How Much Is a Driving Test? UK Practical Test Costs

Last checked: 13 September 2026

The test fee is only one part of what it costs to get a licence, and it’s rarely the part that surprises people. Late changes, resits and paying a third-party website to book can quietly double what you spend. This guide sets out the official fees for every practical test, then shows where the money tends to leak.

Fees here are for tests in England, Scotland and Wales, booked with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Tests in Northern Ireland have different costs.

UK practical driving test fees

Test	Weekdays	Evenings, weekends and bank holidays
Car driving test	£62	£75
Extended car test (disqualified drivers)	£124	£150
Motorcycle module 1 (off-road)	£15.50	£15.50
Motorcycle module 2 (on-road)	£75	£88.50
Extended motorcycle test (disqualified riders)	£150	£177
Lorry and bus: Driver CPC part 3a (off-road)	£40	£40
Lorry and bus: Driver CPC part 3b (on-road)	£115	£141
Lorry and bus: Driver CPC part 4 (practical demonstration)	£55	£63
Tractor and other specialist vehicles	£62	£75

The lorry and bus fees are the same for every category, including C1, C, D1 and D. Your part 3a test may cost up to £40 if you take it with an approved test provider rather than DVSA. Source: Driving test costs on GOV.UK.

Is an evening or weekend test worth the extra £13?

For a car test, the gap between a weekday slot and an evening, weekend or bank holiday slot is £13. Any test starting at 4:30pm or later counts as an evening test. Test centres don’t offer evening and weekend tests all the time, and any that are available show up when you book or look for an earlier date.

Whether it’s worth it depends on what a weekday test would cost you in other ways. If taking a morning off work means losing pay, £13 may be the cheaper option. If you’re flexible, a weekday slot saves the money, and paying extra for a slot that isn’t convenient anyway makes little sense.

The official cost of getting a car licence

Before you can take a practical test you need a provisional licence and a theory test pass. Here’s what the official fees come to if everything goes right first time:

Official fee	Weekday test	Evening or weekend test
First provisional licence (applied for online)	£34	£34
Car theory test	£23	£23
Car practical test	£62	£75
Total official fees	£119	£132

A provisional licence costs £43 if you apply by post instead of online. More detail on the theory fee is in our guide to how much a theory test costs.

Lessons are the biggest cost by far, and there’s no official price because instructors set their own rates. There’s also no minimum number of lessons you must have before you take your test. One useful benchmark comes from DVSA itself: when it refunds hire vehicle costs for a cancelled test, it uses £76 as the average cost of 2 hours of driving lessons.

When you lose your test fee

This is where most avoidable costs come from. You’ll have to pay again if:

• You change or cancel too late. For a car test you need to give at least 10 full working days’ notice. For all other tests it’s 3 full working days. Monday to Saturday count as working days, but Sundays and public holidays don’t.
• You don’t pass. You pay the full fee again, and the new date must be at least 10 working days away for a car test.
• You don’t bring the right things. That means your UK driving licence and a car that meets the rules. If you forget them, the test is cancelled and you don’t get your money back.
• The test can’t be finished because of you or your car. For example, if you become unwell during the test or the car breaks down.

The 10-working-day rule for car tests is the one that catches people most. Because Sundays and public holidays don’t count, 10 full working days works out at nearly two weeks on the calendar, and longer around bank holidays. If there’s any chance you’ll need to move your test, decide early.

Changing your test without paying twice

You can change a car test appointment up to 2 times (other tests can be changed up to 6 times). Changing the date and the test centre at once only counts as one change. You must make the change yourself: your driving instructor isn’t allowed to do it for you, and it’s against the law to book a car driving test for someone else.

If you’re hoping for an earlier date, it helps to know how appointments appear. New tests are added 24 weeks in advance and released at 6am every Monday. Earlier slots, often called cancellations, appear whenever another learner changes or cancels, at any time of the week. There’s no official waiting list or cancellation list, so you can check the official change service yourself between 6am and 11:40pm.

What if DVSA cancels your test?

If DVSA cancels your test with less than 3 full working days’ notice, you can claim some of your costs back, as long as you apply within 6 months. For a car test, that can include up to 2 hours of lessons at your instructor’s standard rate for the use of their car, or up to £76 if you hired a vehicle, plus lost earnings if you took unpaid leave.

You can’t claim if the test was cancelled because of bad weather, poor light, a problem with the vehicle or a problem with you, such as feeling unwell. The details are on GOV.UK’s page about claiming expenses when DVSA cancels your test.

Don’t pay a booking website more than the official fee

The prices on this page are for booking through GOV.UK, and GOV.UK notes that unofficial websites usually charge more. Always check the web address ends in gov.uk before you pay. If you already have a test booked and want an earlier one, the official change service lets you search for earlier dates yourself.

Taking your test in Northern Ireland?

Driving tests in Northern Ireland are run by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) and have different costs. Check the current fees on nidirect before you book.

Sources: Driving test costs, Change your driving test appointment, Claim expenses if DVSA cancelled your driving test and Apply for your first provisional driving licence, all on GOV.UK. See also: how long a driving test takes and show me, tell me questions.