My Experience Learning To Drive In The U.K.

Yesterday, after dozens and dozens of lessons, I FINALLY passed my practical driving exam in the U.K. That’s right, I’m officially legally on the road. Well, I sort of was to begin with anyway, but now I feel like it’s official. I’ve been driving on my American license, but that expires here next month. Talk about cutting it close. Another thing ticked off the ever-growing list, thank god.

Learning to drive here has been the most nerve-wracking thing of my life. I have never been a fan of driving, even in the U.S., so learning to do it in a completely new country was terrifying. I still find it terrifying to be honest, but at least I don’t have the worry of having to take the test looming over my head anymore, and can focus on getting on with things.

I’m not going to lie, I put off driving here as long as I possibly could. The only thing that pushed me into getting it done now is the fact that I got a new job in November that I needed to get to. At first I was taking the train, but it was such a hassle to get to with public transport. We then decided to get a car for me, and decided for the time being to put me on it temporarily as a foreign license holder. So in addition to taking my driving lessons for the past two months or so, I’ve also been driving to and from work to further things along a bit (and ya know, because I NEEDED to get to work).

Driving here is so much harder compared to the U.S. Besides the obvious difference of driving on the other side of the road, the roads here are smaller, you need to be more observant, there’s NOWHERE to park, etc. The list goes on. The lessons that I took were an absolute must, even though I already knew how to drive. The rules here are much more strict than in the U.S. and there was really no way I would have stood a chance on the exam if I didn’t take the lessons.

I had my first exam on Christmas Eve, but I was so beyond nervous that I failed. Lol, Merry Christmas, Laur! Jokes aside, I really let it get to me that I failed. I was so mad at myself. But actually, I shouldn’t have been. I took the exam in one of the hardest test centers. And it’s so common for people here to have to take it a few times before passing. So I tried to not let it get to me too much.

For those of you reading not in the U.K., here’s a bit of a rundown on the practical exam:

You start off by having your eyesight tested reading off a license plate number from 20 meters away. If you can’t do this, it’s an automatic fail. So yea, get your eyes checked. Afterwards, the examiner explains how the test is going to go, how long it will be (between 30-40 mins.), blah blah blah. Before (or during the exam), you’re asked two “show me, tell me” questions about the car/driving (stuff like, “tell me how you check that your brakes are working properly”, etc.). The test consists of independent driving, guided driving with a GPS, and maneuvers that you need to perform, such as pulling up on the side, emergency stopping, parallel parking, etc. There’s no telling what you’ll get on the day. I think you need to perform one or two.

In terms of mistakes, you’re allowed up to 14 “minor” mistakes – small things, like late signaling or not being in control of speed, etc. Anything that is dangerous, like failing to yield, etc. is classified as a “major”, and is an automatic fail. On my first exam, I creeped out too much at a roundabout and that’s what caused me to fail.

So yea, the exam is pretty rigorous if I say so myself. Which is why I went into the second attempt giving myself a little more of a break. I booked the exam in a different test center, which made me a bit nervous because I didn’t have a clue what to expect in terms of what the test route could possibly be like. But I went in just promising myself that I would do my best.

I have to say, the second time around was an absolute breeze compared to the first time, but I was still unsure if I passed or not. When the exam ended, I asked the examiner how bad I did because lol no faith in myself. And I was so surprised to hear that I actually passed!

Thank FUCK that is over with. I honestly feel like such a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’m still a little in shock, to be honest. Not that I passed, but I guess by the whole situation in general. Never in my life did I think I would have moved across the world to a completely different country and have to do things like this.

To celebrate, we’re heading into the city tonight for drinks at our favorite rooftop bar (we’ve decided that this is now “our” place), followed by dinner at a neighboring restaurant. Hope you all have something fun planned for this weekend!

I would love to hear about everyone else’s experiences learning to drive, wherever in the world you are! Drop me some stories in the comments!

xx Lauren