Getting Started as a Beginner Driver: Your First Steps

Before you ever get behind the wheel, there's a short list of practical things to sort out, licence, eyesight, and a bit of paperwork. None of it is complicated, but getting it right from the start avoids delays once you're ready to actually begin lessons.

Getting Your Provisional Licence

You can apply for your provisional licence from age 15 years and 9 months, and most people can start learning to drive a car when they're 17. Apply through the DVLA, usually online. You may be asked to prove your identity, usually with photo ID such as a passport. One detail that catches people out: you need a provisional licence to take lessons or practise (source: GOV.UK, Apply for your first provisional driving licence).

The Eyesight Requirement

You must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away, with glasses or contact lenses if you need them. This gets checked again right at the start of your practical test, where the distance is 20 metres for a new-style number plate and 20.5 metres for an old-style one, so it's worth confirming you meet this standard early rather than finding out on test day. If you need glasses or contacts to meet it, you must wear them every time you drive, not just when it's being checked.

Do You Need to Pass Theory Before Lessons Start?

No. There's no legal requirement to pass your theory test before beginning lessons, only before you can book your practical test. That said, most instructors, myself included, find learners who've made a start on the Highway Code from day one pick things up faster, since a lot of what happens in the car makes more sense once the theory behind it is already familiar.

Insurance, If You Plan to Practice Privately

Lessons with a qualified instructor in a dual-control car are covered under the instructor's own insurance, so this mainly matters if you're supplementing lessons with private practice in a family member's or friend's car. The supervising driver must be over 21, be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you want to learn in, and have had their full driving licence for 3 years. The car itself needs to cover you as a learner driver, so check with the owner's insurer before assuming you're covered (source: GOV.UK, Practising with family or friends).

Booking Your Test, and Why It's Worth Knowing Early

Since 12 May 2026, only the learner can book, change or cancel a car driving test, so instructors can no longer do this on your behalf (source: GOV.UK, Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026). You obviously won't be booking anything on day one, but it's worth knowing the process is in your hands from the start rather than assuming your instructor will handle it. Waiting times vary by area and are updated by DVSA every month, so see our guide to driving test waiting times once you and your instructor start talking about test-readiness.

What Actually Happens Once Lessons Start

Once the paperwork's sorted, the rest is down to your instructor guiding you lesson by lesson. If you haven't already, our guides to how many lessons you're likely to need and manual versus automatic are worth a read while you're getting oriented.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

• GOV.UK: Apply for your first provisional driving licence
• GOV.UK: Driving lessons and learning to drive, Overview
• GOV.UK: Driving lessons and learning to drive, Practising with family or friends
• GOV.UK: Driving test: cars, Booking your test
• GOV.UK: Driving test: cars, What happens during the test
• DVSA: Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026

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