Book your driving test in Ireland

You book your car driving test online through MyRoadSafety for €85. This guide covers when you can apply, what happens on the day, the faults that fail most people and how to get your full licence after you pass.

You apply for the driving test online through MyRoadSafety on the RSA (Road Safety Authority) website. A car test costs €85, and you join a waiting list until you are invited to pick a date.

New since 9 March 2026: you must show a valid motor insurance certificate for the test car. Digital copies are not accepted.

Can you book yet?

• You must hold a valid car learner permit.
• If it is your first permit, you must have held it for at least 6 months.
• Your instructor must have uploaded all 12 EDT (Essential Driver Training) lessons to the MyEDT portal, or 6 if you were approved for reduced EDT.
• You can join the waiting list before you are eligible. If you are still not eligible, the RSA cancels the test 5 days before. You keep your fee and your place on the list.

What you need

• Your learner permit and your driver number (field 4d on the permit)
• Your PPSN (Personal Public Service Number)
• A verified MyGovID, or register your details with the RSA
• A Visa or Mastercard debit or credit card
• On the day: a roadworthy car with L plates front and back, motor tax and an NCT disc if needed
• On the day: your insurance certificate (an original or a copy of it). If your name is not on it, also bring a letter or email from your insurer.

Step by step

1. Log in or sign up at MyRoadSafety from rsa.ie.
2. Choose your vehicle category, go to the driving test step and click book a driving test.
3. Choose a test centre. If no slots show, click join waiting list and pay the €85 fee.
4. Check the RSA waiting time estimator to see roughly when you may be invited.
5. When the invitation email arrives, pick an appointment within 10 days or it expires.
6. If you need an interpreter or other help, ask in advance. Otherwise the test may not go ahead and you could lose your fee.
7. Arrive on time with your permit, car and insurance certificate. If you are late, the test cannot go ahead and you lose the fee.

What happens on the day

The test lasts about 50 to 100 minutes. It starts with questions on the Rules of the Road. Then you explain how you would check three parts of the car, such as tyres, lights or oil.

The drive itself takes about 40 minutes. The tester watches moving off, junctions, reversing around a corner, turnabouts and hill starts. You also show hand signals.

How much it costs and how long it takes

Common mistakes

The RSA lists the faults that fail most car tests:

• Not looking properly when moving off, at junctions, at roundabouts and when changing lanes
• Wrong road position on straights, bends and roundabouts, and not making enough progress
• Poor use of mirrors and signals, or not obeying traffic lights and signs
• Driving too fast for the road, or not yielding right of way
• Mistakes in the reverse and turnabout

After the test

• If you pass: apply for your full licence within 2 years at ndls.ie with your PSC (Public Services Card) and verified MyGovID, or at an NDLS centre. It costs €65.
• Display N plates for 2 years after you get your first full licence. Seven penalty points usually means a ban, and you cannot accompany a learner.
• If you pass in an automatic, your licence covers automatics only.
• If you fail: you get a list of your faults. Reapply through MyRoadSafety and wait for a new invitation.
• From 1 November 2026, you need a test sat in the last 2 years to get a third or fourth learner permit.

Related guides

• How to get a learner permit
• How to get a verified MyGovID
• How to get a Public Services Card
• How to tax your car