What is on the Irish driving test?

What is the Irish driving test made of?

The RSA splits the test into two parts: an oral test and a practical test. The RSA lists what you are asked to do:

• Answer questions on the Rules of the Road, including identifying road signs.
• Demonstrate hand signals.
• Reverse the car around a corner.
• Make safe and reasonable progress.
• Perform a turnabout.
• Perform a hill start.
• Drive about 8 km (5 miles) in a variety of road and traffic conditions.

That is the whole list. It is three manoeuvres, not five, and none of them is parallel parking. The tester gives you your directions as you drive, and the route is the tester’s choice on the day.

What happens in the oral part?

The tester checks your learner permit and your documents first, then asks questions on the Rules of the Road and road signs. You may also be asked to show hand signals. The signals for slowing down or stopping, turning left and turning right come from the law, so learn them as written. The hand signals guide covers each one, and driving test questions and road signs covers the rest.

Questions and hand signals are counted together. One wrong answer is not marked. Under the testers’ guidelines, three or more questions not answered or answered wrongly, hand signals included, earn a single grade 2 fault, and only one fault is recorded for the whole section.

What are the car checks?

The practical part opens at the car. The RSA names three kinds of check:

• Technical checks, including tyres, lights and oil levels.
• In-car checks, including seat and mirror adjustments.
• Secondary controls, including windscreen washers, wipers and lights.

The regulations say the tester can run a random check on the tyres, steering, brakes, fluids (such as engine oil, coolant and washer fluid), lights, reflectors, indicators and horn. You also set up the car: seat, rear-view mirrors, seat belt, head restraint, and a check that the doors are closed. Learners say the tester checks your brake lights and indicators, then asks you to show where the engine oil goes if the weather allows. Our driving test checklist lists every check.

What is the drive like?

You drive about 8 km in a mix of road and traffic conditions. The RSA says the drive is assessed in these situations: moving off, driving in traffic, stopping and reversing around a corner, turning about to face the other way, and starting on a hill. Between those, you follow the tester’s directions.

If you do not understand a direction, ask the tester to repeat it. The RSA says this will not count against you. The tester will not offer encouragement or advice during the drive, and a quiet tester does not mean you are doing badly.

What are the three manoeuvres?

Reverse around a corner. You stop, reverse around a corner on a side road and keep the car a safe distance from the kerb. The tester expects direct observation: looking to the front, sides and rear, blind spots included. Read how to reverse around a corner.

Turnabout. You turn the car around on the road to face the other way, using forward and reverse gears, with full observation and right of way given to other traffic. See the turnabout guide.

Hill start. You move off on a slope without rolling back, with the handbrake used to secure the car. See the hill start guide.

Testers do not mark a manoeuvre until you finish it, and each type of fault is recorded once, however many times it happens within that manoeuvre.

What does the tester assess while you drive?

The RSA says your driving is assessed on these aspects:

• Road position.
• Overtaking and passing.
• Anticipation and observation.
• Use of mirrors and signals.
• Progress and speed.
• Compliance with traffic lights, road signs and markings.
• Use of vehicle controls: accelerator, clutch, gears, brakes and steering.

Observation heads the RSA list of reasons people are unsuccessful, with mirrors and signals close behind. Other items on the list are anticipation, road position, progress, speed, traffic controls, right of way, vehicle controls, and the reverse and turnabout.

How is the test marked?

The tester records two grades of fault: grade 2 (serious) and grade 3 (dangerous or potentially dangerous, or total disregard of traffic controls). Minor faults are not recorded, so you will not hear about grade 1 faults any more. One grade 3 fault fails the test. Repeated grade 2 faults can fail you too, if they pile up in one aspect or across the drive. The exact rule is in our guide to faults and marking, which follows the RSA guidelines.

A single mistake is not a fail. If you stall or miss a turn, correct it safely and carry on. The guidelines say a missed turn made safely is not a fault.

What did the RSA change recently?

Since 9 March 2026 you must show a valid certificate of motor insurance for the test car, and the tester asks you to sign a statement that the car is roadworthy and insured. See the 2026 changes and what to bring.

How much does the test cost?

The RSA fee for a car test is €85. If your test cannot go ahead because of your car or your documents, you lose the fee. The cost guide adds up the full route from permit to licence.

How can I practise what is on the test?

Practise each part on its own, then together. Revise the questions and signals, learn the car checks in the car you will use, and drive a mix of roads with your instructor or sponsor. Turas has routes around more than 50 test centres with spoken guidance, and it marks the likely spots for the reverse, turnabout and hill start on each, so you can practise them in context. Browse the centre list. The tester chooses the real route on the day, so mix in roads you do not know too.