Tips for Practice with Friends or Family
This section of website is designed to give information for anyone wanting to supervise family or friends practising driving outside of their driving lessons in Leeds.
Private practice is a useful tool to help with the learning to drive process if it is used alongside regular driving lessons. It is a good idea to liaise with your instructor before starting.
Who can offer private driving lesson practice ?
You can help a family member or friend who is learning to drive if:
- You’re at least 21 years old.
- You’re qualified to drive the type of vehicle they’re driving - for example, you must have a manual car licence if you’re supervising someone in a manual car
- You are not currently banned from driving.
It is illegal to accept any payment, including money for fuel, when you’re supervising someone who’s learning to drive.
Only approved driving instructors (ADIs) and trainee driving instructors can accept payment for Driving Lessons.
Who can you offer private driving lesson practice to?
The learner must:
- Have a valid UK provisional licence.
- Meet the required eyesight rules.
- Be at least 17 years old.
What vehicle can you use for private driving lesson practice ?
The car you use must:
- Be fitted L plates - these must be on the front and the back of the car
- Be taxed.
- Have a valid MOT.
- Be Safe to Drive - help the learner check it’s safe each time they practise driving
- Be registered with DVLA.
- Be correctly insured.
You should:
- Remove or cover the L plates when the car is being driven by anyone with a full driving licence
- Fit an additional rear-view mirror so you can see behind the car during the practice session
You can also hire a fully dual controlled and insured car here
Skills and Knowledge you'll need to offer private practice.
You must know and be able to apply all the rules in the highway code to supervise a learner. It’s regularly updated, so make sure you check for any recent changes.
Ask the learner’s Driving Instructor if they can give you a lesson before you start supervising the learner. This will help you avoid passing on:
- Any bad driving habits you may have developed.
- Old techniques that may have been updated since you passed your driving test.
It is important to have good local knowledge of roads on the routes you will be using.
At first start in quieter areas and minor roads until the learner is comfortable with you and the car, remember this will be different to their Driving Instructors car.
If in any doubt contact the learner's Driving Instructor who will adise you regarding driving lesson routes in Leeds.