Clear, checked answers for UK drivers and learners
Test fees, pass marks, licence steps and road rules in plain English. Every guide links to its official GOV.UK source and shows when we last checked it.
Your route to a full car licence
Five steps, in the order you’ll take them.
Get a provisional licence
You can apply from 15 years and 9 months old. It costs £34 online.
Apply on GOV.UKLearn to drive
Take lessons until you can drive safely without instruction. There's no minimum number of lessons before your test.
Pass your theory test
50 questions in 57 minutes, then the hazard perception clips. The fee is £23.
How the theory test worksPass your driving test
Around 35 minutes of driving, plus an eyesight check and two safety questions. £62 on weekdays.
What happens on the testStart driving
You can drive on your own as soon as you pass. You don't need to wait for your full licence to arrive.
Find guides by topic
- 5 guides
Theory Test
Car and motorcycle theory test guides: booking, costs, how the test works and how to prepare.
- 11 guides
Practical Test
What happens on the UK practical driving test, from booking and test centres to show me, tell me questions and results.
- 6 guides
Licences
Provisional, full, HGV, motorcycle and other UK driving licences: applying, renewing, replacing and licence codes.
- 4 guides
Lessons & Instructors
Driving lessons, driving schools, choosing an instructor and becoming a driving instructor in the UK.
- 6 guides
Driving Jobs
UK driving careers, including HGV, bus and coach, delivery and instructor work, and the licences each one needs.
- 8 guides
Rules & Fines
UK road rules, the Highway Code, penalty points, fines, bans and what they mean for your licence.
- 8 tools
Calculators
Free tools that explain UK driving costs, stopping distances and other numbers drivers ask about.
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Latest guides
Rules & FinesDrug Driving Law UK: Limits, Prescribed Medicines and Penalties
Drug driving in the UK: the legal blood limits for all 17 drugs, including cannabis at 2 micrograms per litre, how roadside testing works, the rules for prescribed medicines, and the ban, fine and prison penalties.
Rules & FinesDrink Driving Penalties UK: Bans, Fines and Prison Explained
Drink driving means a ban of at least 12 months, up to 6 months in prison and an unlimited fine. The Sentencing Council ban table by alcohol level, high risk offenders, and why it stays on your record for 11 years.
Rules & FinesMobile Phone Driving Law UK: The Rules, Exceptions and Penalties
Using a hand-held phone while driving means a £200 fine and 6 points, and new drivers lose their licence. What the law covers since 2022, the exceptions, hands-free rules and the penalties.
Rules & FinesSpeeding Fines UK: Fixed Penalties, Court Fines and Points Explained
Speeding fines in the UK: the £100 and 3 points fixed penalty, speed awareness courses, the Sentencing Council court fine bands, maximum fines, bans, and what speeding points mean for new drivers.
Lessons & InstructorsLearner Driver Insurance: The Rules, Your Options and the Penalties
How learner drivers can be insured to practise with family or friends, the supervisor rules insurers add, what the Financial Ombudsman warns about, and the penalties for driving uninsured. No sales, just the rules.
LicencesAutomatic vs Manual Driving Licence: What You Can Drive and How to Upgrade
Pass in a manual and you can drive both. Pass in an automatic and you get code 78 and can only drive automatics. What each licence means, DVSA pass rates, and how to upgrade without a new theory test.
Every figure has a source
Test fees, pass marks and driving rules change, and a lot of advice online is out of date. Before a guide goes live, each fee, time limit and rule in it is checked against GOV.UK or the DVSA, and the page shows the date we last checked it.
Our guides are researched and drafted with the help of AI tools, then fact-checked, edited and approved by our team. RoadReadyHub is managed and maintained by Kapil and his team.
RoadReadyHub is independent and isn’t affiliated with the DVSA, DVLA or GOV.UK.