Congratulations! You passed your driving test. All that hard work has finally paid off. But what happens now?
Maybe you’ve just passed your driving test. Or maybe you’re about to take your test and you’re wondering about certain practicalities. In any case, here’s a short guide to what happens after you pass your driving test.
After You Pass Your Driving Test – What Happens in the Short Term?
Many first-time drivers wonder – after you’ve passed your driving test, is that it? Are you now fully qualified to drive, or do you have to wait for a while first?
Short answer – after you pass your driving test, that’s it. You’re done. Your examiner will give you a pass certificate, and they’ll ask you if you want your full licence to be sent to you automatically.
If you want to receive your licence automatically, you’ll have to give your examiner your provisional licence. You should then expect to receive your full licence soon, but you can contact the DVLA if you haven’t received it within three weeks.
If you don’t want your licence to be sent to you automatically, you’ll have to apply for your full driving licence within two years of passing your test.
But in any case, you can start driving immediately once you pass your test. There’s no need to wait for your full licence to arrive. That means that you’ll even be able to drive home from your test, and you’ll do so as a fully qualified driver as long as you have the right car insurance in place!
After You Pass Your Driving Test – What Happens in the Long Term?
After you pass your driving test, before giving you your pass certificate, your examiner will tell you what mistakes you made during your test – if any.
Maybe you didn’t make any mistakes. But even if this is the case, and even though you’re now licensed to drive, you’re still a new driver. It may take you a while to build up your confidence. You’re still inexperienced, and even veteran drivers make mistakes now and then.
In the weeks after your test, make time for practising those basic manoeuvres, and consider asking someone to supervise you while you steadily build up your confidence. And if you need any extra help improving your skills in those early days, take the Government’s Pass Plus course.
The Pass Plus course takes at least six hours to complete, and it will help you improve your skills and drive more safely. Though it can be taken by any driver at any point, it’s designed to be taken by new drivers within a year of passing their test.
Once you complete the course, you’ll get a Pass Plus certificate, which may help you to get a discount on your car insurance.
And speaking of car insurance, that’s a major thing to consider after you pass your driving test. We put together this guide to new driver car insurance that will tell you everything you need to know.
And that’s it! After you pass your driving test, to all intents and purposes, you’re a driver. You’ll no doubt feel a little nervous behind the wheel to begin with. And it will take a while for you to build up your confidence to become a safe and reliable driver.
But there are schemes out there to help you. And so long as you get yourself some comprehensive new driver car insurance, you can rest assured that you’ll be fully covered in those crucial early days.
