Recent changes
-
You can only move your driving test to a nearby centre
If you change the test centre for a car driving test, you can only move it to one of the 3 centres nearest to where your test is currently booked, or back to the centre you first booked.
What it means for you: Book at the centre you actually plan to use.
Source: GOV.UK: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026
-
Only you can book and manage your driving test
Only the learner can now book, change, swap or cancel their own car driving test. Driving instructors and unofficial booking or cancellation-finder services can’t do it for you, and it’s against the law to book a test for someone else.
What it means for you: Agree with your instructor that you’re ready, then book on GOV.UK yourself. You can add your instructor’s reference number so they’re available on the day. The official fee is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
Source: GOV.UK: End of the road for unofficial driving test booking services
-
Only 2 changes to a driving test booking
You can make 2 changes to a car driving test booking, down from 6. Changing the date, time or centre, or swapping with another learner, counts as a change; changing several at once counts as one. If DVSA moves your test, for example for bad weather, you get your 2 changes back.
What it means for you: Pick a date you’re realistically going to be ready for. If you need more changes, you’ll have to cancel and book again (with a full refund if you cancel at least 10 full working days before).
Source: GOV.UK: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026
-
New first aid questions in the theory test
DVSA is adding more questions on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and, for the first time, questions on using a defibrillator (AED). DVSA says this adds no cost, time or difficulty to the test.
What it means for you: Make sure you know the basics: if someone has collapsed and isn’t breathing, call 999 and start CPR, and ask someone to find a defibrillator. Our app’s Incidents, Accidents and Emergencies topic covers first aid.
Source: GOV.UK: New theory test questions aim to boost cardiac arrest survival rate
-
10 working days’ notice to change a driving test
To change or cancel a car driving test without losing the fee, you need to give 10 full working days’ notice, up from 3. Monday to Saturday count as working days. Theory tests still need 3 full working days’ notice.
What it means for you: Check your deadline in your booking details. You can still ask for a refund at short notice for illness, injury, bereavement, a school or college exam, or a stolen licence.
Source: GOV.UK: New rule for driving test changes and cancellations
Being considered
These have been proposed but not decided. We’ll move them up to recent changes only once they’re confirmed.
Proposal: not decided
A minimum learning period before the driving test
The Department for Transport consulted from 7 January to 11 May 2026 on a minimum time between passing the theory test and taking the driving test, and asked for views on a minimum number of supervised driving hours and a set syllabus.
Nothing has changed yet. Until the government announces a decision, you can book your driving test as soon as you’ve passed your theory test.
Source: GOV.UK: Introducing a minimum learning period for learner drivers
Earlier changes that shape today’s test
| 29 January 2022 | The Highway Code’s hierarchy of road users. New rules H1 to H3 put the road users most at risk first. Drivers turning at a junction should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross. Expect questions on these. GOV.UK |
|---|---|
| 28 September 2020 | Video questions replaced the written case study. You watch a short, silent video clip and answer 3 multiple-choice questions about it. You can replay the clip as often as you like. GOV.UK |
| 4 June 2018 | Learner drivers allowed on motorways. Only with an approved driving instructor, in a car with dual controls. GOV.UK |
| 23 January 2012 | Real test questions no longer published. You practise with revision questions that are similar to, but not the same as, the ones in the test. GOV.UK |
What hasn’t changed
The car theory test still has 50 multiple-choice questions in 57 minutes, with 43 needed to pass, followed by the hazard perception part, and you need to pass both on the same day. It costs £23. Your pass certificate lasts 2 years. Our guide to the theory test explained covers it in full.
How we keep this page up to date
We check DVSA and Department for Transport announcements on GOV.UK regularly and only list a change once it’s confirmed there. If you spot something we’ve missed, please let us know. If anything here differs from GOV.UK, GOV.UK is right.