UK driving theory test · Learn · 2 November 2026 · 6 min read

The 14 DVSA topic areas of the car theory test, from alertness to vehicle loading: what each covers, the Highway Code rules behind it and how to revise it.

The multiple-choice part of the car theory test draws its 50 questions from 14 topic areas, from alertness and attitude to documents and vehicle loading. Every topic can appear on your test, and you need 43 correct to pass, so you cannot skip any of them. The good news is that almost all of the content comes from three official sources: The Highway Code, Know your traffic signs and Driving - the essential skills.

This guide takes each of the fourteen DVSA topic areas in turn: what it covers, the Highway Code rules worth knowing and how to revise it. Each topic has a study chapter and a drill on Fable Tests.

Where the topics come from

The 14 names below are the topic areas commonly used for DVSA theory test revision. No single gov.uk page lists all fourteen; DVSA named six of them on gov.uk in 2016 (road and traffic signs, safety margins, rules of the road, attitude, safety and your vehicle, and documents), and the legal syllabus for car drivers in Schedule 7 to the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 covers the same ground: road traffic rules and signs, alertness and attitude, safe distances and braking, vulnerable road users, other types of vehicle, documents, accidents, vehicle and load safety, and environmental matters.

DVSA said in 2016 that questions on three topics were the most often answered wrongly: road and traffic signs, safety margins and rules of the road. Give those three extra time.

The official guidance we checked does not say how many questions come from each topic, so plan to cover all fourteen.

The 14 topics

1. Alertness

Staying focused at the wheel: using mirrors and checking blind spots, tiredness, mobile phones and other distractions. The Highway Code recommends a break of at least 15 minutes after every two hours of driving (Rule 91). Revise with the Alertness chapter and drill.

2. Attitude

Courtesy and patience: following distance and tailgating, giving way at crossings and junctions, use of the horn and headlight flashes, and the hierarchy of road users. Our guide to the hierarchy of road users covers Rules H1 to H3. Revise with the Attitude chapter and drill.

3. Safety and your vehicle

Keeping a car roadworthy and secure: tyres, warning lights, brakes, lights, seat belts and child restraints, and the environment. Cars MUST have at least 1.6 mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tyre and around its whole circumference (Annex 6). Revise with the Safety and your vehicle chapter and drill.

4. Safety margins

Stopping distances, the two-second rule, and how rain, ice, fog and wind change the room you need. Learn the six overall stopping distances (12, 23, 36, 53, 73 and 96 metres from 20 to 70 mph) and the rule that wet roads at least double them and icy roads can make them ten times longer. See Highway Code stopping distances explained, the Safety margins chapter and drill.

5. Hazard awareness

Reading the road ahead: junctions, parked cars, schools, country lanes, and your own fitness to drive, including alcohol, drugs, eyesight and tiredness. This topic links closely with the hazard perception part of the real test. Revise with the Hazard awareness chapter and drill.

6. Vulnerable road users

Pedestrians, children, older and disabled people, cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders. Learn the passing distances in Rule 163: at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at up to 30 mph, and under 10 mph with at least 2 metres for horse riders. Revise with the Vulnerable road users chapter and drill.

7. Other types of vehicle

Sharing the road with lorries, buses, trams, emergency vehicles, slow vehicles and motorcycles. Large vehicles need a greater distance to stop (Rule 126), and getting too close to them hides your view of the road ahead (Rule 164). Revise with the Other types of vehicle chapter and drill.

8. Vehicle handling

Controlling the car: braking, skids, ABS, gears on hills, ice, floods and traffic calming. The Highway Code says the safest way to brake is early and lightly, braking more firmly as you begin to stop (Rule 117). Revise with the Vehicle handling chapter and drill.

9. Motorway rules

Who may use a motorway, joining and leaving, lane discipline, signals and red X lane closures, the hard shoulder, emergency areas and breakdowns. A red cross signal means the lane is closed to traffic facing it. For breakdowns, learn the sequence "Go left, Get safe, Get help". Revise with the Motorway rules chapter and drill.

10. Rules of the road

Speed limits, lanes, junctions, box junctions, roundabouts, overtaking, crossings, parking and level crossings. This is one of DVSA's three most-missed topics, so learn the speed limits table well. Revise with the Rules of the road chapter and drill.

11. Road and traffic signs

Reading signs by shape and colour, road markings, light signals and signals by police and other authorised people. The Highway Code says signs with red circles are mostly prohibitive, blue circles with no red border mostly give a positive instruction, and warning signs are mostly triangular. Revise with the Road and traffic signs chapter and drill.

12. Documents

Driving licences, learner supervision and L plates, insurance, MOT, vehicle tax and SORN, the registration certificate and penalty points, including the rules for new drivers. Revise with the Documents chapter and drill.

13. Incidents, accidents and emergencies

What to do at a breakdown or collision: warning triangles and hazard lights, calling 999, first aid and your legal duties after a crash. From autumn 2025 car candidates also need to know CPR technique and how to use a defibrillator (AED), according to DVSA. Revise with the Incidents, accidents and emergencies chapter and drill.

14. Vehicle loading

Loads, passengers and animals, roof loads and towing. Rule 98 says you MUST NOT tow more than your licence permits; if you passed your car test on or after 1 January 1997, the weight you can tow is restricted. In a caravan or trailer, spread the weight evenly with heavy items over the axle(s). Revise with the Vehicle loading chapter and drill.

How to revise the 14 topics

A topic-by-topic approach works well for this test because each topic maps onto a few sections of The Highway Code.

1. Take a baseline test. Sit practice test 1 under real conditions: 50 questions, 57 minutes. Note which topics your mistakes come from.
2. Rank the topics from weakest to strongest. Put road and traffic signs, safety margins and rules of the road near the top whatever your score, because DVSA found them the hardest.
3. One topic per session. Read the chapter, then do its drill. Two or three topics a day covers all fourteen in a week.
4. Make a numbers page. Stopping distances, passing distances, tread depth, speed limits, ages and time limits. Many questions turn on a single figure.
5. Mix it up. In the second week, take full tests from the UK theory test hub rather than single topics, because the real test mixes all fourteen.
6. Aim for 46 or more out of 50 before you book. The pass mark is 43.

Read the 2026 theory test format for the rules on booking, video-clip questions and hazard perception.

Sources: gov.uk, Theory test (Revision and practice); DVSA news, 1 July 2016 and 13 August 2025; Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999, Schedule 7, Part 2 (legislation.gov.uk); The Highway Code, Rules 91, 98, 117, 126, 163 and 164, Annex 6, Traffic signs, Light signals controlling traffic and Breakdowns and incidents (gov.uk); contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; checked 1 November 2026.