Using your own car for your test

You can take your driving test in your own car rather than your driving instructor’s if it meets certain rules.

Your test will be cancelled and you’ll have to pay again if your car does not meet the rules.

Rules about the car

Your car must

have no warning lights showing, for example, the airbag warning light
have no tyre damage and meet the legal tread depth on each tyre – you must not have a space-saver spare tyre
be roadworthy
be fitted with an extra interior rear-view mirror for the examiner
be fitted with a passenger seatbelt and a passenger head restraint for the examiner (slip-on types are not allowed)
be able to reach at least 62mph and have an mph speedometer
be fitted with L-plates (‘L’ or ‘D’ plates in Wales) on the front and rear
have 4 wheels and meet the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of no more than 3,500 kg

The MAM is the limit on how much the car can weigh when it’s loaded. It’ll be in the car’s handbook.

Tax and insurance

Your car must

be taxed
have a current MOT (if it’s over 3 years old)
be insured for a driving test (check with your insurance company)

Cleaning your car

You should tidy your car before your test. This includes removing any rubbish or unnecessary items from the dashboard, footwells, door pockets, cup holders and seats.Your car must be smoke-free – this means you cannot smoke in it just before or during the test

Dashcams and other cameras

You can use a camera fitted for insurance purposes, as long as it

faces outside of the car and does not film the inside
does not record audio from inside the car

Vehicle features

You can use a car with

an electronic parking brake
hill-start assist

Manual and automatic cars

You can take the test in a

manual car – these have 3 pedals
automatic or semi-automatic car – these have 2 pedal

If you take your test in a semi-automatic car you’ll only be able to drive automatic and semi-automatic cars once you’ve passed your test.

Hire cars

You can take your test in a hire car if it’s fitted with dual controls and meets all the other rules.

Cars you cannot use

Some cars cannot be used in the test because they do not give the examiner all-round vision.

You cannot use the following

any panel van (cars without rear seats or rear side windows)
BMW 218 convertible
BMW Mini convertible
Ford KA convertible
Smart Fortwo (2-door)
Toyota iQ
VW Beetle convertible

There might be other cars that you cannot use. This is because not every model has been used in a test before, and some may not give the examiner all-round vision.