Taxi Driver Assessment

Professional, Friendly, and recognised by Licensing Authorities
A practical on-road assessment to demonstrate safe driving, professionalism and passenger care.

The Taxi Driver Assessment is a practical, on-road assessment designed to assess your ability to drive safely, courteously, and professionally while carrying passengers. The assessment will be 60 minutes, with 45 minutes of driving.

You’ll be assessed on:

Vehicle safety checks
Observation and hazard awareness
Road positioning and speed control
Following the Highway Code
Courtesy and passenger care
Route planning and decision-making

Cost: £87 (Including VAT)
Duration: 60 minutes

You can book and pay securely online. Once payment is received, an assessor will contact you within 2–3 working days to arrange your date, time and location.

All assessments are conducted by DVSA Approved ADI and Fleet Accredited assessors.

Before your assessment, you must present to the assessor a valid photo Driving Licence.

Failure to provide will result in your assessment being cancelled, and your fee forfeited.

For the Driving Assessment, you must provide your own vehicle for the assessment. It must be:

Roadworthy, clean and safe
Taxed and insured (for the purpose of the assessment)
Suitable for passenger transport, not a van or convertible

Vehicle requirements:

Not a taxi/private hire vehicle – unless you are a taxi/private hire license holder
Right-hand drive
Have less than 9 passenger seats
Weigh no more than 3.5t
Have 4 wheels
Have head restraints in all seats
Have an unobstructed rear window

To successfully pass your assessment, you must:

Record no serious or dangerous driving faults, and
Have no more than 9 driving faults in total.

You’ll receive a marking sheet whether you pass or fail.

If you pass, you’ll also receive a BLT Driver Training Certificate, recognised by licensing authorities nationwide.
If you do not pass, the marking sheet will highlight areas for improvement to help you prepare for another attempt (which must be rebooked and paid for).

You must provide 7 days notice to cancel or change your assessment
If you need to cancel your assessment, you must notify us as soon as possible by emailing taxi@bltdrivertraining.co.uk
Refunds and reschedules are managed according to our official Cancellation Policy.
Read the Full Cancellation Policy
Failure to attend, or provide sufficient notice, will result in your fee being forfeited.

If you book your assessment within 7 days of your preferred date, this is considered a short notice booking.

Short notice bookings are non-refundable once confirmed. Read the Full Cancellation Policy

Taxi Driver Assessment Booking & Payment

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Step 1 of 3

Candidate's Details

Name (as shown on driving licence)*

First Last

Date of Birth*

Candidate's Driving Licence Number (as shown on licence)*

Mobile Phone Number*

Email Address*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Name of Local Licensing Authority*

Important Information!
Candidates are to answer 10 questions relating to the Highway Code.
3 Manoeuvres and a compulsory emergency stop

It will be the responsibility of the candidate to provide a suitable vehicle for the test and to demonstrate the following:

A valid MOT test certificate
A valid tax for the vehicle
A valid insurance policy
That it is in a roadworthy condition
That it is internally and externally clean

Important Message:

Private Hire – candidates are required to book a Taxi Assessment, and this will include:

Three districts and two places of local interest in Rutland taken at random and the candidate must be able to take the quickest route between each. When route planning, the candidate will need to consider possible roadworks and that the quickest route may not necessarily be the shortest route geographically.

Hackney Carriage – candidates are required to book a Combination Assessment, and this will include:

Knowledge of the county of Rutland and its environs.
A driving assessment to include 5 routes to specific destinations taken at random (if before attempting a street the candidate informs the assessor that they do not know its location an alternative street might be given on one occasion only).
Use of wheelchair accessibility features including embarking, securing, and disembarking the wheelchair. A wheelchair accessible vehicle is required for this element of the assessment.

Important Information!Portsmouth City Council candidates are only permitted to take 3 attempts at the assessment

Important Information!Please note that Southampton City Council will not licence drivers who have not held a full UK photo card licence, or equivalent, for 2 years or more.

Important Information!Oadby and Wigston Borough Council candidates are only permitted to take 3 attempts at the assessment

Important Information!Bedford Borough Council candidates are only permitted to take 2 attempts at the assessment

Important message:

Private Hire – candidates are required to book a Taxi Assessment and this will include:

• Three districts and two places of local interest in Peterborough taken at random and the candidate must be able to take the quickest route between each. When route planning, the candidate will need to consider possible roadworks and that the quickest route may not necessarily be the shortest route geographically.
Hackney Carriage – candidates are required to book a Combination Assessment and this will include:

You can find the Combination Assessment option under Book Wheelchair Assessment

Important message:

Candidates are required to answer a total of 20 questions relating to:

The Highway Code
Road Signs
Licensing Law
Vehicle Requirements
Driver Requirements
Driver Conduct
Local Knowledge

Candidate's Address

Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City County ZIP / Postal Code Country

Billing Name and Address

If your billing address is not the same as your home address, please amend it now. This address should match the name and registered address of the credit or debit card that you intend to pay with.

Cardholder's Name*

First Last

Cardholder's Email Address*

Enter Email Confirm Email

Cardholder's Address*

Check this box if this information is the same as Candidates Address

Street Address Address Line 2 City County ZIP / Postal Code Country

Important Information (please read carefully)

This forms part of the Terms and Conditions for your Assessment

For the test to take place you must;

Bring your photocard driver’s licence with you; this must be presented before the Assessment.
Your licence should be at your current address and in date.
If you have the older style paper licence, then you will need to bring an acceptable form of photo identification such as a passport.
Eyesight must conform to current legislation (20m / 68ft) so if you require glasses /contact lenses then bring these with you.
You must provide a vehicle for the Assessment.
The vehicle must be in a roadworthy condition and comply with current road legislation i.e. taxed, MOT (if required), insured for the purpose of the assessment, meet current DVLA rules for number plates and fit for purpose i.e. for carrying passengers.
The vehicle must be right hand drive, have no more than 8 passenger seats, weigh no more than 3.5t, have 4 wheels, have head restraints on both front seats and have an unobstructed rear window. It must be able to do at least 62 mph and have an mph speedometer. A van or a convertible car is not classed as a suitable vehicle for a Taxi Assessment.
Interior of the car should be clean and free of all types of litter and clutter. The examiner will not be expected to conduct a test sat in a dirty seat and will be at liberty to terminate the test should the car interior be in a dirty or cluttered state
Be punctual, if you are later than 5 minutes the Assessment may be cancelled at the discretion of the Assessor and you will still be charged the full fee.
Appropriate footwear should be worn, for example, no flip flops, sandals or high heels.
Candidates are NOT PERMITTED to take the driving assessment in a Private Hire or Hackney plated vehicle except under the following 2 circumstances:
1. The vehicle is registered/plated to you, the candidate, and you have been referred to take the assessment by your Local Authority.
2. The vehicle is registered/plated to you and you want to change/be licensed to another Authority.

The Taxi Assessment

Please allow 1 hour for the assessment. You will be asked 2 maintenance related questions (show me / tell me) and be expected to drive for approximately 45 minutes on a variety of road types and be asked to perform 2 reversing manoeuvres with the possibility of a controlled stop. You will be asked to drive independently of directions for a 10 minute period following road signs and directions to a particular destination. There will be a 10 to 15 minute debrief at which point you will be advised of the result.

A maximum of 9 minor driving faults are allowed. If you exceed 9 minor driving faults or commit any serious or dangerous faults, this will result in a failure.

Please note that if you take your Assessment in an automatic, you may not be licenced by your authority to drive a manual vehicle. We suggest that you refer back to your Local Authority for guidance.

From time to time, a Senior Assessor may sit in during an Assessment for quality control purposes.

You may cancel or change the appointment date up to 5 working days prior to the test without incurring costs other than forfeiture of the credit card surcharge (if any) if you cancel. If you do not give the required notice, you will not receive any refund whatsoever and re-booking will attract the full fee.

We wish you luck with the assessment, if you require any further clarification or advice then please contact the office on 0300 777 0157 option 2 or email taxi.blt@bluelamptrust.org.uk

Code of Conduct
Terms and Conditions

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Taxi Driver Assessment*

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Support

Preparing for Your Assessment

To give yourself the best chance of success, we strongly recommend that you take a driving lesson or assessment drive with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) before booking your assessment.

You can also review these official resources to help you prepare:

For more preparation tips, see our Taxi Driver Support.

'Show Me, Tell Me’ Vehicle Safety Questions

(GOV.UK)

The Highway Code

(GOV.UK)

Driving Eyesight Rules

(GOV.UK)

How To Become A Licensed Taxi or Private Hire Driver

PDF Guide

Why Choose BLT Driver Training?

Nationwide coverage — wherever you are in the UK

Recognised by licensing authorities across the UK

Trainers are DVSA ADI & Fleet Accredited

Tailored delivery: in-person, virtual or online

Transparent, consistent processes and reporting

Every booking supports the Blue Lamp Trust’s charity work.

Taxi Driver Assessment

Taxi Driver Assessment Booking & Payment

Candidate's Details

Candidate's Address

Billing Name and Address

Important Information (please read carefully)

The Taxi Assessment

Support

Preparing for Your Assessment

Why Choose BLT Driver Training?

Need Help?

For preparation guidance, tips and answers to common questions, visit our support page or contact us.

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