UK driving test cost £62 weekday, £75 evening or weekend.
That is the DVSA fee. The full cost of getting your licence, including provisional, theory, lessons and the inevitable retake or two, is £1,500 to £2,800. This guide is the independent breakdown the GOV.UK fee table doesn’t give you.
- £62Weekday fee
- 10+ yrNo price rise
- 49%Pass rate
- 15 wkAvg wait
Today’s test fee
£62.00
Mon-Fri, 0700-1900
Weekday
£62
Eve/Wknd
£75
Extended
£124
Test structure
- Eyesight check2 min
- Show me / tell me2 q
- Driving (incl. 20 min independent)38 min
- One manoeuvre3-5 min
Three numbers, three rules.
Every car practical test in Great Britain falls into one of these three slots. The DVSA charges the same regardless of where you book.
£62
Standard car practical, 0700-1900 Monday to Friday. The slot most instructors push for. Frozen since October 2015.
- ✓ Cheapest option
- ✓ Most slot availability
- ✓ Same test content
£75
Weekday evenings after 1830, all day Saturday and Sunday, plus bank holidays. The premium pays the examiner, not a different test.
- ! £13 more per attempt
- ! Limited weekend slots
- ! Easier to fit around work
£124
Required after a court disqualification. Roughly 70 minutes of driving, tougher route. £150 for evening or weekend slots.
- ! About 2x normal length
- ! Court-ordered only
- ! Weekend version £150
Source: DVSA published rates, current at April 2026. Always check GOV.UK before booking.
What it actually takes to get a UK licence.
Test fee aside, here’s the typical bill from “I want to learn” to licence-in-hand for a learner in the Midlands paying weekly. London adds roughly £400-£600. Northern Ireland subtracts a similar amount.
| Cost item | Detail | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provisional licence | Online via GOV.UK; £43 by post | £34 | £34 | £43 |
| Theory test | Multiple choice + hazard perception | £23 | £23 | £23 |
| Driving lessons | ~45 hours at £30-£45/hr | £1,050 | £1,575 | £2,025 |
| Practical test | Weekday £62 / Eve-Wknd £75 | £62 | £62 | £75 |
| Retake (if you fail) | Test fee + 5-10 extra hours | £0 | £362 | £537 |
| Typical learner total | First-time pass to two-attempt range | £1,169 | £2,056 | £2,703 |
Lessons assume the DVSA-recommended 45 hours. Many learners spend more. Excludes optional extras like learner-driver insurance for private practice (£100-£300) and study materials.
What will it actually cost you?
The test fee is just one line on a much longer bill. Move the dials to model your full learner-driver budget, including extra lessons after a fail.
DVSA recommends 45 hours of professional lessons plus 22 hours of private practice.
National pass rate is 49%. Many learners take 2+ attempts. Each retake adds the test fee plus 5-10 extra lessons.
Estimated total
£1,649
Provisional, theory, lessons, practical and retakes combined.
Breakdown
- Provisional licence£34
- Theory test£23
- Lessons (45h × £34)£1,530
- Practical test (weekday)£62
- Total£1,649
Estimates only. Lesson rates are regional averages, real prices vary by instructor. The DVSA fee is fixed.
Numbers worth knowing before you book.
Years frozen
10+
The £62 fee has not risen since October 2015. In real terms that is a ~20% discount versus 2015 prices. Why →
National pass rate
49%
Half of candidates fail. Centre-by-centre it ranges from 35% to 80%+, which has huge cost implications. See data →
Average wait
15 wk
The DVSA hopes to hit 7 weeks by summer. Today, big-city centres run 18-22 weeks. Cancellation tactics →
Refund deadline
3 days
Cancel 3+ working days ahead for a full £62 refund. Less notice and you forfeit the lot. Rules →
You’ll get one of these. You won’t know which.
Every test includes exactly one manoeuvre. The examiner picks at random. Practise all four with your instructor; nailing them eliminates a whole category of serious-fault risk.
Roughly 1 in 3 tests also includes the emergency stop. If asked, the examiner will pull you over and brief you first.
Read the full test-day walkthroughForward bay park
Drive forward into a marked bay, then reverse out. Most often used in test-centre car parks.
Reverse bay park
Reverse straight into a bay, then drive out. Examiner expects you to finish within the lines on both sides.
Parallel park
Reverse-park behind a car at the kerb, finishing reasonably close and parallel. Two car-lengths long, no kerb-hit.
Pull up & reverse on the right
Pull up on the right-hand side of a road, reverse two car lengths, then rejoin traffic safely.
Every cost question, answered properly.
We split the bill into twelve focused pages. Pick the one that matches where you are in the process.
All DVSA fees
Car, motorbike, LGV, PCV, ADI and Northern Ireland in one table.
→budgetTotal cost of learning
Provisional + theory + lessons + practical, with hidden costs.
→dataTest centre pass rates
Easiest, hardest, and what each centre means for your wallet.
→diaryBooking & waiting
How to book, current waits, cancellations, refunds.
→failFailing & retaking
Faults, the 15-minor rule, and what each retake actually costs.
→tacticHow to save money
Eight specific savings, with pound amounts on every tip.
→compareAuto vs manual
Same test fee, different lesson cost, different licence.
→routeOn the day
Step by step, with timings for every part of the test.
→tipHow to pass first time
Specific tactics for the top three fault categories.
→mapLesson costs by region
Hourly rates and 45-hour totals for 10 UK regions.
→afterCosts after passing
Insurance, tax, MOT, fuel: the £3,000 to £5,000 first year.
→archiveFee history
Why £62 has not changed since October 2015.
→Driving test cost FAQ.
How much is the driving test in the UK?+
The UK practical driving test costs £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The fee has been frozen since October 2015. The extended test, taken after a court disqualification, costs £124 on weekdays and £150 on evenings or weekends. You can only book through GOV.UK; third-party booking sites add admin fees for the same slot.
How much does it cost to learn to drive in total?+
Plan for £1,500 to £2,800 to get your full UK licence. The breakdown: provisional licence £34, theory test £23, around 45 hours of lessons at £30 to £45 per hour (£1,350 to £2,025), the practical test £62 to £75. Failing once and retaking adds another £237 to £537. Regional differences are large: London averages £500 to £700 more than the North East.
Why is the weekend driving test more expensive?+
The weekend or evening fee is £13 more (£75 instead of £62) because the DVSA pays examiners a premium for working unsocial hours. The test itself is identical: same routes, same examiners, same scoring. There is no evidence weekend tests have different pass rates.
What is the UK driving test pass rate?+
The national pass rate is around 49%. It varies enormously by test centre: rural Scottish centres like Barra hit 80% plus, while busy London centres such as Belvedere drop to about 35%. Men pass slightly more often than women (51% vs 47%) but instructor quality and hours of practice matter far more than gender or age.
Can I get a refund if I cancel my driving test?+
Yes, the full fee is refundable if you cancel at least 3 clear working days before the test. Less notice means you forfeit the fee. You can change your test date up to 6 times for free with the same notice rule. Cancel or change online via GOV.UK using your booking reference.
How long is the wait for a driving test?+
The national average waiting time is around 15 weeks. Major-city centres run 18 to 22 weeks; rural centres can be under 8 weeks. Cancellation finder services like Testi or DTC4A claim earlier slots for £15 to £30, but the same slots appear free on GOV.UK if you check daily. The DVSA does not endorse any third-party finder.
How many minor faults can you make on the driving test?+
Up to 15 driving faults (minors) and you still pass. One serious or one dangerous fault is an automatic fail, regardless of how the rest of the drive went. Repeated minors in the same category (for example, three mirror checks missed) can be marked up to a serious by examiner discretion.
Is it cheaper to learn in an automatic?+
The DVSA test fee is identical. Automatic lessons cost £3 to £6 per hour more, but learners typically need fewer hours (no clutch and gear skills to master). Net cost is often roughly the same. The trade-off is the licence restriction: an automatic licence does not let you drive a manual.