practice manoeuvres and anything else you want. We will make our way to the test centre so that we arrive not sooner than ten minutes before the test time, park the car and go into the test centre waiting room with other test candidates taking their test at the same time.
At the appointed time a Driving Standards Agency examiner will come into the waiting room and call your name. He or she will ask for your provisional driving license, both picture card and paper counterpart, to verify that they are correct and that you are who you say you are. You will be asked to sign the top of the examiners test sheet to confirm that the car being used for the test is insured for the purposes of the driving test and that you are a British resident. Once he is satisfied he will ask you to lead the way to the car.
In the test centre car park you will be asked to read a number plate at a distance of 20.5mts (67ft) for the old style number plate and 20mts (65.5ft) for the new style number plate. If you can’t read the number plate from the correct distance the test will not go ahead and you will lose the test fee.
When you reach the car the examiner will start the driving test with the vehicle checks known as Show Me Tell Me. You will be asked one show me and one tell me question. For a list of all the questions you could be asked click here. After the show me tell me the examiner will ask you to get into the car and make yourself comfortable and they will make a note of the vehicle registration number and do a quick inspection of the vehicle to ensure that it is road worthy.
The examiner will then join you in the car and make himself comfortable. He will tell you to follow the road ahead unless he tells you to turn either left or right. He will then ask you to pull out of the car park when you are ready and it is safe to do so. During the driving test you will drive on different types of road and encounter varying volumes of traffic. You will also be asked to complete one manoeuvres and maybe an emergency stop. The test will last about 35 to 40 minutes.
The key points you will be judged on are:-
- Move away: Safely and under control from the side of the road, on the level, from behind a parked vehicle and if possible on a hill all with correct observations.
- Emergency stop: promptly and under control.
- Manoeuvres: Turn in the road, reverse parking, reverse into an opening (reverse round a corner) with control and good all round observations with the correct response to other road users.
- Use of mirrors: Regular checks to ensure that you are aware of the presence of other road users and act appropriately to their actions. Early use of mirrors should be made before signaling, before changing direction and before changing speed either slowing down or accelerating as part of the mirror, signal, manoeuvre routine.
- Use of signals: Appropriate and in good time to warn other road users of their intentions.
- Response to signs and signals: Pupils should understand and be able to react to all traffic signs and road markings and react to signals given by police officers, traffic wardens, school crossing patrols and other road users.
- Use of speed: Safe and reasonable use of speed according to road signs and speed limits, the road, weather and traffic conditions.
- Following distance: A safe distance must be maintained from the vehicle in front in all road, traffic and weather conditions including stopping in queuing traffic.
- Progress: Pupils must show that they can drive at appropriate speed for the road type and speed limit, density of traffic, weather and visibility. All hazards and junctions should be approached safely without undue hesitation, all safe opportunities to proceed should be taken.
- Junctions: The correct procedure to be applied to all types of junctions with the application of the mirror, signal, manoeuvre routine. The correct lanes and observation to be carried out and response to other road users demonstrated.
- Judgement: You should not make any other rod user slow down, stop or swerve when meeting, overtaking or turning across other traffic.
- Positioning: Correct position should be maintained at all times according to type of road, the direction being taken and the presence of obstructions such as parked vehicles.
- Clearance of obstructions: Adequate clearance to be given to parked vehicles and other obstructions.
- Pedestrian crossings: Pupils should be able to recognise and deal with, safely, different types of crossings.
- Position for normal stops: Pupils should be able to choose a safe, legal and convenient place.
- Planning and awareness: You must show that you can plan ahead and anticipate the actions of other road users and drive with due care and consideration to other road users with special emphasis to venerable road users.
The examiner will mark any driving faults on the test sheet. You are allowed to get 15 driving faults, no serious and no dangerous driving faults. Should you get more than 3 driving faults in anyone of the above criteria it will be classed as a serious driving fault as it will be seen as a bad habit rather than just a one off mistake.
- A minor driving fault would be something like a missed mirror check, a badly timed signal or a slight deviation from the normal driving line.
- A serious driving fault would be pulling out from a junction and causing another car slow down, putting a wheel on the pavement during a reverse around a corner or not using adequate observation whilst reversing into a parking bay.
- A dangerous driving fault would be pulling of a junction and causing another to brake or swerve harshly (a near miss), driving through a red traffic light or driving too fast for the road, weather or traffic conditions. If the examiner considers that you are too unsafe to continue the driving test, they are quite within their rights to stop the test where ever you are and walk back to the test centre with you.