The Test Day Car Hire Package means your instructor picks you up, gives you a warm-up lesson, and then sits with you (or waits nearby, depending on the test centre) while you take your practical test in a car that's already insured, taxed and fitted with L plates. The package costs £260 and runs to around three hours in total — pickup, a warm-up drive, the test itself and drop-off — and it's for existing students; if you're not currently learning with us, there's a short-notice emergency option that works differently (more on that below). We cover Bayswater, Notting Hill, Kensington and the nearby West London area, and if your test centre falls outside that patch, we'll tell you honestly rather than take your booking and hope for the best.
What exactly is included in the package?
You get the car, your DVSA-approved instructor, and time built in either side of the test itself — usually a short drive to settle your nerves and check the basics before you go in. The car meets the requirements the DVSA sets out for test vehicles, including L plates, valid insurance and tax, so you're not left wondering whether the car itself could cause a problem on the day. You can read the DVSA's own list of what's needed on test day at gov.uk's driving test checklist.
What isn't included is the test fee itself, which you pay directly to the DVSA when you book, and any lessons before test day — those are booked separately at the same hourly rate.
Which areas do you actually cover?
We're a West London school, and we mean that literally — Bayswater, Notting Hill, Kensington and the streets around them are our home ground. If your test centre or pickup address sits comfortably inside that area, car hire for test day is straightforward to arrange. In the past month, 6 people have got in touch by email or chat asking almost exactly this question, often because they've searched for car hire near test centres a little further out — Paddington, West Brompton, West Hampstead — and weren't sure if we reach that far. The honest answer is: message us with your test centre address before you book, and we'll tell you plainly whether it's within reach, rather than let you assume.
You can see the general area we operate in on our test areas page, and check our usual pricing on the pricing page before you book.
Do you book the actual driving test for me?
No — booking the practical test itself is something you do directly with the DVSA, not through us. You'll need your provisional licence details and a payment card, and you book online at gov.uk's book a driving test page. What we do is advise you on timing — for instance, whether it's worth waiting a little longer for a test date so you've had enough lessons beforehand — and then arrange the car and instructor for the day itself once you have a date. If you're curious about how long that wait tends to be right now, we've written more on this in our post on driving test waiting times.
How do I book the car hire package with you?
Once you have your test date from the DVSA, get in touch with us on WhatsApp at 07507 594 824 with the date, time and test centre address, or choose Driving Test Car Hire on our online booking page. We'll confirm whether we can cover that test centre and instructor availability for that day. Because test slots get booked up, especially in the weeks before a test date, it's worth reaching out as soon as you have a confirmed appointment rather than the day before.
Not currently one of our students?
The £260 package is for existing students — by test day we know exactly how you drive. If you learned elsewhere and need a car at short notice, we offer Emergency Test Car Hire at £455 in total: a mandatory two-hour assessment lesson (£95), the test-day package (£260) and a £100 emergency booking fee. If the assessment shows you're not test-ready, the instructor can refuse test-day use of the car — you pay only the £95 assessment and the rest is refunded in full. That rule protects you as much as us: sitting a test in a car you can't manage helps nobody.
What if I'm not local to Bayswater, Notting Hill or Kensington?
If your test centre is genuinely outside West London, we'd rather say so upfront than take a booking we can't properly deliver on. That's part of why we ask for the test centre address before confirming anything — it protects you from turning up to a pickup point that doesn't work on the day. If you're a new learner starting from scratch and haven't booked a test yet, it's worth looking at our West London driving lessons page first, so your lessons and eventual test day are both within the same patch we cover.
Your next step
If you already have a test date, message us on WhatsApp at 07507 594 824 or book through the booking page with your test centre address so we can confirm car hire for the day. If you haven't started lessons yet and want to book that first two-hour session, choose the intro offer that fits you — £75 if you're a complete beginner, £85 if you've had lessons before, or £95 for a standard session if neither applies.
Quick answers
Can the instructor wait with me at the test centre?
In most cases yes, your instructor will be nearby during the test itself, though this depends on the specific test centre's setup and rules on the day. They'll also usually give you a short warm-up drive beforehand as part of the same booking. Ask us about the specific test centre when you book, since arrangements can vary slightly from one location to another.
What happens if I fail and need to book another test?
You book your next test date directly with the DVSA, the same way you booked the first one, and then get in touch with us again to arrange car hire for that new date. A second attempt is the same £260 package for the new date. We're happy to talk through what to focus on for the next attempt once you know your result.
Is there a discount if I book car hire alongside several lessons?
No — we don't offer discounts of any kind, including for students booking multiple sessions or a car hire package alongside regular lessons. Lesson pricing stays the same £47.50 an hour, and the test-day package stays £260, whatever you book alongside it. This is a deliberate part of how we run the school, so the quality and availability of instructors stays consistent.
Written by Mohammed Miah, DVSA-approved driving instructor (ADI). Drafted with AI assistance from the questions real students and enquirers ask us, then reviewed and approved by Mohammed before publishing.