Guides/Theory test

Driving Test Ireland: Cost, What the Tester Checks, Waiting Times

Updated 24 September 2026 · 6 min read

The driving test in Ireland is run by the RSA and costs €85 for a car, motorcycle, work vehicle or tractor. It lasts about 50 to 100 minutes. You start with questions on the Rules of the Road, then technical checks on the car, then around 40 minutes of driving. To be allowed to sit it you need 6 months on your first learner permit and all 12 EDT lessons in your logbook.

How much the driving test costs

Fees are non-refundable once paid, apart from the cancellation rule below. After a pass, the full licence is a separate €65 application to the NDLS.

Before you apply

• A learner permit in the same category. For cars, motorcycles and work vehicles you generally need to have held your first permit for at least 6 months.
• All 12 Essential Driver Training (EDT) sessions for a car test, or all the IBT modules for a motorcycle test.
• A representative vehicle for the category that is roadworthy, with L plates front and rear, valid insurance, motor tax and an NCT disc if the car needs one.

Booking and waiting times

You apply and pay online at rsa.ie with a debit or credit card and an email address, or post the paper application form. You then wait for an invitation to book. When it arrives you have 10 days to choose an appointment. Not ready yet? You can hold off and re-join the invitation queue later.

Invitations go out in this order: critical frontline workers whose emergency test request was accepted, then re-tests (people who failed wait 10 weeks before the new invitation), then everyone else by the date they applied. Waiting times differ by county, and the RSA has an online waiting time estimator for each centre. Citizens Information suggests applying about 6 months before your second learner permit expires.

To cancel and get the fee back you must give 10 days' notice, online through rsa.ie. Cancel more than 2 tests and there is no refund: you make a new application instead.

What the tester checks

Rules of the Road questions

The test opens in the centre with questions on the Rules of the Road. The theory test is built on the same rules, so what you learned for it is what you need here. If English is not your first language, an interpreter can come with you for this part and the technical checks, as long as it is not your driving instructor.

Technical checks

Out at the car you explain how you would check three items from this list: steering, horn, brakes, tyres, lights, reflectors, indicators, engine oil, coolant and windscreen washer fluid. Some of them are under the bonnet, so you will be asked to open it and close it securely.

The drive

The practical part takes about 40 minutes. You are assessed moving off, driving in traffic, stopping, reversing around a corner, doing a turnabout and doing a hill start. Expect left and right turns, a roundabout and traffic lights. At some point you will be asked to show the hand signals.

Throughout, the tester is marking road position, overtaking and passing, observation, mirrors and signals, progress, speed, traffic lights, signs and road markings, and how you use the controls. A mistake is not an automatic fail, so keep driving.

After the test

A pass gets you a Certificate of Competency, valid for 2 years. It is not a licence: until the full licence arrives you still drive accompanied, with L plates, off motorways. Apply for the full licence within the 2 years or you sit the test again. Your first full licence comes with N plates for 2 years.

A fail gets you a detailed list of your mistakes and an automatic invitation for another test in 10 weeks, sometimes longer at busy centres. If you think the test was not run properly, you can appeal to the District Court for a €25 fee.