Are you and your car READY?

Learner drivers are losing thousands on doomed tests before they even get behind the wheel because their car isn’t up to scratch, data reveals. 

Motoring experts at Quotezone.co.uk are sharing some of the most unexpected reasons why learners are struggling to get their licence and are encouraging them to ensure their car meets the basic required standards. 

Forgetting ‘L’ plates, not having extra interior rear-view mirrors and smoking in the car before a test, all make the vehicle unsuitable for the examination. 

According to data from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), almost 5,000 provisional drivers fail their test each year because their vehicle doesn’t meet the government’s basic required standards. 

With a driving test for cars costing £62 on average, candidates are wasting hundreds of thousands of pounds a year on tests they have no hope of passing. *

Any car without a passenger seatbelt for the examiner, or a proper head restraint, simply won’t meet the required specifications. 

Learner drivers are already facing agonisingly long waits to sit their test around the UK, with delays of up to five months in certain regions.**

Driving candidates must make sure they are fully prepared and that their car is up to the correct standards, or face the long wait for a retest.

Greg Wilson, CEO of Quotezone.co.uk said: “After paying for a test and waiting for months to sit it, it would be hugely disappointing to be given a fail before even getting in the car.

“Simple mistakes like forgetting to put ‘L’ plates up before heading to the test site could see drivers failed.

“Tax, insurance and an MOT might seem obvious preparations to most drivers but when you’re a learner driver and perhaps nervous about your big day, these items may not be on your radar. 

“Every year thousands of hopeful soon-to-be drivers are left frustrated because their vehicle isn’t fully prepared and up to the correct testing standards.”