The minimum test vehicle standards for a car also apply to a
car
practical test, with additional requirements for the trailer. Vehicles that do not meet the minimum test vehicle requirements are not
suitable for the purpose of taking a test, and your test may be cancelled with loss of fee.
Test vehicle requirements for a car test and car and trailer test Category B - cars and vans
Cars or vans presented for test must be:
- A four wheeled vehicle of no more than 3500 kilograms (kg) maximum authorised mass (MAM)
- Capable of a speed of at least 100 kilometres per hour (km/h) or 62.5 miles per hour (mph)
The car or van must also be fitted with:
- A seatbelt for the examiner
- A passenger head restraint, this need not be adjustable but must be fitted as an integral part of the seat - 'slip on'
type head restraints are not permitted
- An interior mirror for the examiner's use
- L-plates displayed on the front and rear of the vehicle but not interfering with the driver's or examiner's view
- A speedometer that measures speed in miles per hour and kilometres per hour
The vehicle must be legal and roadworthy and have no warning lights showing i.e. the airbag warning light.
Convertible vehicles
The Ford KA convertible and Mini convertible due to the lack of all-round vision for the examiner are not suitable
vehicles for a
Driving practical test vehicle requirement.
Category B1
A motor powered tricycle or quadricycle must have an unladen weight of not more than 550 kg and be capable of at
least 60 km/h (37.25 mph).
Category B + E - car and trailer
Cars or vans presented for test must be a category B vehicle towing a suitably braked, unladen trailer of at least one
tonne MAM . The examiner may ask for evidence of the trailer MAM, for example the manufacturer's plate. All vehicle combinations must operate on
appropriate brakes and utilise a coupling arrangement suitable for the weight.
Please Note about Driving practical test vehicle
requirement:
Irrespective of the date vehicles were first registered, from 1 April 2006 externally mounted, nearside and offside
mirrors for use by the examiner or any person supervising the test must be fitted.
In the case of a category B+E vehicle first used on or after the 1 October 2003 the following additional standards will
apply:
The cargo compartment of the trailer must consist of a closed box body which is at least as wide and as high as the
towing vehicle; the closed box body may also be slightly less wide than the towing vehicle provided that the view to the rear is only possible by
use of the external rear-view mirrors of the towing vehicle.
Source - Driving Standard Agency
