Driving Test Day Checklist Ireland: Everything You Need in 2025
Driving test day checklist Ireland. If that phrase makes your heart race, you are not alone. The good news is that a calm plan turns nerves into focus. This guide gives you a clear, step by step checklist for documents, car requirements and the small details examiners look for before the car even moves.
What to bring on the day
- Learner permit that is valid and in good condition
- Appointment confirmation on your phone or printed
- Glasses or contact lenses if you use them for driving
- EDT logbook or digital record completed and signed where required
- Insurance certificate and motor tax displayed correctly
- NCT certificate if the car needs one
- A bottle of water and a small microfibre cloth for quick screen wipes
Make sure the car is legal and ready
- Tyres with at least 1.6 millimetres tread and correct pressures
- All lights working including brake lights and indicators
- Wipers clearing clean glass and washer bottle topped up
- Seat belts that latch and retract correctly
- Mirrors secure and adjustable
- No warning lights for brakes, airbag or engine
- Number plates clean and easy to read
Bring a spare set of L plates in the glove box just in case a magnet lets go in wet weather.
Set up the driving position
- Seat distance so you press the clutch fully without stretching
- Seat height so you see the road a couple of car lengths ahead
- Backrest so your arms have a soft bend at the wheel
- Head restraint with the top in line with the top of your head
- Mirrors set wide to reduce blind spots
- Clear footwell with no bottles or bags
What the tester may check before you move
- How to open the bonnet and point out oil and coolant
- Where the brake fluid reservoir is located
- How to test indicators and brake lights
- How to set the rear demister and use the hazard switch
- Where the fog lights and dipped lights are
The aim is simple safety knowledge. You are not being graded as a mechanic.
Warm up routine before the call
- Breathe slowly and imagine the first minute of smooth driving
- Run through mirrors signal position speed routine in your head
- Visualise a calm move off with a perfect mirror check
- Remind yourself that recovery from a small error is part of safe driving
The most common early slips and how to avoid them
- Rushing the move off. Pause, look all around and pull away only when you are certain
- Missing a mirror before a signal. Say mirror out loud in your head to anchor the habit
- Rolling back on a slope. Use the handbrake method and own the bite point
- Clipping a kerb while turning. Slow down earlier and look where you want the car to go
On the route
- Match your speed to the view and the limit
- Read road markings early so you are in the correct lane in good time
- Keep a steady gap. Two seconds in the dry and more in the wet
- Use mirrors before you change speed or direction
- Indicate in good time and cancel as you straighten
- If unsure at a roundabout, wait. Calm waiting is safer than a rushed entry
Parking, reversing and hill control
You may be asked to perform one or more exercises. Keep it tidy and deliberate
- For a hill start, set the handbrake, find the bite and add a touch of throttle
- For a reverse, keep it slow and look mainly out of the back window with regular mirror checks
- For a turnabout or similar, set up each part, look all around and keep the wheels moving very slowly
Control and observation matter more than speed.
After the drive
Return to the centre and secure the car. The tester will review your result and any marks. Listen calmly and ask one simple question for learning, for example which observations you could improve. Whatever the result, you have added real experience.
Printable test day checklist
The night before:
- Documents gathered
- Car checked for tyres, lights, washers and L plates
- Sat nav muted and phone on silent
- Route to the centre planned with arrival ten to fifteen minutes early
On the day:
- Glasses or contacts in place
- Mirrors and seat set
- Calm move off rehearsed
- Water and cloth in the door pocket
Final thoughts
Driving test day checklist Ireland. Preparation removes surprises and lets your training shine. Bring the right documents, present a clean legal car and stick to the habits you have built in lessons. Look early, move smoothly and give yourself space. That is what safe driving looks like and that is what testers reward.
At Art of Driving, we offer focused pre test sessions that rehearse local routes, polish the first five minutes and remove hidden weaknesses. Book today and walk in feeling ready.