The short answer
The confirmed 2027 changes for learners and new drivers are in Northern Ireland, under graduated driver licensing (GDL).
- Northern Ireland, if your provisional licence (the licence you learn on) began before 1 October 2026: 31 March 2027 is the last day to pass under the old rules.
- Northern Ireland, every learner: from 1 April 2027 you must finish the GDL logbook, the record of your training, before you can book a practical test. The test changes that day too.
- England, Scotland and Wales: no new rules for learners or new drivers are law for 2027. A minimum learning period is a proposal with no decision. So is a lower drink-drive limit for new drivers in England and Wales.
In Northern Ireland? Skip to the 31 March deadline.
England, Scotland and Wales: what's proposed
No new rule for learners or new drivers is law for 2027 in England, Scotland or Wales, as at November 2026.
A minimum learning period
The Department for Transport has consulted on a minimum learning period for car learners and is still analysing the responses. There's no start date.
It asked about a minimum time between passing your theory test and taking the practical. It also asked about a minimum number of driving hours, a logbook and a set syllabus.
The government's Road Safety Strategy, published in January 2026, mentioned three or six months. The consultation left the length open.
A lower drink-drive limit
A separate consultation asked whether England and Wales should have a lower drink-drive limit for new drivers than for everyone else. It didn't propose a figure.
Today's drink-drive limit for every driver is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland it's 22.
Mopeds and motorcycles
DVSA (the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which runs tests in Great Britain) has also consulted on changes to moped and motorcycle training, testing and licensing. It hasn't published a response.
What still applies
The 2026 booking rules still apply. Only you can book your car test, and you get two changes to a booking. You can move it to one of the 3 test centres nearest to where it's currently booked, or back to the centre you first booked at.
The National Audit Office said in December 2025 that DVSA didn't expect to reach its seven-week waiting-time target until November 2027.
DVSA's advice is to agree with your instructor that you're ready before you book, and to choose a date you realistically expect to be ready by.
Our guide to driving test waiting times and finding an earlier test covers the official ways to look for an earlier slot.
The six-point rule is the same as before. Get six or more points within two years of passing and your licence is cancelled.
Buying your first car in 2027
Car tax is set to rise on 1 April 2027. For a car first registered on or after 1 April 2017, the standard rate (the yearly rate from the car's second year) is set to go from £200 to £210.
Fuel duty is set to rise on 1 July 2027. The rest of the year's changes for drivers are in our guide to new driving laws for 2027.
Our free car check shows a car's current tax status and MOT history from its number plate.
There's more for first-time buyers in our new driver advice.
Northern Ireland: learning since before October 2026
If your provisional began before 1 October 2026, the Department for Infrastructure says you can take the current practical test up to and including 31 March 2027.
What to do now
Car test appointments are released three months ahead, on the first working day of each month. It may take a while to get one, so if you're aiming for 31 March, book as early as you can.
If your preferred test centre has no slots, you could try another one. Keep checking the booking system too, because more slots get added and other learners cancel or change their tests.
If you pass by 31 March
You get the old rules. That means amber R plates (the plates a new driver has to display) and a 45mph limit for 12 months, with no logbook to do.
If you haven't passed by 31 March
You're under GDL from 1 April. So if you fail a test and retake it on or after 1 April 2027, you have to be in the GDL scheme for the retake.
If your test date is on or after 1 April 2027, you'll need the finished logbook to take it, even if you booked before then.
Before you can book a test under GDL, you need:
- a GDL account, which costs £17
- the 14 compulsory modules in the logbook, each signed off by your supervising driver or an approved driving instructor
You set the account up on nidirect or in the GDL app. You'll need the driver number from your provisional licence and a debit or credit card.
GDL's six-month minimum learning period counts from the day your provisional began, so you'll already have done it.
When you pass under GDL, you display R plates for two years. There's no 45mph limit. If you're under 24, you can carry no more than one passenger aged 14 to 20 between 11pm and 6am for your first six months.
The exceptions to the passenger rule, and the rest of the GDL rules, are in our guide to the rules for new drivers now.
Northern Ireland: what changes on 1 April 2027
From 1 April 2027, every learner in Northern Ireland, whenever their provisional began, has to finish the Programme of Training and Logbook before booking a practical test.
A new practical test starts the same day. Its independent driving section runs to about 20 minutes, it brings in sat nav use, and "show me, tell me" questions are asked and answered on the move.
If your provisional began on or after 1 October 2026, the earliest you can take a car test is six months after it began. So 1 April 2027 is the first possible test date for a learner who started on 1 October. Learners who can show they're entitled to Carer's Allowance are exempt from the six months.
If your provisional began before 1 October 2026, you can have motorway lessons in a car from 1 April 2027, but only with an approved driving instructor.
None of this applies in England, Scotland or Wales. Our guide to graduated driving licences in the UK covers how the scheme works.
FAQs
Are new rules for learner drivers coming to England in 2027?
Nothing's been decided. The government has consulted on a minimum learning period for car learners, and it hasn't published a decision or a start date. A lower drink-drive limit for new drivers is also undecided.
What's the last date to pass under the old rules in Northern Ireland?
31 March 2027, if your provisional began before 1 October 2026. If you haven't passed by then, you're under GDL from 1 April 2027 and need the finished logbook before you can book.
Is the driving test changing in 2027?
In Northern Ireland, yes. A new practical test starts on 1 April 2027. In England, Scotland and Wales, no change to the test has been announced, and the booking rules from 2026 still apply.
Will there be a lower drink-drive limit for new drivers?
It isn't decided. A government consultation asked whether England and Wales should have a lower limit for new drivers, without proposing a figure. Scotland's limit for all drivers is already lower than the one in England and Wales.