What to bring on test day?

A common question – what do you need to bring with your on your driving test? and what types of car can you use if you’re not with an Instructor?

You must take:

• your UK driving licence
• your theory test pass certificate

The theory test pass certificate is rarely asked for in my experience.

Rules about the car

Your car must:

• be taxed
• be insured for a driving test (check with your insurance company)
• be roadworthy and have a current MOT (if it’s over 3 years old)
• have no warning lights showing, eg the airbag warning light
• have no tyre damage and the legal tread depth on each tyre
• be smoke-free – this means you can’t smoke in it just before or during the test
• be able to reach at least 62mph and have an mph speedometer
• have 4 wheels and a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of no more than 3,500 kg

Things that must be fitted

The car must have:

• an extra interior rear-view mirror for the examiner
• L-plates (‘L’ or ‘D’ plates in Wales) on the front and rear
• a passenger seatbelt for the examiner and a proper passenger head restraint (not a slip-on type)

Manual and automatic cars

You can take the test in a:

• manual car – these have 3 pedals
• automatic or semi-automatic car – these have 2 pedals

You’ll only be able to drive automatic or semi-automatic cars if you take your test in one.

Hire cars

You can take your test in a hire car if it’s fitted with dual controls and meets all the other rules.

Vehicle features

You can use a car with:

• an electronic parking brake
• hill-start assist

Cars you can’t use

Some cars can’t be used in the test because they don’t give the examiner all-round vision.

You can’t use any of the following:

• BMW Mini convertible
• Ford KA convertible
• Toyota iQ
• VW Beetle convertible

Check with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) before you book your test if you want to use a:

• convertible car
• panel van