The Driving Test in an Automatic Car
What to expect on test day and how to prepare in an automatic.
What the test covers
The Category B driving test is the RSA practical exam that decides whether you leave with a full licence. It tests vehicle control, observation, positioning, signalling, and adherence to the rules of the road.
You can sit the test once you have held your learner permit for at least six months and completed your 12-hour EDT programme.
What happens on the day
Eyesight check
You read a number plate from a set distance before anything else happens.
Rules of the Road questions
A few verbal questions on road signs, rules, and procedures.
Secondary controls check
The examiner asks you to show where the lights, wipers, demisters, and hazard warning lights are.
Reversing and turning
A reverse around a corner or a turnabout. In an automatic, no stalling risk here.
On-road driving
Around 30 to 40 minutes through local roads, junctions, roundabouts, and traffic.
Result
Pass and you get a certificate of competency, which you exchange for a full licence at an NDLS centre. Fail and you can rebook immediately.
How the marking works
Faults are graded on a three-point scale. Most failures come from accumulated Grade 2 faults, not a single dramatic mistake.
Grade 1: Minor
A small error that does not affect safety. Everyone picks up a few of these.
Grade 2: More Serious
A fault that could affect safety. Too many of these and you fail. Observation at junctions is the most common.
Grade 3: Dangerous
An immediate fail. The examiner had to intervene or you put someone at risk.
The most common fault
Observation at junctions is the single most-reported fault category on Irish driving tests. Automatic learners have an advantage here: with no clutch to manage at junctions, you can give your full attention to looking and checking.
Testing in an automatic
You can take the RSA driving test in an automatic car. We provide the car and a pretest lesson to get you ready on the actual test routes.
If you pass in an automatic, your licence is restricted to automatic transmissions. If you later want to drive manual, you take a new test in a manual car. Most of our learners are happy with the automatic entitlement, given how many new cars in Ireland are now automatic, hybrid, or electric.
Pretest Lesson + Car Hire
One hour of pretest tuition plus our automatic car for the test itself. Same car you trained in, no surprises on the day.
Book PretestOr call 01 902 3100
Five things that help on test day
Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre
Examiners watch for the full sequence every time you move off, turn, or change lanes.
Exaggerate observations
Turn your head visibly at junctions. The examiner cannot mark what they cannot see.
Lane choice at roundabouts
Pick your lane early on approach. Lane choice matters more than speed at the circle.
Match the speed limit
Driving too slowly can be marked as a fault. Match the flow of traffic.
Do a pretest lesson
Rehearsing the test centre routes with your instructor removes most of the surprise.
Driving test questions
About 30 to 40 minutes of on-road driving, plus the eyesight check, verbal questions, and secondary controls check at the start. Allow an hour total.
Through the RSA at mydrivingtest.rsa.ie. Dublin test centres are at Finglas, Tallaght, Raheny, and Dun Laoghaire. There are dozens more across Ireland.
You can rebook immediately. Most learners who fail go back for a few focused lessons on the specific faults the examiner flagged, then retake.
You can use any roadworthy car with L-plates and a valid NCT. But our pretest package (€193.81) includes the car, so you test in the same automatic you trained in.