Driving test with a disability or learning difficulty: what can be adjusted
Updated
If you're taking a driving test with a disability, health condition or learning difficulty, say so when you book. You still have to drive to the same standard to pass, but the examiner can adjust how the test runs: more time for instructions and directions, written notes and hand signals if you're deaf, writing the number plate down if reading is hard, and a choice between sat nav and traffic signs for independent driving.
This guide sets out the adjustments described by GOV.UK and the examiner guidance it publishes, situation by situation, along with how adapted cars and licence codes work and how to prepare in a way that suits you.
Why it's worth declaring at booking
Telling the booking service gives the test centre time to plan. Examiner guidance says more than one test slot is normally set aside when a candidate has declared a disability, partly because of extra paperwork, and two slots are allocated when someone is profoundly deaf in both ears. The examiner's list for the day is marked too, so they come prepared, for example carrying the sat nav and its equipment while also being ready to run a route on traffic signs.
If you don't declare a need, the test usually goes ahead as normal, with any paperwork completed later. The exception is when an adjustment can't be made on the spot: if a hearing difficulty that wasn't declared can't be overcome on the day, the test may have to be postponed and rebooked with more time.
Adjustments by situation
| Situation | What can be adjusted |
|---|---|
| Physical disability | Time at the start to talk through your disability and any adaptations, and more time for instructions and directions if the examiner agrees |
| Deaf or hard of hearing | Written notes explaining the test, the examiner facing you so you can lip read, and directions given as hand signals that are explained beforehand |
| British Sign Language users | A BSL interpreter aged 16 or over, who can be your driving instructor; you arrange and pay them, then claim the cost back after the test |
| Dyslexia or reading difficulties | Writing the number plate down instead of reading it aloud in the eyesight check |
| Dyslexia or dyspraxia affecting directions | The examiner can confirm directions by pointing or with hand signals, and write down place names on a traffic-sign route |
| Learning difficulties | Adjustments to independent driving, such as following traffic signs instead of a sat nav |
| Autism or sensory processing differences | A quieter place to talk first, plenty of time to respond, the option not to chat while driving, and routes chosen with roadworks or low sun in mind where possible |
| Pregnancy | You can take the test at any stage, but you must be able and willing to do an emergency stop |
Examiners are also told to allow coping strategies during independent driving without comment, and to assess the driving itself in the normal way. Adjustments are decided for each candidate, so someone with a declared condition may need very little change, or quite a lot.
Independent driving: choosing what suits you
Independent driving now lasts between 20 and 35 minutes, so it's the part where the right adjustment makes the biggest difference. When examiners know about dyslexia, dyspraxia or a learning difficulty, they're asked to find out which method you handle better, following a sat nav or following traffic signs, and to choose a section that suits your needs. Going off route isn't a fault in itself, whichever method you use.
Practise the method you'll ask for until it feels routine. Our post on sat nav on the UK driving test covers how the examiner's device is set up and used.
Adapted cars and licence codes
If you drive with adaptations, the examiner asks about them and how they work with your disability, and records the details. When you pass, adaptations you need are shown on your licence as codes. Common examples:
- 10: modified transmission, such as automatic gear selection
- 15: modified clutch, for example a hand-operated lever
- 20 and 25: modified braking and accelerator systems, such as hand controls
- 40: modified steering, such as a steering ball
- 42 and 43: modified rear-view mirrors and driver's seat
The codes set the conditions you must meet to drive, so a licence with them only covers vehicles fitted with those adaptations. If you're unsure which adaptations you need, examiners point candidates towards a specialist mobility centre for advice. Your car also has to meet the normal rules for using your own car for the test, and if it has no clutch pedal, see how the automatic driving test affects your licence.
What stays the same
- The pass mark: no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults.
- The parts of the test: the eyesight check, two vehicle safety questions, independent driving, the stops and one reversing exercise.
- The language: tests are conducted in English or Welsh, and foreign-language interpreters aren't allowed; sign language interpreters for deaf candidates are the exception.
- Your right to stop: if you feel unable to continue for any reason, you can ask to end the test.
Preparing in a way that works for you
- Decide how you'll do independent driving, sat nav or traffic signs, and practise that method most.
- Rehearse the eyesight check at 20 metres, writing the plate down if that's your plan.
- Ask your instructor to run the test format with the same adjustments, so nothing on the day is new.
- Mention your needs again when you meet the examiner, and say what helps: the pace of directions, hand signals, or a quiet minute before you start.
- Get to know the area around your test centre at your own pace, before the day.
SteerClear can help with that last step: its practice routes around your test centre come with turn-by-turn voice guidance, drive replay lets you review a drive on the map as often as you like, and Mac, the app's AI driving coach, explains each drive and what to work on next. SteerClear is an independent app and isn't affiliated with GOV.UK or the examiners. For more on the first part of the test, see our post on the eyesight check, and for the whole day, the practical driving test guide.
Our mission: bring the cost of a licence down
The biggest line in the figures above is paid lessons — and how many you need depends on what happens between them. SteerClear exists to push the true cost down: structured practice on test-centre routes between lessons, so every paid hour advances you instead of repeating last week. Getting a licence shouldn't be a financial burden.
FAQ
Can I get extra time on my driving test?
The examiner can agree to give you more time for instructions and directions. Examiner guidance also says more test time is normally allocated when a disability is declared at booking, with two slots for candidates who are profoundly deaf in both ears, so mention your needs when you book.
Can I take my driving test if I have dyslexia?
Yes. Declare it when you book. You can write the number plate down for the eyesight check instead of reading it out, and the examiner can adapt independent driving, for example by letting you follow traffic signs rather than a sat nav, or the other way round, and by writing down place names.
Can I bring a sign language interpreter to my driving test?
Yes. You can take a British Sign Language interpreter who is at least 16, and your driving instructor can act as your interpreter. You arrange the interpreter and pay any fee yourself, then claim the cost back after the test.
Can I take my driving test while pregnant?
Yes, at any stage of pregnancy, but you must be able and willing to do an emergency stop if you're asked. The examiner won't ask whether you're pregnant; if you have concerns about any part of the test, you can raise them, and the decision to continue is yours.
Are there adjustments for autism on the driving test?
Yes, as long as they don't undermine the test. Examiner guidance suggests talking in a quieter place, allowing plenty of time to respond, offering not to make conversation while driving, and considering routes without roadworks or known low sun. Tell the booking service and the examiner what helps you.
Will driving an adapted car restrict my licence?
If you need adaptations to drive, they're shown as codes on your licence, such as 20 and 25 for modified brake and accelerator controls, and the vehicles you drive must then be fitted with them. Simply passing in an automatic for convenience gives code 78 instead.
Is the pass standard different if I have a disability?
No. GOV.UK says you still have to drive to the same standard to pass. The adjustments change how the test is delivered, such as how directions are given or how much time you have, not what counts as a fault.
Sources
- GOV.UK – Car driving test: if you have a disability, health condition or learning difficulty
- GOV.UK – Guidance for driving examiners: candidates with a disability, health condition or learning difficulty
- GOV.UK – Guidance for driving examiners: general technical matters (independent driving and interpreters)
- GOV.UK – Understanding your driving test result: car driving test
- GOV.UK – Driving licence codes
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