Photo: Mike Bird / Pexels. Illustrative photograph.
Private practice with a parent, relative or friend is where many learners build the extra hours that get them to test standard. To supervise a learner driver in Great Britain you must be at least 21, qualified to drive that type of car, have held a full licence for at least 3 years, and not be banned. You also have to stay under the drink drive limit, keep your hands off your phone and take no payment. This guide covers the legal rules for supervisors in England, Scotland and Wales, and how to use each session to get the learner ready to pass.
Can you supervise? The legal checklist
- Aged 21 or over.
- Qualified to drive the type of vehicle. To supervise in a manual car you need a manual licence.
- Held a full licence for at least 3 years. A licence from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein counts.
- Not banned from driving.
- Unpaid. Taking any money, including for fuel, is illegal. Only approved driving instructors (ADIs) and trainee instructors can be paid.
Some insurers also require the supervisor to be over 25. That is an insurer rule, not the law, so check your policy.
What the learner needs before every practice drive
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provisional licence | A valid provisional licence for a car. See provisional licence rules. |
| Eyesight | Must meet the minimum eyesight standard. See driving eyesight rules. |
| L plates | Red L plates on the front and back (D plates or L plates in Wales). Remove or cover them when a full licence holder drives. |
| Insurance | Cover for a learner driving that car (see below). |
| Roadworthy, taxed car | The car needs road tax and, if over 3 years old, an MOT. See car documents explained. |
Insurance for practice drives
| Whose car? | What the learner needs |
|---|---|
| Your car (the supervisor’s) | Named as a learner driver on your policy, or their own learner driver policy for your car. A claim on your policy may affect your no claims discount. |
| The learner’s own car | They must be the registered keeper and have their own learner policy. The supervisor is usually covered by it. |
| Someone else’s car | The owner’s policy covering them as a learner, or their own learner policy for that car. |
Without insurance the learner can get an unlimited fine, a driving ban and up to 8 penalty points.
Five things a supervisor must not do
- Drink: you must not be over the legal alcohol limit. GOV.UK advises not drinking at all before supervising. The limit is lower in Scotland. See drink and drug driving limits.
- Drugs or medicine: don’t supervise if you are under the influence, or with illegal drugs or certain medicines in your blood above the specified limits.
- Phone: you must not hold and use a phone, sat nav or tablet for any reason while supervising. That includes calls, texts, photos and browsing. See phone and sat nav law.
- Motorways: it is illegal for a learner to drive on a motorway with family or friends. Learners can only use motorways with an ADI in a dual-control car. See learners and motorways.
- Take payment: not even petrol money.
A learner who drives without proper supervision can be fined up to £1,000 and get up to 6 penalty points on their provisional licence. Those points stay with them after they pass the test, so they count towards the New Drivers Act 6 point limit.
Supervising safely from the passenger seat
- Sit in the front passenger seat. You are in charge of the car, even though the learner is driving.
- Look and think further ahead than you normally would, so you spot hazards early.
- Give clear, calm directions in good time: “at the next junction, turn left”, not “left here”.
- In a dangerous situation, speak firmly. If needed, take hold of the wheel, use dual controls if fitted, and use the handbrake as a last resort.
- Reschedule if either of you is angry, stressed, upset or tired.
- Extra passengers are allowed if they don’t distract the learner. The learner is responsible for children under 14 using a seat belt or child restraint.
GOV.UK also recommends fitting an extra rear-view mirror for the supervisor.
Turning practice into test readiness
- Ask the learner’s instructor what to work on. Practise the same skills in the same way, so you don’t undo their lessons or build habits the examiner will mark as faults.
- Start on quiet roads and build up to busier ones, junctions, roundabouts, rural roads and night driving.
- Record each session. GOV.UK offers a form you can download for this, and the learner should show the record to their instructor at the next lesson.
- Use DVSA’s top fault list as a checklist on every drive. See top reasons people fail the driving test.
- Nearer test day, cover the test elements: the reversing exercises, pulling up on the right, a hill start, and a stretch of independent driving where you only give directions. Ask “show me, tell me” questions before you set off.
- Finish with a full mock: about 35 minutes, no help, faults tallied the examiner’s way. The pass standard is no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults. Motorway practice is the one gap you cannot fill; that has to be with an ADI.
Scenario: can Dad take Amy out for test practice tonight?
Dad is 46, has a full manual licence held for 20 years and had one pint with dinner. Amy has a provisional licence and is named on Dad’s insurance as a learner.
- Age, licence and insurance: all fine.
- Alcohol: the rule is that he must not be over the limit, and GOV.UK’s advice is not to drink at all before supervising. The safe call is to wait until tomorrow.
- If they go: L plates on, Dad’s phone away, no motorway, and log the session afterwards.
Common questions
Can my 20-year-old brother supervise me?
No. The supervisor must be at least 21 and have held a full licence for at least 3 years.
Can an automatic-only licence holder supervise in a manual car?
No. The supervisor must be qualified to drive the type of car the learner is in. An automatic licence holder can supervise in an automatic.
Can I give my supervisor petrol money?
No. Accepting any payment for supervising, including fuel money, is illegal unless the supervisor is an ADI or trainee instructor.
Does my supervisor need to be on the insurance?
It is the learner who must be insured to drive. If the learner has their own learner policy, the supervisor is usually covered by it. Check the policy wording.
Can I drive on the motorway with my parent?
No. In Great Britain learners can only drive on motorways with an approved driving instructor in a car with dual controls.
Can friends sit in the back while I practise?
Yes, as long as they don’t distract you. You are responsible for under-14s being properly belted or in a child seat.
Are the rules different in Northern Ireland?
Yes in places. Northern Ireland learners also have the GDL logbook, which a supervising driver can sign off. See the GDL logbook app and learning to drive in Northern Ireland.
Looking for lessons or an instructor? Our sister site Compare Driving Instructors covers lesson prices and choosing an instructor.
Main guide: Learning to drive in Great Britain.
Sources
- DVSA, “Driving lessons and learning to drive: Practising with family or friends” (gov.uk)
- DVSA, “Supervise a learner driver” (gov.uk)
- Department for Transport, “The Highway Code: Annex 3. Motor vehicle documentation and learner driver requirements” (gov.uk)