In order to drive a car legally in this country you must be 17 years of age and possess a valid provisional driving licence for GB or Northern Ireland.

You can drive accompanied by another driver as long as they are over 21 and have held and still hold a full licence in the relevant vehicle category in which you are driving for at least 3 years.

In order to drive unaccompanied you must have taken and passed the DSA Driving Test which is a practical test of your ability to drive. The test is done at a local Test Centre (see below for Test Centres covered) with a Driving Examiner who will assess your driving against pre determined criteria.

The test normally lasts for 40 minutes, during which time you will be subjected to differing road and traffic conditions. You will be expected to perform 2 manoeuvres and may also be asked to perform an emergency stop. You must not obtain any Dangerous or Serious faults during the drive but you will be allowed to commit up to 15 minor driving faults although several minor faults within the same category could result in a test fail.

Taking a Driving Test can be a stressful experience so we ensure you are properly prepared not only to pass the test but to carry on driving safely throughout the whole of your driving career. Performance feedback is constantly given and mock tests can help with those test nerves.