Learning to drive in 2026: the plain English guide

The journey at a glance

1. Step 1Provisional licenceApply on GOV.UK from 15 years and 9 months: £34 online.
2. Step 2Lessons beginAutomatic lessons with an ADI, usually from 17.
3. Step 3Theory test50 questions and hazard perception: £23.
4. Step 4PracticeBuild skills on every kind of road until you need no help.
5. Step 5Book your testYou book it yourself on GOV.UK: £62 weekdays.
6. Step 6PassDrive alone once insured. Consider Pass Plus.

1. Your provisional licence

You need a provisional driving licence before you drive on a public road. Apply on GOV.UK from 15 years and 9 months; most people can start driving a car at 17.

• Costs £34 online or £43 by post (form D1). Online applications usually arrive within a week.
• You must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres, with glasses or lenses if you need them, and meet the minimum eyesight standard.
• You need permission to live in Great Britain for at least 185 days, and may need to prove your identity.
• You must tell DVLA about some medical conditions that can affect driving (fines up to £1,000 if you do not).

Source: Apply for your first provisional driving licence, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

2. Lessons and practice

Anyone you pay to teach you must be an Approved Driving Instructor (green badge) or a trainee instructor (pink badge). There is no minimum number of lessons: you are ready when you can drive safely without help.

You can also practise with family or friends if your supervisor is over 21, qualified to drive that type of car, and has held a full licence for 3 years. You need L plates and insurance, and you cannot use motorways with them. Learners can only drive on a motorway with an ADI in a dual controlled car.

Source: Practising with family or friends, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

3. The theory test

• Multiple choice includes 3 questions about a short driving video.
• Hazard perception has 14 clips with 15 developing hazards, each worth up to 5 points. Clicking constantly or in a pattern scores zero.
• Take your UK photocard licence. Without it the test is cancelled and you lose the fee.
• The pass lasts 2 years. Fail and you wait at least 3 working days to retake. Change it with at least 3 full working days notice.

Source: Theory test pass mark and result, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

4. Booking the practical test

Book it yourself on GOV.UK after you pass the theory test: £62 on weekdays, £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. New tests are released at 6am every Monday, up to 24 weeks ahead.

Source: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

5. What happens on the test

1. Eyesight check: read a number plate from 20 metres (20.5 metres for an old style plate).
2. Tell me question before you drive, and a show me question while you drive.
3. General driving on different roads and in different traffic, but not motorways.
4. One reversing exercise: parallel park, park in a bay, or pull up on the right and reverse about 2 car lengths.
5. Maybe an emergency stop.
6. Independent driving: following a sat nav the examiner sets up, or signs, or both. A wrong turn is not a fault on its own.

GOV.UK says you drive for around 35 minutes. You pass with no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults.

Source: What happens during the test, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

6. Show me, tell me questions

You get one of each. A wrong answer is a driving fault. We go through every one in the tuition car before your test.

Source: Car show me, tell me vehicle safety questions, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

7. Test day: what to expect

• Bring: your UK driving licence and a car that meets the test rules. Most people use their instructor's car, which already has the extra mirror, L plates and insurance.
• Warm up: a drive before the test helps you settle. Ask Murad about test day car hire (price on request).
• Company: you can ask for your instructor to sit in the back and listen to the feedback.
• Result: pass and you can drive alone straight away once insured. Fail and you can rebook at least 10 working days later.

Source: What to take to your test, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

8. Intensive courses

An intensive course puts many lesson hours close together. It suits learners with some experience, a deadline or lots of free time. Complete beginners often do better with lessons spread over weeks.

Because you book your own test and only get 2 changes, plan the course around a test date you have or can realistically get. Be wary of anyone who guarantees a pass or a test date. Murad's intensive courses are priced on request after a chat about your experience.

9. Pass Plus

Pass Plus is a practical course of at least 6 hours with a Pass Plus registered instructor, covering driving such as in town, all weathers, rural roads, night, dual carriageways and motorways. It is most useful in your first year, and some insurers may give a discount.

Source: Pass Plus, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.

10. After you pass

• Get insured to drive on your own before you drive alone.
• 6 or more penalty points within 2 years of passing and your licence is cancelled: you retake both tests. Holding a phone while driving alone is 6 points.
• An automatic pass covers automatic cars only. Upgrade later with a manual practical test, no new theory test needed.

Source: New drivers and penalty points, GOV.UK, checked 27 October 2026.