What to do after passing your test
5 min read
After passing, your full licence is usually issued automatically if you let the examiner send your provisional off, and it arrives within a few weeks. Remember the New Drivers Act: if you accumulate six or more penalty points within two years of passing, your licence is revoked and you must reapply for a provisional and retake both tests.
Your licence
At the end of a successful test you can hand your provisional photocard to the examiner and your full licence will be sent to you automatically, normally within a few weeks. You may drive straight away in the meantime — the pass certificate is your evidence. If you keep your provisional instead, you have to apply to DVLA yourself.
The two-year probation period
Under the New Drivers Act, six or more penalty points within two years of passing means your licence is revoked. You then return to a provisional licence and must pass both the theory and practical tests again. Points from before you passed count towards that total.
Insurance and the car
New driver premiums are high. Telematics ('black box') policies, a smaller-engine car and an honest, correctly named main driver usually cost less than the alternatives. Never let someone else be recorded as the main driver of a car that is really yours — that is 'fronting', it is insurance fraud, and it voids the policy.
The driving you have not done yet
Most new drivers have never driven alone at night, in heavy rain, on a motorway or with a car full of friends. That gap — not test technique — is where new-driver risk sits.
Structured post-test training helps: Pass Plus is the DVSA scheme covering town, rural, night, dual carriageway, all-weather and motorway driving, and motorway confidence lessons target the single road type learners are barred from practising alone. Both are available as enquiries through DriveBooked, delivered by verified independent instructors.
Common questions
- Can I drive immediately after passing?
- Yes, as soon as you pass, provided the car is insured for you. Take your L plates off first.
- Does Pass Plus reduce my insurance?
- Some insurers offer a discount for Pass Plus and some do not. Treat any saving as a bonus rather than the reason to take it, and check with your insurer before booking.
- Do I have to display P plates?
- No. Green P plates are voluntary in Great Britain, though some new drivers find they encourage more patience from other road users.