Free tool · Checked 11 October 2026
Show me tell me questions and answers for the 2026 driving test
On your car driving test the examiner asks you 2 show me tell me questions: one "tell me" question before you drive, where you explain a safety check, and one "show me" question while you are driving, where you work a control. Both come from DVSA's official list of 21, which has not changed since December 2017. Get one or both wrong and you pick up a single driving fault, not a fail. Every question and answer is below, followed by a flashcard quiz you can run on your phone.
How show me tell me works on the driving test
The vehicle safety questions are one of 4 parts of the car driving test, alongside the eyesight check, general driving (including independent driving) and a reversing exercise. The order on the day:
- Tell me, at the start. Before you drive off, the examiner asks you to explain how you would carry out a safety check. If it is one of the bonnet questions (12, 13 or 14), you open the bonnet and tell the examiner how you would do the check.
- Show me, on the move. During the drive the examiner asks you to show how you would carry out a safety task, such as washing the windscreen or demisting it. Every show me question starts "When it's safe to do so", so you choose the moment.
Marking is light: a wrong answer to one or both questions is one driving fault. The part that can fail you is your driving during the show me question. If it becomes dangerous or potentially dangerous while you hunt for a switch, that is a fail. The test is the same in a manual or an automatic car. DVSA has videos of the tell me questions and the show me questions.
This list covers tests in England, Scotland and Wales. Learners in Northern Ireland should use the nidirect guide to the practical test.
Tell me questions and answers
You are asked one of these at the start of the test, before you drive off. Questions 5, 7 and 10 tell you that you do not need to get out of the car: you describe the check, you do not do it.
Tell me 1Tell me how you’d check that the brakes are working before starting a journey.
Answer: The brakes should not feel spongy or slack. Test them as you set off. The car should not pull to one side.
Tell me 2Tell me where you’d find the information for the recommended tyre pressures for this car and how tyre pressures should be checked.
Answer: In the manufacturer’s guide. Use a reliable pressure gauge, check and adjust the pressures when the tyres are cold, include the spare tyre, and refit the valve caps.
Tell me 3Tell me how you make sure your head restraint is correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection in the event of a crash.
Answer: Adjust it so the rigid part of the restraint is at least as high as your eyes or the top of your ears, and as close to the back of your head as is comfortable. Some head restraints cannot be adjusted.
Tell me 4Tell me how you’d check the tyres to ensure that they have sufficient tread depth and that their general condition is safe to use on the road.
Answer: No cuts or bulges, and at least 1.6mm of tread across the central three-quarters of the tyre’s width, all the way round the tyre.
Tell me 5Tell me how you’d check that the headlights and tail lights are working. You don’t need to exit the vehicle.
Answer: Switch the lights on (turning on the ignition if needed), then walk round the car to look at them. It is a tell me question, so you describe the check and stay in your seat.
Tell me 6Tell me how you’d know if there was a problem with your anti-lock braking system.
Answer: A warning light on the dashboard comes on if there is a fault with the anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Tell me 7Tell me how you’d check the direction indicators are working. You don’t need to exit the vehicle.
Answer: Operate the indicator switch (turning on the ignition if needed), then walk round the car to look. Describe it; you do not need to get out.
Tell me 8Tell me how you’d check the brake lights are working on this car.
Answer: Press the brake pedal and watch for the lights in reflections from windows or doors, or ask someone to stand behind the car and tell you.
Tell me 9Tell me how you’d check the power-assisted steering is working before starting a journey.
Answer: If the steering feels heavy, the system may not be working. Two checks: keep gentle pressure on the steering wheel while you start the engine and you should feel a slight movement as the system starts. Or turn the wheel soon after moving off and you will feel straight away whether the assistance is working.
Tell me 10Tell me how you’d switch on the rear fog light(s) and explain when you’d use it/them. You don’t need to exit the vehicle.
Answer: Turn on the dipped headlights (and the ignition if needed), then the rear fog light switch, and check the fog light warning light comes on. Use rear fog lights only when visibility is seriously reduced, and switch them off when it improves.
Tell me 11Tell me how you switch your headlight from dipped to main beam and explain how you’d know the main beam is on.
Answer: Operate the headlight switch (with the ignition or engine on if needed) and check that the main beam warning light on the dashboard is lit.
Tell me 12Open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that the engine has sufficient oil.
Answer: Point out the dipstick or oil level indicator and describe checking that the oil level sits between the minimum and maximum marks.
Tell me 13Open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that the engine has sufficient engine coolant.
Answer: Point out the high and low level marks on the coolant header tank (or the radiator filler cap) and describe topping up to the correct level.
Tell me 14Open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid.
Answer: Point out the brake fluid reservoir and check the level against the high and low marks.
On question 10, the Highway Code says you must not use fog lights unless visibility is seriously reduced (rule 114) and must switch them off when it improves. Rule 226 describes seriously reduced visibility as generally when you cannot see for more than 100 metres.
Show me questions and answers
DVSA publishes the show me questions without written answers, so these answers are Orbit's. The skill is doing it with one short glance and your attention back on the road. If the traffic is busy, wait: the question says "when it's safe to do so".
Show me 1When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you wash and clean the rear windscreen?
Answer: Operate the rear washer so the rear wiper clears the screen, then switch the rear wiper off. Find the control by feel and keep your eyes on the road.
Show me 2When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you wash and clean the front windscreen?
Answer: Operate the front washer so the wipers clear the windscreen, then check the wipers have stopped or are switched off.
Show me 3When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d switch on your dipped headlights?
Answer: Turn the light switch to the dipped headlight position (not sidelights), then look back at the road.
Show me 4When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d set the rear demister?
Answer: Press the heated rear window button with a short glance, then look back at the road.
Show me 5When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d operate the horn?
Answer: Press the horn briefly, keeping control of the steering, at a moment when the road ahead is clear.
Show me 6When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d demist the front windscreen?
Answer: Set the heater controls to direct air onto the windscreen and turn the fan up. Learn which controls do this in your test car, so you can set them without looking down for long.
Show me 7When it’s safe to do so, can you show me how you’d open and close the side window?
Answer: Use the window switch (or winder) to open the side window, then close it again, keeping your attention on the road.
Practise the show me tell me questions: flashcard quiz
Start with the test day pair to rehearse the format you will face, then work through all 21 until you can answer each one without peeking. Nothing is saved and you do not need an account.
Read the question, answer it out loud as you would to the examiner, then reveal the answer and mark yourself honestly. Pick a deck:
Revising for the theory test as well? Try 10 questions in our free theory test practice or see what the Orbit theory test app includes.
Where the controls are in your test car
On the day you need to find each control in the car you are testing in, whether that is your instructor's car or your own. Layouts differ between makes and models, so practise in that car rather than from a diagram. Sit in it with the engine off and find each of these:
| Control | Questions | What to find |
|---|---|---|
| Front and rear washers | Show me 1 and 2 | The wiper controls. Find out which movement works the front washer and which works the rear. |
| Dipped and main beam headlights | Show me 3, tell me 11 | The light switch. Learn the dipped position, how main beam is selected, and where the main beam warning light shows on the dashboard. |
| Rear fog light | Tell me 10 | The fog light switch and its warning light. DVSA's answer says to turn on dipped headlights first if needed. |
| Rear demister and front demist | Show me 4 and 6 | The heating and ventilation controls. Find the heated rear window control and the setting that sends air to the windscreen. |
| Horn | Show me 5 | Usually the centre pad of the steering wheel. Check which part of the pad sounds it. |
| Side window | Show me 7 | The driver's door switches. Know which switch is your window, not a passenger's. |
| Bonnet release, dipstick, coolant tank, brake fluid reservoir | Tell me 12, 13 and 14 | How the bonnet opens in that car, then each item under it. The owner's manual shows where they are in that model. |
Ask your instructor to fire a random show me question at you on normal lessons, so finding the switch on the move stops being a new thing. Our guide to how driving lessons work, step by step shows where it fits, and what happens on your first driving lesson covers the cockpit drill that comes before it.
What happens if you get a show me tell me question wrong
You get one driving fault, whether you get one question wrong or both. You pass the car test with no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults, so a wrong answer on its own will not fail you.
The risk is the show me question. If you take your eyes off the road for too long, drift across the lane or brake to look for a button, the examiner marks your driving, and dangerous or potentially dangerous driving is a fail. If you cannot find the control quickly, say so and keep driving safely. Our guide to driving test faults explained covers how minors, serious and dangerous faults are marked.
Nerves make simple questions feel hard. If that is you, read our tips on staying calm on driving test day. Still looking for an instructor to get you test ready? Search driving instructors near you.
Show me tell me FAQs
How many show me tell me questions are there?
DVSA's list has 21: 14 tell me questions and 7 show me questions. On your driving test you are asked 2 of them, one tell me and one show me.
When are you asked the show me tell me questions?
The tell me question comes at the start of the test, before you start driving. The show me question is asked while you are driving.
What happens if you get a show me tell me question wrong?
You get one driving fault (a minor) if you get one or both questions wrong. You can still pass with up to 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults.
Can you fail your driving test on a show me question?
Getting the answer wrong will not fail you on its own. You fail if your driving becomes dangerous or potentially dangerous while you answer the show me question.
Have the show me tell me questions changed for 2026?
No. DVSA last updated the list on 4 December 2017, and the GOV.UK page still showed the same 21 questions when we checked it on 11 October 2026.
Do you have to open the bonnet on the driving test?
Only if you are asked tell me question 12, 13 or 14 (engine oil, coolant or brake fluid). You open the bonnet and tell the examiner how you would do the check.
Are the questions different in an automatic car?
No. The driving test is the same for manual and automatic cars, and the show me tell me list is the same.
Do the same questions apply in Northern Ireland?
DVSA's list applies to England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland runs its own driving test, explained on nidirect.
Questions and tell me answers adapted from DVSA, Car 'show me, tell me' vehicle safety questions (updated 4 December 2017). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Show me answers and the quiz are written by Orbit. Orbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA.