Learning to drive has long been a rite of passage for youngsters wanting a UK driving licence, but in recent years there have been additional hurdles to navigate, making passing the test a stressful experience for many. More stringent theory tests, long waiting times, the availability of third-party apps to jump queues and looming restrictions on freshly qualified drivers have compounded the pressure of using L plates.
As a father whose two teenagers have passed their tests in the past 24 months, I’ve experienced it all and feel well equipped to share some hints and tips I’ve picked up along the way. With an understanding of how the system works, diligent planning and a shrewd choice of car it is possible to learn to drive with minimum inconvenience and maximum chance of scoring a pass, hopefully first time.
Read on for the CarGurus guide to supporting a young person through the 2026 driving test.
What I’ve learned about getting a young person through the 2026 driving test
- Order your provisional driving licence early
- Decide whether to book a driving instructor or be self-taught
- Practice makes perfect
- Your choice of car makes a big difference
- How to prepare for the theory test
- Calculate when to book your driving test
- Research where to take your driving test
- Never use a third-party service or app to book a test
- Preparation for the driving test itself
- “I’m pleased to say you’ve passed”
1. Order your provisional driving licence early
Did you know you can apply for your provisional driving licence as young as 15 years and nine months old? The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is pretty efficient nowadays and turns around forms quickly, so we’d recommend applying in good time before the seventeenth birthday rolls around. You can drive with L plates on the day you turn 17 and hold a provisional licence, so get that haircut, take an ID photo approved by the learner, and apply here for £34.
2. Decide whether to book a driving instructor or be self-taught
Discuss with your family how you’ll learn to drive. Most people rely on the services of a professional driving instructor, but be warned that hourly rates are typically £35-£45 an hour, maybe reaching £55 in London (with discounts for block bookings).
Word of mouth is crucial here: tap into local networks of friends and family to find a teacher who comes recommended and with whom you believe your child will forge a strong working relationship. Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) must be registered with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the DVSA website lets you check their qualifications.
Parents who are confident drivers may prefer to do some teaching themselves and I inadvertently taught my son George to drive right until the month before his test, when I realised I needed help to teach certain manoeuvres the correct way. Don’t underestimate the experience and skill of professional instructors; they know local test routes and the nuance of what examiners will be looking for come test day. You’ll be surprised how many criteria have changed since driving tests in the 1990s…
3. Practice makes perfect
However you choose to teach your child to drive, it’s imperative that you practise and reinforce the learnings regularly away from official driving lessons. The more time behind the wheel the better and going for drives with parents in the evenings or at weekends is a great way to get more experience under the learner’s belt. We did this hybrid learning with both my children and it served us well, saving hundreds of pounds in tuition fees. Just remember you can’t drive on motorways as a provisional driver.
4. Your choice of car makes a big difference
Families must consider which car a young learner can use to practise when they’re not using an instructor’s vehicle. Do you own an appropriate car already? Or might you need to buy a small car that will be easy to learn in and cheap to buy, insure and run? Use CarGurus buying guides to find a suitable choice.
We’d recommend a small model for ease of parking, a manual transmission so you can qualify to drive anything (take the test in an automatic and you’re restricted to two-pedal driving in perpetuity) and it’s important to seek a car with a low insurance rating. All new vehicles are assigned a grouping from 1-50 based on their cost to repair and the cheapest policies will be awarded to the lowest categories. We chose a Skoda Citigo for our children to learn to drive in and found a 2014 example with just 27,000 miles on the clock for £4,000; crucially, it falls in insurance group 1, meaning we could minimise the cost of cover for young drivers – while its sub-100g/km CO2 rating means it also qualified for free road tax for the first couple of years, rising to £20 a year since recent changes to Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). A carefully selected city car or supermini with a manual transmission is a sound bet.
5. How to prepare for the theory test
Since 1996 new drivers have faced a two-part driving test in the UK: a theory exam in a classroom and the separate practical driving test on the road. The theory element is split in two parts: 50 multiple choice questions on the Highway Code (pass mark 43 out of 50), followed by a video hazard perception test (pass mark 44 out of 75). Various apps and books provide practice material for this and we found rehearsing road sign recognition while parents drive provides useful learning opportunities outside of formal lessons.
Your theory test pass lasts for two years, after which you’ll have to resit. Book only via the official Gov.uk site where theory tests cost £23. Availability is good and slots are usually bookable in just a couple of weeks.
6. Calculate when to book your driving test
Theory test secured, you’ll be working with your driving instructor and family to estimate when you’ll be ready to book the actual driving test. This is where things get trickier, with long waits for slots suffered by the majority of learners in recent years; the average waiting time in the UK between booking and taking a driving test averages 9.7 weeks, but double that is not uncommon.
Two root causes are to blame: a shortage of examiners and the proliferation of third-party apps and services, which were block-booking test slots at scale. This tout-like practice was banned this year, meaning that only learner drivers can now book driving tests individually.
It seems to be working. Between June 2025 and May 2026 the government claims a quarter of a million extra tests were completed, compared with a year earlier. Our advice? Get a feel for the learner’s rate of progress and book the driving test early. It’s often useful to have a target to aim for and you can always push your test slot back if the learner doesn’t feel ready (though since March 2026, this can only be done twice).
7. Research where to take your driving test
Next you’ll have to decide which test centre will be best. Your preference should be a local area with which the learner is familiar, but you should also check the waiting times at different centres. It’s not uncommon for learners to travel a small distance for an earlier test slot and we switched from Peterborough to Kettering for precisely this reason. You could even check the official pass rate for each individual centre to try and game the system to maximise your chances of passing. But mostly we’d recommend sticking to an area with roads you know well. As part of the 2026 crackdown, you will only be offered a choice of the three nearest test centres if you are looking to rebook an earlier slot, effectively preventing ‘driving test tourism.’
8. Never use a third-party service or app to book a test
As explained above, since May 2026 it has been illegal to book a driving test via third parties, including unofficial test booking or cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors. Don’t fall for any dodgy ads or claims online and make sure you book direct using the secure Gov.uk address in a web browser. You should never pay more than the official DVSA fee of £62 for a weekday or £75 for an evening or weekend test slot.
Remember new slots are released weekly, so it might be worth getting up at 6am on a Monday if you can’t find a suitable time for your test at your preferred location.
9. Preparation for the driving test itself
There’s no substitute for practice when it comes to preparing for the big day. Miles under the belt, with instructors and parents, is the best advice we can give. We’d recommend taking the test in a familiar car, whether that’s an instructor’s or your own. If the latter, make sure it’s in roadworthy condition with no warning lights showing, or you’ll risk an immediate fail with no refund. You’ll also need a detachable rear-view mirror, so the examiner can see behind (easily available from Halfords or Amazon). Turn up early on the day, make sure you’re fresh and well rested, have a good meal beforehand and do your best to stay calm and composed throughout.
10. “I’m pleased to say you’ve passed”
Hopefully all this hard work and preparation will pay off. Remember if you are among the 49% of learners who pass, you cannot drive home in your own car, unless you’ve told your insurer that you are no longer on a provisional licence and paid any additional premium owing. If you’re feeling nervous, you can voluntarily upgrade from L to P plates, to indicate to other road users that you are a newly qualified driver. And the government is consulting on a raft of proposals which would place new drivers on a two-year probation, during which they would have lower blood alcohol limits and other restrictions to keep them safer behind the wheel.
Hopefully this list drawn on my own family experiences will prove useful. And remember: it’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass first time. While it can be frustrating to fail, having to book a retest will allow you further time to practise and become a better driver.
So whether you’re a 17-year-old looking to learn fast or a family member doing some of the legwork to prepare a young person for their test, good luck with the process of learning to drive!
