You’ll be asked one show me and one tell me question during your driving test.
Remember… every car’s different and your instructor should be teaching you how to do all these checks.
These are the tell me questions - you’ll do one of these at the start of the test before you set off.
We’ll show you how to do these checks but you only need to tell the examiner how you’d do them
Tell me how you’d check the brakes are working before starting a journey.
When you press the brake pedal - it shouldn’t feel spongy or slack.
If your brakes are working properly the car shouldn’t pull to one side.
Tell me where you’d find the cars recommended tyre pressures and how you’d check each tyre.
Look in the car manual and then use a reliable pressure gauge to check and adjust the pressures
when the tyres are cold. Don’t forget to refit the valve caps, and check the spare
tyre if you’ve got one.
Tell me how you’d make sure your head restraint is correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection.
Adjust the head restraint so the rigid part is at least as high as your eyes or the top of your ears.
Make sure it’s close to the back of your head and comfortable.
Some cars might not have adjustable head restraints.
Tell me how you’d check the tyres have sufficient tread depth and are in a safe condition.
Check they have no cuts or bulges. They must have at least 1.6mm of tread depth across
the middle three-quarters of the tyre, and around the entire outer circumference.
Tell me how you’d check the headlights and tail lights are working.
Turn on the switch - you might need to turn the ignition on - then walk around the car
to check the lights are working.
Tell me how you’d know if there was a problem with your anti-lock braking system.
The ABS warning light should light up if there’s a fault.
Tell me how you’d check the indicators are working.
Turn on the hazard warning lights… you might need to turn the ignition on, then, walk around
the car to check the indicators are working.
Tell me how you’d check the brake lights are working.
Press the brake pedal and ask someone to check the brake lights come on, or use reflections
in windows and doors.
Tell me how you’d check the power steering is working before starting a journey.
Turn the ignition on, and then turn the steering wheel - it should move with ease. You can
also turn the steering wheel just after moving off to check that it works.
Tell me how you’d switch on the rear fog lights and explain when you’d use them.
Turn the ignition on, then turn on the dipped headlights and fog lights. Check the warning
light on the dashboard is on. Tell the examiner you’d only use them when visibility is seriously
reduced - generally when you can’t see for more than 100 metres.
Tell me how you switch your headlight from dipped to main beam and explain how you’d
know the main beam is on.
Turn the ignition on, then turn on the dipped headlights and switch to the main beam.
Check that the main beam warning light on the dashboard is on.
Open the bonnet, and tell me how you’d check the engine has sufficient oil.
Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean with a cloth - put it back in the holder
then take it out again.
Look at the high and low marks - the oil level should be between them.
If it’s too low, top it up - but don’t overfill it, as you could damage the engine.
Open the bonnet, and tell me how you’d check the engine has sufficient engine coolant.
Check the coolant level by looking at the high and low level marks on the radiator header tank.
If the levels are low - top it up with a water and anti-freeze mix, but only when
the engine is cold. You could get a serious injury if you open the cap when the engine is hot.
Open the bonnet, and tell me how you’d check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid.
The brake fluid must be kept between the high and low marks - if it’s low, top it up with
the correct type of fluid… you can find out what this is in your car’s manual.
Head over to the ‘show me’ questions video to find out about the rest of the questions.