Who to hire for a driving test to prepare for

What to do before anyone arrives

1. 1Read your state's test criteria. They are published, they are specific, and most failures are for a short list of things — observation at intersections, speed management, and reversing manoeuvres.
2. 2Check the vehicle you plan to use meets the requirements: registration, roadworthiness, working indicators and brake lights, a working handbrake and a seatbelt for the examiner.
3. 3Practise in the test area at the same time of day as the test.
4. 4Confirm what documents you need to bring. Turning up without the right identification ends the appointment.

What to ask when you book

• Do you offer a pre-test lesson and car hire for the test, and what does that include?
• How much time before the test do we have in the car?
• Do you know the test routes for this centre?
• What happens if the test is cancelled or rescheduled?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

• Whether the instructor's car is used for the test.
• Length of the pre-test lesson.
• Location.

What you can do yourself

Is this licensed work?

Driving instruction is accredited in every state. Test requirements and vehicle standards are set by the state transport authority.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

• NSWNSW Fair Tradingbuilders, electricians, plumbers and specialist trades
• VICBuilding and Plumbing Commission, and Energy Safe Victoria for electricalbuilding practitioners and plumbers; electricians are Energy Safe Victoria
• QLDQueensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC)building and most trade contractor licences
• WABuilding and Energybuilders, electricians, plumbers and gas fitters
• SAConsumer and Business Servicesbuilding work contractors and supervisors
• TASConsumer, Building and Occupational Services (CBOS)building and occupational licences
• ACTAccess Canberraconstruction occupations licensing
• NTNT Government building practitioner registrationbuilding practitioners and electrical workers

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a driving test to prepare for

An accredited driving instructor, for a pre-test lesson in the test area and ideally with their car on the day. The car is the part people forget: a test vehicle has to be roadworthy, registered and appropriately insured, and if the car fails a pre-test check the test does not happen and the fee is generally not refunded.

Can I use my own car for a driving test?

Generally yes, provided it meets the state's requirements — registered, roadworthy, with functioning controls and an accessible seatbelt for the examiner, and in some states a handbrake the examiner can reach. Vehicles are checked before the test begins, and a car that fails the check usually costs you the booking.

Who to hire for

• Who to hire for driving lessons for a learnerAn accredited driving instructor. This is the one trade in this group with a real register: every state requir…
• Who to hire for a roadworthy certificateA licensed vehicle tester — a mechanic specifically authorised by the state to issue them, which is not every …
• Who to hire for lessons for a nervous driverAn accredited instructor who advertises work with anxious or returning drivers. It is a real specialisation: t…
• Who to hire for an overseas licence to convertStart with your state transport authority rather than an instructor: whether you can transfer directly, or mus…