How to prepare for your driving test with Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental

Learning to drive can be a daunting task for anyone.

However, here at Arnold Clark Car & Van Rental, we want to help you make sure it goes as smoothly as possible.

Once you know your highway code and pass your theory test, it’s time to plan for your practical.

But before you book your slot, you want to make sure you’ve given yourself the best chance of passing.

The practical test can last up to 40 minutes, which can feel like a lifetime, and will include a combination of sight tests, car safety questions, manoeuvres and independent driving.

Below, we’ve listed a few handy tips, which will hopefully help you be ready for test day.

Extra experience

While it’s great to get out with your driving instructor as much as possible, it can be costly.

Thankfully, it’s easy to hire our low-cost dual control cars. They come with two sets of controls, which allow an experienced driver to keep you safe while you learn, and you can even use our vehicles for driving tests.

You can hire a dual control car from any of our branches across the UK, with prices starting at £18 per hour, or if you have a Young Scot card, you can get two hours for the price of one.

Plus, if you hire a dual control car for 10 hours and pass your test, you can qualify for a £300 voucher off your next new, used or delivery-mileage car from Arnold Clark.

Practice test routes and manoeuvres

Test centres have a set of approved routes which they must take drivers on. Don’t be afraid to ask your driving instructor to take you on some of these routes in the build-up to your test.

If you’ve been on the route before, then hopefully it should give you some more confidence than driving it for the first time. Make sure you familiarise yourself with any road signs or speed restrictions.

Driving in and reversing out of a parking space, pulling up on the right and parallel parking are the three formal manoeuvres that you will be tested on for your test, so be prepared. Try and get in as much practice of all three of these as you can.

Prepare yourself

As the old saying goes, ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’.

Take some time the night before your test to lay out everything you’ll need to take with you, such as theory test certificate and driving license.

Make sure you arrive at the test centre in plenty of time before your test, allow yourself time to get in, relax and compose yourself beforehand – you don’t want to be flustered before you begin. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes that you can drive in along with a suitable pair of shoes.

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