How long does the UK practical driving test take?

The driving portion lasts around 40 minutes, including roughly 20 minutes of independent driving. Allow longer overall for the eyesight check, the safety questions and the result at the end.

How many faults are you allowed on a driving test?

Up to 15 driving faults, sometimes called minors. A single serious or dangerous fault results in a fail regardless of how few other faults you have.

What do I need to take to my driving test?

Your provisional driving licence, and a suitable car that is taxed, insured for the test, roadworthy and displaying L plates. Most learners use their instructor's car.

Does failing the eyesight check fail the whole test?

Yes. If you cannot read a number plate from about 20 metres at the start, the test ends immediately and is recorded as a fail.

Can I use my instructor's car for the driving test?

Yes, and most learners do. It is the car you know, it is correctly insured for the test, and your instructor can normally sit in on the result afterwards.

What Happens on Your Driving Test | Stride Driving Academy

Most test-day nerves come from not knowing what is about to happen rather than from doubting your driving. So here is the whole thing in order.

What do you need to bring to your driving test?

Two things, and turning up without either means the test does not go ahead:

Your provisional driving licence.
A car that is roadworthy, taxed, insured for the test and displaying L plates — normally your instructor's, which is one of the reasons most people take their test in the car they learned in.

What is the eyesight check?

Before anything else, the examiner asks you to read a number plate from about 20 metres. If you cannot, the test ends there and it counts as a fail.

If you need glasses or contact lenses to read that plate, wear them — and wear them every time you drive afterwards.

What are the show me tell me questions?

Two vehicle safety questions. The 'tell me' question comes before you start driving and asks you to explain how you would carry out a check — how you would check the brakes are working, for example. The 'show me' question comes while you are driving and asks you to demonstrate something, such as how you would wash the windscreen.

Getting one wrong is a single driving fault, not a fail. It is worth knowing them, but it is not worth losing sleep over.

How long is the driving part of the test?

Around 40 minutes of general driving on a mix of roads. The examiner gives directions as you go and is not trying to catch you out — if you miss a turning, that is not a fault in itself, so long as you deal with it safely.

Included in that is roughly 20 minutes of independent driving, where you follow either a sat nav or road signs rather than turn-by-turn instructions. It is testing whether you can drive without being told what to do next, which is what driving actually is.

Which manoeuvre will you be asked to do?

One, chosen by the examiner on the day — typically parallel parking at the roadside, pulling up on the right and reversing, or parking in a bay. You may also be asked to perform an emergency stop.

Because you do not know which, all of them need to be solid. This is where practice around your actual test centre helps most: the same manoeuvre is much easier on a road you have done it on before.

How are driving faults counted?

There are three kinds. A driving fault — often called a minor — is something that was not dangerous on this occasion. You can collect up to 15 and still pass.

A serious fault is something potentially dangerous, and a dangerous fault is something that caused actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property. One of either ends the test as a fail.

Repeating the same driving fault over and over can also be marked as serious, on the grounds that a habit is not really a one-off.

What happens straight after the test?

The examiner tells you the result at the roadside and runs through the faults. If you passed, your instructor can normally take the paperwork from there and you can be insured to drive on your own that day.

If you did not pass, you will be told exactly why. Almost everyone who fails is one specific fixable thing away, and there is no rule anywhere that says people who fail first time are worse drivers.

Common questions

How long does the UK practical driving test take?: The driving portion lasts around 40 minutes, including roughly 20 minutes of independent driving. Allow longer overall for the eyesight check, the safety questions and the result at the end.
How many faults are you allowed on a driving test?: Up to 15 driving faults, sometimes called minors. A single serious or dangerous fault results in a fail regardless of how few other faults you have.
What do I need to take to my driving test?: Your provisional driving licence, and a suitable car that is taxed, insured for the test, roadworthy and displaying L plates. Most learners use their instructor's car.
Does failing the eyesight check fail the whole test?: Yes. If you cannot read a number plate from about 20 metres at the start, the test ends immediately and is recorded as a fail.
Can I use my instructor's car for the driving test?: Yes, and most learners do. It is the car you know, it is correctly insured for the test, and your instructor can normally sit in on the result afterwards.