I think I’ve covered this before, but you can use your own car for your driving test as long as it meets certain basic requirements.
Will I be marked down if I use my own car?
Someone found the blog on that search term. That’s why I wrote this post.
The short answer is no. Absolutely not. As long as your car meets the requirements in the link I just gave you are absolutely free to use your own car for your test, and it will not count against you.
However… people who use their own car are more likely not to have taken lessons from a proper instructor. They may even be using their own car because their instructor said they weren’t ready and refused to let them use the tuition vehicle, Like it or not (and that crazy woman from Manchester who wrote to me a while back probably won’t), it is a fact that a lot of non-UK nationals turn up for test in their own cars for reasons connected with what I said, above.
From what I’ve witnessed myself, some of these cars look like they shouldn’t be on the road in the first place. They are often old, filthy inside, with dirty windows, dents, and even home-made L plates (when it costs less than a fiver to buy a pair). And I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen examiners having to go back inside the test centre to get a spare mirror because the car in question hasn’t got one for the examiner to use. Hardly a good start on test day, is it?
If I were an examiner, I would find it hard to remain unbiased if I had to sit in a car which stank of cigarette smoke or was filthy inside. Examiners are supposed to remain completely objective, of course, but who knows how they will feel in reality: so it’s best not to tempt fate.
If you plan on using your own car, make damned sure you are really ready for your test, and clean the thing from top to bottom, inside and out before you turn up at the test centre.