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Please read this important information on taking your car or c ar and trailer practical

test. Click X-Close to complete your booking

Your car

You must provide a roadworthy car which is taxed, li censed, i nsured, and suitable for the

purposes of the test.

The c ar shoul d be fully c overed by insurance for the purposes of the prac tica l test. A hired

ca r is unli kely to be i nsured for the driving test. If in doubt advic e should be sought from

the hire c ar company.

Th e c ar must have seat belts, integral head restraints fitted to the front passenger seat and

an adjustable interior mirror for the examiner to use. The head restraints must be in working

order.

The front passenger seat must provide all round vision for the examiner.

The car must display L-plates (or D-plates in Wales) which meet the current regulations

when you a re driving with a provisiona l li cenc e.

It is your responsibi li ty to ensure the vehic le is suitable for the test. For rec al ls and furtherinformation on suitabl e vehic le requirements please visit www.direct.gov.uk/practicaltest or

cal l 0300 200 1122.

For car and trailer tests.

The vehicle com bination provided m ust be unl aden and any trailer must be a closed box

construc tion, at least as wide and as high as the towing vehi cl e. As a mi nim um, the traile r

must be at least one tonne maximum authorised mass (MAM) (gross weight). The examiner

may ask for evidence of the trailer MAM, e.g. to see the manufacturers plate.

All vehic le c omb inations must operate on appropriate brakes and u tilise a heavy duty

coupli ng arrangem ent suitabl e for the weight.

Your view to the rear shou ld onl y be po ssib le by use of the external rear-view m irrors of the

towing vehic le.

You must ensure that the vehicle provided for a car and trailer test is fitted with outside

nearside and offside mirrors to allow the examiner a reasonable view down both sides of

the vehic le. If there are mirrors already fitted to the vehic le tha t cover the fiel ds of vision

required by the examiner, additional mirrors are not necessary. Also 2 or 3 point seatbelts

must be fitted for the examiner and any supervising officers use.

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The c ar must be fitted with an audi ble o r visual alarm to show co rrec t operation of the

trailer indicators.

For all tests

Documents you should bring with you

Please bring your theory test pass certificate or confirmation, if this applies, and your

v alid, signed UK or Northern Ireland driv ing licence when you come for your test. DSA

will not acc ept any other driving lic ence.

If a photoca rd style, both the photoc ard licenc e and paper counterpart must be presented.

If you do not have a photocard licenc e and have an old style paper licenc e a valid

passport must also be presented.

If you haven't got your lic enc e, or if you have a question abou t your lic enc e entitlem ents,

please phone the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on 0300 7906 801 or

email them onwww.direct.gov.uk/emaildvla .

If you present a pho tographic lic enc e, DSA's exami ner will ca rry out a security chec k

before the test beg ins.

Taking your test

DSA produce several publications and items to help you prepare for your test. If you would

like to know more abo ut these, please go to the T SO website or telephone DSA

publ ic ations (TSO) on 0870 850 6553. Informational videos about some of DSAs tests, as

well as other road safety videos are also available at www.youtube.com/dsagov

Vehic le safety questions are now part of all p rac tical d riving tests. You may need to open

your ca r's bonnet du ring thi s part of the test.

DSA's exam iner will ask you i f you want your instruc tor, or another observer, to sit i n on your

car test and to be present for your test resul t and feedbac k at the end o f the test. Any

observer would preferably be the person who hel ped you l earn to drive. The i nstruc tor orobserver must not take any part in the test or inte rfere in any way.

If you wish to b ring a friend or inte rpreter with you on your test, they mu st be a t least 16

years old . Your instruc tor may ac t as an i nterpreter. They m ust not take any part in the test

or interfere in any way.

DSA do no t have a certain num ber of peopl e who will pass or fail the test. If you drive to

the necessary standard, you will pass your test.

A supe rvising offic er may go wi th you on your test. Th is is part of DSAs qua li ty assuranc e

procedure. The supervisor will not be examin ing you and will no t take any pa rt in the test.

Th ey are there to m ake sure DSA are ma inta ini ng standards in c arrying out the tests.

After the test

At the end of the test (pass or fail), your examiner will offer you an explanation of your

driving test report and you might like to ask your instructor to listen while the explanation is

being given.

You wil l fi nd detai ls of DSAs service standards and compla ints proc edures in DSAs Service

Standards leafle t available from all DSA offices and test centres. You c an a lso find


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info rmation abou t DSAs services on www.direct.gov.uk/contactdsa.

How to change or cance l your test.

You c an c hange or canc el your test online at www.direct.gov.uk/changepracticaltest or by

phoning DSA customer services on 0300 200 1122. Please note that DSA's customer

servic es are only open Mond ay Friday 8a m to 6p m.

To canc el your test without forfeiting you r fee you need to g ive DSA three c lear working

days notic e. For this purpose Sa turday coun ts as a working day. As the DSA's customer

servic es line is not available on a Saturday, the only options for canc elli ng on a Saturday

are online, via e-mail to [email protected] by fax to 0300 200 1155 .

To print a copy of this page, please click here. Print confirmation

Please click the 'X-Close' button.


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