Driving test

Learning to drive: be confident before your test

reflection of traffic and tall buildings in side mirror of a car

Learning to drive is a big achievement. You can bask in your independence. You can do late-night big Tesco trips. You can drive yourself to training, work, wherever, whenever (with or without Shakira playing).

No pressure, right?

It takes a lot of confidence to take your driving test. So, we’ve put together some tips to help you get in the zone.

Continue reading

10 tips for taking your driving test in 2023

two people pointing towards a car with a clipboard showing a manoeuvre

New year, new you. 2023 is an open road ahead of us and this may / will be the year you pass your driving test.

But, as only around 50% of drivers passed their test in 2021/22, how can you best prepare?

Well, you’ve done the first thing already – you’ve come to the right place.

We’ve put together 10 simple driving test tips to help cut out any worries you might have about the big day.

Continue reading

Is it worth getting an automatic-only driving licence?

automatic only driving licence
Learning to pass an automatic only test is becoming increasingly popular (Picture iStock/Sturti)

Increasing numbers of young drivers are deciding that learning to change gear in a car is a waste of time. The past 12 months has seen an 11 per cent year-on-year jump in the number of drivers qualifying with an automatic-only licence.

In 2012, there were just 550,000 drivers holding automatic-only licences. In 2021, that figure had doubled to 1.1 million.

According to a recent survey by safety charity IAM RoadSmart, around six in 10 youngsters between 17 and 24 plan to apply for an automatic-only licence.

Others think the popularity of automatic-only licences could go further, faster. Approved driving instructor Karen Bransgrove revealed: “The market for people learning to drive just an automatic has increased 10-fold over the past few years. I now have an automatic and wouldn’t teach driving a manual.”

Why an automatic-only licence makes sense

Continue reading

Licence to quiz: how much do you know about your permit to drive?

driving licence
Most of us have one but take our quiz to find out more about the UK driving licence (Picture iStock/Stocknshares

The driving licence is an unsung part of many of our lives but it’s going to change soon. The government has revealed it wants all driving licences to be digital from 2024. It is developing a smartphone app that everyone will have their driving licence on.

To celebrate the impending demise of the driving licence, take our cunning quiz to see how much you know about it.

Continue reading

Learning to drive, booking and taking a test: what’s changed

learning to drive
Wearing masks is compulsory for instructors and examiners; it’s also recommended for learner drivers (Picture iStock/Brankokosteski)

If your learning to drive was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ll be relieved to hear things are getting back to normal.

Driving lessons have been held again since the beginning of July. Learners who feel they’re ready have been able to book a test since August 26. However, reserving a test slot has proved difficult because of technical difficulties with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) website. Read on to find out more about learning to drive and taking the test.

If you’re learning to drive

Continue reading

UK COVID-19 lockdown: what it means for MOTs, breakdowns, fuel stations

covid-19 lockdown
The government has suspended MOT tests for six months from 30 March 2020 (Picture iStock/yevtony)

Updated 03 November.

If you’re a Green Flag customer and want our latest advice on what to do if you break down, please visit our important updates page here.

The country is having a second COVID-19 lockdown from 5 November to 2 December. What does this mean for car owners? Read on to find out about MOTs, what’s happening with petrol stations, and what other motoring services are and aren’t available.

What if your car needs an MOT?

Read more

New drivers face more limits with Graduated Driver Licensing

Graduated Driver Licensing

Getting the keys to the open road is an exciting moment. But changes are afoot (Picture iStock/Londoneye)

New drivers could face a strict probationary period after they’ve passed their test. Plans drawn up by the government will restrict what newly qualified drivers can do when they hit the road. The government wants to slash the disproportionately high number of accidents involving the 17-24 age group.

A Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) spokesperson explained: “Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) will establish a revised training and testing regime for car drivers and motorcyclists. It will introduce some post-test restrictions for drivers/riders to reduce the over-representation of new – mainly young – drivers/riders in fatal and serious road collisions.” Read on to find out more.

Are the changes definitely going ahead?

Continue reading

Highway Code stopping distance needs urgent review, experts say

stopping distance

New research has revealed that the stopping distance prescribed by the government’s Highway Code is too short. They now believe it could take drivers half as much time again to come to a halt in an emergency. Road safety campaigners have called on the government to undertake an urgent review. They want the stopping distance section of the Highway Code revised.

How is stopping distance calculated?

Continue reading

Driving test: what young drivers can expect

New driving test

In order to handle a car legally on public roads in the UK, new drivers have to pass a 40-minute driving test. But to ensure the test better prepares drivers for modern motoring, the biggest shake up in 20 years is happening in December 2017.

The driving test will still last the same amount of time and still be marked the same way. It will still cost £62 on weekdays, £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. But from Monday December 4, the driving test in England, Scotland and Wales will face the most far-reaching changes since the addition of the theory test in 1996. Here are the four new features budding drivers will encounter.

Increased independent driving

Continue reading

Where to take your driving test if you want to pass it first time

Where to take your driving test if you want to pass first time

To many people, the driving test is a rite of passage. Like turning 16, heading off to university or arriving for the first day of work, ripping up the L-plates is something we all remember.

However, some drivers look back and feel a chill run down their spine. The driving test may have been one of the most stressful times of their life. And to make matters worse, it may have taken several attempts to pass.

All too often, that’s because they unwittingly sat the examination in an area with one of the lowest pass rates in the UK.

Believe it or not, at the UK’s toughest test centres, less than a third of candidates get their licence. The most successful areas see a staggering 80 per cent pass first time.

So the 1.5 million new drivers looking to pass every year should think carefully about where they take their theory and practical tests. Especially in light of the changes to the test, due to be introduced this December.

Plan ahead, and it could be as easy as mirror-signal-manoeuvre. Pick poorly and it could be more bump and grind.

Where’s best to take the driving test?

Continue reading

Turn left to pass your driving test: learners must use sat navs safely

The driving test is entering the digital age, after the government announced changes that are designed to reflect the widespread use of satellite navigation systems in cars.

Learner drivers will be expected to safely follow directions from a sat nav system or they will fail their driving test. And they will spend twice the amount of time – now 20 minutes – driving independently, without guidance from the examiner.

The changes are part of a package of revisions that will come into force from 4 December. The objective is to provide a more realistic assessment of driving on today’s roads. Continue reading

Young drivers: Experts say new laws needed to help cut casualties

Young drivers

One government idea is for drivers to have a minimum 20 hours of driving at night before they can take their driving test


The number of people killed on Britain’s roads increased in 2014 and young drivers are still the most dangerous category of vehicle user. It’s prompted experts to call for a review of driver training. Road safety experts say figures show one in five young drivers aged 17 to 24 crashes within six months of passing their test. And road accidents are the biggest killer of young people in the UK, higher than both alcohol and drugs. We investigate plans to reverse that trend.

Continue reading

Driving test changes wanted to save young drivers’ lives

Driving test changes

Better driver training and a new test could cut casualties (Picture © Ford)

Driving test changes are being called for as the existing test hits 80 years-old. The insurance industry along with other experts are calling for alterations to bring it in line with driving conditions in the 21st Century. The driving test was made compulsory in April 1935. At the time, annual vehicle sales were measured in thousands rather than millions and car top speeds were bound by vehicle limitations rather than motorway speed restrictions. However, apart from including a written theory section, the driving test has barely changed over the intervening eight decades.  Continue reading

The real cost of learning to drive

Cost of learning to drive

Experts say learning to drive is far more than simply moving a car from A to B. (Picture © Renault)

The cost of learning to drive varies from driver to driver. But it’s safe to say it’s one of the pricier parts of motoring, particularly considering that every year only around half of the 1.5 million drivers who take their test will actually pass. Here we look at the costs and potential pitfalls. As Mike Frisby from the Driving Instructors Association (DIA) explained, learning to drive is far more than simply moving a car from A to B. “It’s about attitude, behaviour, a whole variety of situations and how you go about dealing with them,” he said.  Continue reading