Driving Lessons, Practice & L Plates

The official guidance states that anyone you pay to teach you to drive must be either a qualified and approved driving instructor (ADI) or a trainee driving instructor. Instructors set their own prices for driving lessons - there is no minimum or maximum cost.

Anyone you practise your driving with (without paying them) MUST be over 21, be qualified to drive the exact type of vehicle you want to learn in (for example, they must have a manual car licence if they are supervising you in a manual car), and have had their full driving licence for at least 3 years from the UK, the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.

The law is extremely strict on supervision. If you drive without the right supervision (e.g., the person is under 21 or hasn't held their licence for 3 years), you can be fined up to £1,000 and get up to 6 penalty points on your provisional driving licence.

By law, the 'L' plates must be a red letter on a white background and be the exact size shown in the official diagram. The corners of the background can be rounded off.

Any vehicle driven by a learner must display red 'L' plates. You must put an 'L' plate on the front and back of your vehicle so they can be seen easily by others from in front of the vehicle and behind the vehicle.

The rules regarding the display of 'L' plates are strictly enforced. You can get up to 6 penalty points if you do not display an 'L' plate or if it is not the right size.

In Wales, you have the legal option to use either red 'D' plates, red 'L' plates, or both simultaneously on your vehicle.

You should remove or cover 'L' plates when the vehicle is not being driven by a learner, unless it is an official driving school car.

You can start learning to drive a manual car at any time, and you do not need to apply for another provisional licence. You must follow all the usual rules when you are learning to drive in a manual car, which includes displaying L plates. You do not need to take a theory test to upgrade your licence.

If you passed your car driving test before 1 February 2001 you are qualified to ride a moped without L plates (and/or D plates in Wales), although it is recommended that you complete Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) before riding on the road. If you passed after this date, you MUST complete CBT and display L plates until passing a moped practical test.

You can optionally display green 'P' plates on your vehicle to show that you have recently passed your driving test and are a newly qualified driver.