Booking a driving test is the easy part. Booking itself takes about ten minutes. The hard part is what comes next: at most test centres the first date you are offered is months away.
What you need before you start
- Your provisional driving licence number, the 16 characters on the front of your licence
- Your theory test pass certificate number, from the letter you got when you passed
- A debit or credit card
- Your instructor's reference number if you want them to see the booking, which is optional
You cannot book a practical test without a valid theory pass. If you have lost the certificate number, it can be looked up.
What it costs
The test fee is £62 for a weekday test, or £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. That goes to the DVSA.
What that fee does not get you is a date worth having. At most centres the first slot you are shown is months out, which is the part this page is really about.
When dates appear
A new week of appointments is released at 6am every Monday, always 24 weeks ahead. That is the only scheduled release. Everything else that appears does so at random, when another learner moves or cancels their test.
This is why checking at 6am on a Monday only helps if you want a date six months out. The earlier dates do not arrive on a timetable.
The real problem: the date you get offered
Those are the latest official figures. Nearly half of all test centres have nothing at all inside the booking window, so the date you are shown is simply the furthest ahead the system allows, not a real gap in demand.
Yet half of all learners who actually sat a test waited 11.9 weeks or less. The gap between those two numbers is made up of people who did not sit the date they first booked. They took an earlier one that came free.
What to do when there are no dates
- Book something anywayTake the date you are offered, even if it is months away. You cannot move a test you do not have, and holding one costs nothing extra.
- Check which centres near you are quickerThe wait is not the same everywhere. Our waiting times table covers every centre in England, Scotland and Wales.
- Watch for cancellationsEarlier dates come free every day. Read how driving test cancellations work and why they appear.
Remember that once you hold a booking you can only move it to one of the three centres nearest to where it is booked, or back to the one you first booked at, and a car test can be changed twice.
How we help
Tell us your test centre and the months that suit you. We watch for an earlier date and let you know by SMS and WhatsApp as soon as one comes free. Reply YES to take it, NO and we keep looking. There is nothing to pay upfront and you only pay once we have found you a test.
Find me an earlier testNothing to pay upfront
Questions about booking a driving test
How long does it take to book a driving test?
About ten minutes, as long as you have your licence number, theory pass number and a card to hand. Getting a date you actually want is the slow part, and that is what we help with.
How much does a driving test cost?
£62 for a weekday test, or £75 for evenings, weekends and bank holidays. That goes to the DVSA when you book.
Can I book a driving test without passing my theory?
No. A practical test can only be booked with a valid theory pass certificate number, and it must still be valid on the day of the practical.
Why are there no driving test dates available?
Because nearly half of all centres are booked right to the edge of the 24 week window. It does not mean nothing will come free, only that nothing is showing at that moment.
Can somebody else book my driving test for me?
No. Only the learner taking the test can book or manage it.