The practical driving test is an exam overseen by the DSA in which your driving abilities are put to the test. Passing the test will secure you a full driving licence. If you pass the test in an automatic you will receive a restricted licence, which means you will only be able to drive automatic transition cars.

You can book a practical test by phoning the DSA on 0300 200 1122, 0300 200 1133 for Welsh speakers and 0300 200 1144 if you have impaired hearing. The cost of test test is £56.50 on weekdays during the day. Tests are more expensive during evenings and the weekend. Before you book your practical test, you must have passed your theory test. You will be asked for the reference number from your theory test certificate when booking the test.

The practical driving test will be taken at a driving test centre, probably the one nearest to where you live. There are 414 driving test centres in the UK. Although not all driving centres conduct car driving tests. You may view all of the driving test routes on our routes page.

The test will last for approximately 40 minutes. We recommend that you arrive at your test centre five minutes early and take a seat in the waiting room. When it is time for your test, your examiner will approach you and check your provisional licence to make sure all is in order. You can now ask for your instructor to sit in on the test. Although your instructor is not allowed to help you in any way, if you fail your test it may be useful for them to be there to help you prepare for your next test. Sometimes, you may get two examiners on your test. This is how the DSA monitors their examiners. Unfortunately, you cannot object to this otherwise the test will be cancelled and your test fee lost. Although a lot of pupils don’t like having a second pupil in the car whilst they are learning, towards the end of the training it could be beneficial if you had a few lessons with another pupil sitting in. Not only will this teach you how to cope with a few nerves, but having three people in the car affects the the car's handling. If you have only ever driven with your instructor, it might come as a bit of a surprise to get two examiners in the car. You need to prepare for every eventuality during your training.

The examiner will ask you to lead the way out to your car. Once outside, you will be asked to read a registration plate from 20 metres. If you fail this, the test will not be conducted. If you need glasses you are permitted to wear them. You will be asked to get into your car whilst the examiner checks the tyres, car tax and general roadworthiness.

Once inside the car, the examiner will instruct you to drive ahead unless either the examiner or road signs dictate otherwise. During the test, the examiner will ask you to perform numerous procedures you will have learnt during your driving lessons: hill starts, emergency stops, manoeuvres and so on. You won't be asked to perform anything you haven't learned in your driving lessons. If you are asked to do something you are not familiar with it will be because you have had bad tuition.

At the end of the test, the examiner will deduce your score to determine whether you have passed or failed. If you made one serious error or more than fifteen minor errors, you will fail the test.