How to reverse around a corner on the driving test

What does the tester ask you to do?

The RSA lists “reverse around a corner” among the things you must do on the test. The tester gives a short direction, usually: pull in on the left after a side road on the left, then reverse back into that road, staying close to the kerb. You then drive off normally.

It happens on a quiet road, not on a main road. The Rules of the Road tells drivers not to reverse from a minor road onto a major road because it is unsafe, so the test uses a road with little traffic. The tester chooses the spot on the day.

How do you reverse around a corner step by step?

1. Check and signal. Look all around, check your mirrors and signal left. Slow down so you can stop where you want.
2. Stop just past the side road. Pull in on the left a little beyond the corner, parallel to the kerb, with the side road behind you. Apply the handbrake and select reverse.
3. Look all around before you move. Check the mirrors, the front, both sides and over your shoulders, including the blind spot. Wait for pedestrians and passing traffic.
4. Reverse slowly and steer into the corner. Release the handbrake and move back at walking pace. Start turning left as the back of the car reaches the corner and follow the kerb.
5. Keep looking in all directions. Look through the rear window, to the front and over both shoulders. The front of the car swings out as you turn, so watch it and give way to anyone who needs to pass.
6. Straighten and stop. Once you are in the side road, straighten the wheels, keep close to and parallel with the kerb and stop when the tester tells you or when you are clear and in position.

Speed matters more than most learners expect. Slow and steady gives you time to see and time to correct. Use the clutch (or the brake in an automatic) to control the car, not the accelerator.

Why are the reference points personal?

Every car is different. Your instructor may show you a point on the rear window, a mirror position or a line on the kerb that tells you when to start turning. These points depend on your seat position, your car’s size and the width of the road.

Do not copy another driver’s points. Learn yours in your own car, then test them on corners of different shapes. Some side roads are wide and some are tight, and a fixed routine that works on one will fail on another. A learner who struggled with the reverse practised it on many different corners and improved quickly.

What does the tester watch for?

The marking guidelines record faults on the reverse under control, position, observation and right of way. Some rules help you:

• The tester waits until you finish before recording any fault.
• Only one fault is recorded under each aspect, however many times that type of fault happens.
• Turning the wheel while the car is stationary (dry steering) is not marked.
• You can ask to clear fogged windows or adjust a mirror, and the guidelines say this should be granted.
• If you ask to repeat the manoeuvre because you are out of position or because of traffic, the request should usually be allowed. A fault may already stand.

Lack of competence in the reverse and the U-turn is on the RSA’s list of common reasons for being unsuccessful. On a car test, the U-turn is the turnabout.

What are the common mistakes?

• Poor observation. Looking only at the kerb or only through one window. Direct observation is required on a car test, so turn and look rather than relying on a camera. A reversing camera can help as an extra, not a replacement.
• Too much speed. Fast reversing leaves no time to correct. Slow down and stop if you need to.
• Swinging wide. Ending up far from the kerb or on the wrong part of the road. Keep a steady line and make small steering corrections.
• Touching or mounting the kerb. Stop, look and take a small correction instead of forcing the turn.
• Not giving way. If a pedestrian or car approaches, stop and let them pass. Check your front as the car swings.
• Fixing on one spot. Keep your eyes moving over both shoulders and out the back window.

If you ever reverse along the right-hand kerb because of a misunderstanding on a car test, the marking guidelines say the tester should clarify the request and not record a fault. Ask if you are unsure what you are being asked to do.

How do you practise?

Practise with your instructor or a sponsor on quiet side roads, never on busy streets. Start with a wide, empty corner at walking speed, then use tighter corners and roads with parked cars. Repeat each corner several times. Stop often and look all around until the checks happen without thinking.

Turas marks the likely spot for the reverse around a corner on each practice route, usually a quiet side road on the left, so you can rehearse it in the places learners drive near their centre. Browse the test centres and their practice routes to find yours. The tester chooses the route and the spot on the day, so use the routes to practise the skill and not to memorise a road.

Read the driving test faults and marking guide to see how a grade 2 and a grade 3 fault differ. Then work on the turnabout and the hill start, the other two manoeuvres on the list.