Frequently asked questions about ELITE

Possibly

Some of our instructors' insurance policies only cover them to carry another ADI (Approved Driving Instructor) or DSA Official (examiner) in the back of the car whilst instruction is taking place. You can ask your instructor once allocated if their insurance allows non-official observers, as it may be possible, and beneficial experience for you.

Unfortunately, yes

The DVSA examiners are regularly 'check tested' themselves to ensure quality standards are met and that learner drivers like yourself are being tested fairly. If this happens, you need to remember that the examiner in the back of the car is watching the other examiner, not you. They will make themselves as inconspicuous as possible so as not to put you off. Unfortunately you can’t refuse to have another examiner sitting in on the test.

No

This is sometimes known as 'piggy backing' and is done to save the instructor time between lessons by picking up the next pupil before the end of the previous lesson. We see this as totally unacceptable, as you are paying your instructor for that time. However, if you want to have a friend or relative sit in on a lesson ask your instructor if their insurance will allow this.

Yes, providing 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 fitted, as these are speed limited
• Be generally roadworthy (in a condition that it would pass an MOT test)
• Be fitted with an extra interior rear-view mirror for the examiner (Available to buy from most motoring stores)
• 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

Tax and insurance

You won’t be asked to provide proof of the following, but you will sign a declaration at the start of the test to confirm that your car:

• Is taxed
• Has a current MOT (if it’s over 3 years old)
• Is fully insured for a driving test (check with your insurance company)

Cleaning your car

Make a good impression! Your car is now the examiner’s work place, so 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.

If the examiner can smell smoke, or feels that condition or contents of a car could present a risk, then they can refuse to do the test and it could be cancelled, and you will loose your test fee.

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
• Reversing camera
• Parking sensors
• hill-start assist
• Cruise control

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 pedals

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, has suitable insurance cover, 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 any of the following:

• 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.

Check if your car can be used before booking a test

You can check if your car can be used by contacting the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

Always check if you want to use a:

• convertible car
• panel van
• coupe (a car with a fixed roof, two doors and a sloping rear)

DVSA driving test enquiries
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Telephone: 0300 200 1122
Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm

This might be possible

It depends on your insurance policy. Some policies have exclusions on using your vehicle for professional driving tuition. You will need to check your policy conditions prior to booking lessons, and proof of a valid insurance policy will need to be seen by your instructor at the start of the first lesson. We would suggest that using your instructor's dual controlled vehicle would be the best and safest option.

Yes

It is a good idea to take some practical lessons before the theory test to help develop your knowledge. We will also provide you with our FREE Theory Test Pro App, and you can screenshot anything you are unsure about and discuss it with your instructor on lessons.

You can find information on booking both theory and practical tests  here.

Please see our Driving Theory Test page

You can apply on the Government website online here

There is an ever increasing demand for automatic driving lessons. There are many reasons why you might want to drive an automatic.

These include:

• A friend or relative owns an automatic, which you will be driving
• The introduction of more vehicles which have hybrid (part electric) or full electric technology, and therefore are automatic.
• More and more new automatic vehicles are being sold year on year as technologies develop and automatics become more affordable.
• It used to be just bigger, more “executive” cars were automatic, but now automatics are readily available across the full model range, including small “city” cars, as well as family cars, SUVs, and even vans, lorries and buses.    
• If you are going to be driving around town more than open roads then automatics significantly reduce the effort needed, as there is no operating the clutch to change gear. In an automatic you use just one foot, with two pedals, one to stop and one to go.
• You may have a medical reason.
• You feel more comfortable not having to worry about the clutch, and have more time focus on the road.

You must remember though, that if you pass your test in an automatic, you will be restricted to only being permitted to drive an automatic. A test pass in a manual car will permit you to drive both manual and automatic vehicles. If you pass in an automatic, you can take another test in a manual car to upgrade your licence to manual. Let us know when you enquire what type of lessons you want.

Any practice is good practice

If you have a suitable vehicle and accompanying driver to carry out private practice between lessons, your instructor will give you their professional advice on what you should work on. Each individual pupil progresses differently, and each vehicle has different characteristics, so your instructor will develop your instruction accordingly. You just need to be careful that you don’t slip into bad habits, as your friend or family member will probably not be as observant as your instructor, and may have ingrained bad driving habits themselves.

Each individual pupil learns at a different rate. According to statistics from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, a learner driver who passes their driving test has, on average, about 45 hours of professional training combined with 22 hours of private practice. However, this is the national average figure and many pass with far fewer lessons, and some will require more.

Your instructor will provide you with a detailed lesson structure and advise you on your progress using a Driver's Progress Record on our FREE ELITE Total Drive App. This will include a guide of what to practise between lessons when you have a car and supervising driver available. For more information on how to know whether you are ready to pass visit www.readytopass.campaign.gov.uk/driving-skills/track-progress-learning.

We cover most of South and West London, Surrey, and West Sussex

Click here to see our 'find an instructor' search tool to see if we cover you postcodes.

Since the Covid pandemic the waiting times for driving tests with the DVSA has been horrendous, and in most areas, it is still (as of February 2024) almost impossible to book a test still. However, the situation is slowly improving, and many of our instructors have found ways of booking and bringing tests forwards using third party apps and websites.

We strongly recommend lessons are two hours long

Years of experience of driver training has told us that two-hour lessons are far more productive than just one hour, as more varied road types and topics can be covered, and repetition can take place to help consolidate learning.

Lesson content will also flow more consistently and seamlessly. As a result, a fewer number of lessons are normally needed overall to pass the driving test, which saves the pupil money.

However, if you find 2 hours are physically or mentally too demanding then discuss this with your instructor once allocated, as they may be willing to make an exception and offer you shorter lessons.