The C1 Driving Test: What It Involves and What It Costs

The C1 practical test comes in two parts: an off-road manoeuvres test and an on-road drive. Both are taken in a real 7.5 tonne vehicle, and most people find it the least intimidating of the vocational tests because the vehicle is closer to a large van than a lorry.

It is the test that stands between a lot of people and an ambulance service application, a horsebox, or courier work. Here is exactly what happens.

Part 3a — the off-road manoeuvres

Taken at a DVSA test centre on a manoeuvring area. You will be asked to carry out a controlled reverse into a marked bay around cones, finishing within a defined area, and a braking exercise.

You will also answer vehicle safety questions — the "show me, tell me" of the commercial world — covering what you check and why before you drive.

The DVSA fee is £40.

Part 3b — the on-road drive

Around an hour of driving in normal traffic, covering a mix of road types. The examiner is looking for the same things any driving examiner looks for, adapted to a bigger vehicle: observation, positioning, mirror use, judgement at junctions and roundabouts, and control on hills.

What catches people out is not the driving, it is the size. A 7.5 tonne vehicle needs a different line through a roundabout and a different gap at a junction than a car. That is what the training week is for.

The DVSA fee is £115 on a weekday, or £141 evenings and weekends.

Does Driver CPC apply?

Only if you are driving commercially. If C1 is for your own horsebox or motorhome, you skip Module 2 and Module 4 entirely, which makes the whole route shorter and cheaper.

If it is for paid work — ambulance and patient transport, courier, removals — you need the Driver CPC alongside it.

What the whole thing costs

Our C1 training is £660 + VAT, or £947 all in including the two DVSA practical tests. On top sit the D4 medical at £50 and your theory fees — roughly £110 between them.

DVSA reviews its fees, so check GOV.UK for the current figures. Full pricing for every category is on our training cost page.

Before you book anything, check your photocard

If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997, C1 is very probably already on your licence. Turn the photocard over and look down the category list.

If it is there, you do not need this test at all. We would rather tell you that on the phone than take your money.

How to prepare

Three days of training is the usual C1 course, and the reversing exercise is where most of it goes. It is a repeatable sequence of reference points rather than a talent — nobody arrives able to do it and almost everybody leaves able to.

We train on the roads around the Gillingham DVSA test centre, so the routes on test day are ones you have already driven.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the C1 driving test?

DVSA charges £40 for the off-road manoeuvres and £115 on a weekday for the on-road drive, or £141 evenings and weekends. Both are included in our £947 all-in price.

How long is the C1 practical test?

The on-road drive is around an hour. The off-road manoeuvres test is shorter and taken separately.

Is the C1 test hard?

It is the most approachable of the vocational tests. The vehicle is closer to a large van than a lorry, and the reversing exercise is a learnable sequence rather than a knack.

Do I need a medical for C1?

Yes — a D4 medical, the same as for any vocational entitlement. £50 with us.

Do I need Driver CPC for C1?

Only for commercial driving. For your own horsebox or motorhome you do not.

What to do next

Our C1 7.5 tonne course runs from our Sittingbourne centre on real vehicles, and we book the medical, the paperwork and both tests for you.

Call 01795 667 008 — and have your photocard to hand, because the first thing we will do is check whether you already hold it.