UK Driving Test Fees Explained: Weekday, Weekend and Retake

#The official DVSA fees

• Theory test: £23
• Practical car test, weekday: £62
• Practical car test, evening, weekend or bank holiday: £75
• Hazard perception (part of theory): included in the £23
• Extended test (after disqualification): £124 weekday, £150 weekend
• Motorcycle Mod 1 test: £15.50, Mod 2 test: £75 weekday or £88.50 weekend
• LGV (Cat C) test: £115 weekday or £141 weekend

#What counts as a weekday vs weekend

A "weekday" slot is any test starting between Monday and Friday before 4:30pm. After 4:30pm and on Saturdays, Sundays, and bank holidays, the £75 fee applies. The fee is fixed by start time, not duration, so even a 4:35pm test costs the higher rate.

#How fees are paid

You pay at the moment of booking on gov.uk via debit or credit card. There is a small surcharge for credit card use (around 3%). DVSA does not accept cash, cheque, bank transfer, or instalments.

#Refunds and cancellations

You can cancel for a full refund up to three clear working days before the test. Cancel later than that and the fee is forfeit. If DVSA cancels (snow, examiner illness, fire alarm), you receive a full refund automatically and can rebook for free.

#Retake fees

There is no retake discount. Each attempt costs the standard £62 or £75. A learner who passes on the third attempt has paid £186 to £225 in test fees alone, before lesson and theory costs.

#Hidden costs to factor in

• Lesson fees: £30 to £50 per hour, with 45+ hours typical
• Theory test prep apps: free to £20
• Hire of an instructor’s car for the practical (around £50 to £80)
• Private practice fuel and insurance

#Common scams to avoid

#Total cost of getting your licence

Total realistic spend in 2026, from provisional to pass: £1,300 to £2,000 for the average learner who passes on the second attempt. The test fee itself is a small part. The largest cost is lessons, followed by private practice insurance and fuel. Theory test costs (£23, possibly twice if you fail first attempt) add up to under £50 in most cases. The provisional licence application is a one-off £34.

Cost-saving levers a learner actually controls: pick a centre with high first-time pass rate to avoid retake costs, use the official cancellation finder rather than paid services, and pass the theory test once rather than retaking. The first-time pass rate guide covers why first-time matters financially as well as statistically. A learner who passes on first attempt rather than third saves £124 in test fees alone plus the lesson cost of preparation between attempts.

#Fees by test type and category

Car (Cat B) and motorcycle fees are the most commonly asked-about. LGV (Cat C and CE) fees are higher because the tests are longer and the examiner certification more specialised. Trailer category tests were abolished in 2021; if you passed your Cat B test after 16 December 2021 you can tow a trailer up to 3,500kg total combined weight without an additional test. Older licences may still carry the B+E entitlement.

For taxi or PCO licence holders, the standard DVSA test fees apply but additional council or PCO licensing fees come on top. For instructor-track candidates (Approved Driving Instructor), the Part 2 and Part 3 tests cost more and are administered separately. None of these specialised fees affect the standard learner pathway covered above.

#Comparing third-party "test-finder" service costs

Third-party booking services charge £20 to £100 in addition to the standard DVSA fee. They pull data from the same public booking system you can access for free. They have no faster feed and no special slot access. The most aggressive charge fixed monthly fees, then claim to alert you whenever a slot opens within your parameters. Most of these alerts arrive after the slot has been taken, because the gap between an alert and a booking on the official site is usually minutes.

The honest assessment: a learner who can check the official cancellation tool three times a day reliably catches the same slots a paid service would alert them about. The cancellations guide covers the routine that works through GOV.UK directly without the third-party premium.

#Sources and further reading

The figures, fees, and procedures referenced in this article are verifiable on the official gov.uk pages below. PassRates.uk is built on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s open data, published under the Open Government Licence.

• Driving test (gov.uk)
• Driving test fees (gov.uk)
• If you fail your driving test (gov.uk)
• Change or cancel your driving test (gov.uk)
• Theory test (gov.uk)
• Open Government Licence v3.0 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)