Car · Category BW
Car, Tractor & Work Vehicles theory test
Cars, tractors and work vehicles.
40
questions
45 min
to answer them
35 of 40
to pass (88%)
The exam
How the Car theory test works
For licence categories B, BE, W — cars, tractors and work vehicles.
The paper
40 questions
Multiple choice on a touchscreen at a test centre. Flag any question and go back before you submit.
To pass
35 of 40
That is 88%. You get your result before you leave, and your pass certificate is posted out to you.
Booking
€45
Book only at theorytest.ie; other sites add a fee. On the day, bring an original photo ID in the name you booked with, and arrive 30 minutes early.
After the test
Valid 2 years
Apply for your learner permit within two years. Fail, and you can rebook at once, paying €45 again.
Your licence
From theory test to full car licence
The theory test comes first. Everything after it starts with the certificate it gives you.
- 1This test
Theory test
This test. Pass, and your certificate is valid for two years.
- 2
Learner permit
Apply with your certificate. Then L plates, and no motorways.
- 3
Essential Driver Training
12 EDT lessons, with a driver licensed at least two years.
- 4
Driving test
The practical driving test, then your full licence is yours.
Study
Study for the car test
In the app, the free topic pack, the first mock exam, every guide and one group of signs are open without paying.
The rules
Rules of the Road
The rules the test asks about most, with the current numbers — checked against the law as it stands, not as it stood when a book was printed.
Default speed limits
| Road type | Default limit |
|---|---|
| Motorway | 120 km/h |
| National roads (N-numbers) | 100 km/h |
| Regional roads (R-numbers) | 80 km/h |
| Local roads (L-numbers) | 60 km/h |
| Built-up areas | 50 km/h |
These are defaults. A local authority can set a different limit for a stretch of road by bye-law, and where it has, the sign wins. Many councils are lowering urban limits to 30 km/h in housing estates, town centres and outside schools. The rural local road default fell from 80 to 60 km/h in February 2025, so older study material is wrong on this one.
Alcohol limits
Ireland has two limits, both measured in milligrams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
20
mg
Learner, novice and professional drivers
Novice means the first two years after passing. Effectively zero — one drink can breach it.
50
mg
Every other driver
Stricter already than the 80 mg limit in Britain and Northern Ireland.
Penalty points
12
points
Full licence holders
Disqualification at twelve points inside any three-year period.
7
points
Learner and novice drivers
Disqualified at seven — the threshold is little more than half.
Points last three years and come into effect 28 days after you are notified. Paying a fixed charge notice accepts the points without a court appearance; contesting it risks a higher number if you are convicted.
Learner permit conditions
L plates must be displayed front and rear.
Learner permit holders may never use a motorway.
Your theory test certificate is valid for two years; you must get your learner permit inside that window or sit the test again.
You must be accompanied by someone who has held a full licence in that category for at least two years — a newly qualified driver cannot legally supervise you.
You must complete 12 Essential Driver Training lessons before the driving test.
Guides
Guides for the car test
Short reads on the parts of the Rules of the Road the test leans on. Free here, and free in the app.
Questions
Before you book
What can I do on a car learner permit?
Drive with L plates on the front and rear, and only with someone who has held a full car licence for at least two years beside you. Learner permit holders may not drive on a motorway, accompanied or not.
Do I need lessons before the car driving test?
Yes. You must complete the 12 Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons with an approved driving instructor, logged in your logbook, before you can sit the driving test.
How old do I have to be for a car learner permit?
17 for a car (category B). Work vehicles and tractors (category W) start at 16.
In the app
Everything on this page, in your pocket — and the car bank with it.
The facts here are the same facts the app opens with. What it adds is the studying: guides, questions, mocks, and something that tells you when you are ready.
Your test date, and what it leaves you per day
Put the date in and the app works backwards: what is left to see, and how much of it that is a day.
The category BW facts on the same screen — questions, time, pass mark, fee
What happens on the day, from what to bring to what a retest costs
The one official place to book, with a warning about the sites that charge to do it for you
Guides that explain the system, not the manual
The Rules of the Road is long. These are the parts the test actually asks about, written to be understood once.
Shape and colour as a system, so a sign you have never seen still makes sense
The rules people get wrong: alcohol limits, penalty points, motorway lanes
Tables and plain sentences rather than a wall of legislation
Free to start, all of it offline
The guides are free in every category, and so is one group of signs; all of it travels with the app rather than needing a signal.
Twelve guides, each a ten-minute read
Nothing to sign into, nothing uploaded, no account to make
Works on the bus, in a waiting room, in a test centre car park
Free to start. The guides and a taster of the signs stay free.