How Much Is an HGV Theory Test?

The HGV theory test costs £37 in total when you book through GOV.UK: £26 for the multiple-choice part and £11 for the hazard perception part. The same £37 applies whether you are going for a Class 2 licence (Category C), a Class 1 licence (Category C+E), a C1 licence, or a bus and coach licence (PCV, Category D) — the fees are the same for every lorry and bus category. If you are training to drive professionally, there is one more theory fee on top: the Driver CPC case studies test costs £23. This guide sets out every fee, what each test involves, the pass marks, and how to book without paying an unofficial website extra for the same test.

The fees at a glance

These are the official DVSA prices for booking your tests through GOV.UK, checked 6 November 2026. A provisional HGV or bus licence is free to apply for. The theory fees are:

• Driver CPC part 1, multiple choice: £26
• Driver CPC part 1, hazard perception: £11
• Driver CPC part 2, case studies: £23
• Driver CPC part 3a, off-road exercises: £40
• Driver CPC part 3b, on-road driving: £115 on a weekday, £141 in the evening, at the weekend or on a bank holiday
• Driver CPC part 4, practical demonstration: £55 on a weekday, £63 in the evening, at the weekend or on a bank holiday

The two theory parts together cost £37. Add the case studies and the whole theory stage costs £60 before any revision materials. You may be charged more if you book using an unofficial website — the official service is GOV.UK, and third-party booking sites add their own fee for the same test. The fees are the same on weekdays and at evenings, weekends and bank holidays for the theory parts; only the practical parts (3b and 4) cost more outside weekday hours.

What the HGV theory test is

The HGV theory test is Driver CPC part 1, and it is made up of two parts: multiple choice and hazard perception. You have to book both parts separately, but you can take them on the same day, in either order. You must pass both parts to pass the test.

The multiple-choice part gives you 1 hour and 55 minutes to answer 100 multiple-choice questions. The pass mark is 85 out of 100. The questions are based on three books: The Highway Code, Know Your Traffic Signs, and the Official DVSA Guide to Driving Goods Vehicles or the Official DVSA Guide to Driving Buses and Coaches, depending on which licence you are going for. There is also an Official DVSA Theory Test kit for lorries and one for buses and coaches, available online for PC or Mac and as an app, which includes help for the hazard perception part too.

The hazard perception part shows you 19 video clips of everyday road scenes, filmed from a lorry or bus driver's point of view. Each clip contains at least one developing hazard — something that would cause you to take action, like changing speed or direction — and one clip contains two, giving 20 hazards in total. You click the mouse as soon as you see a hazard starting to develop, and you can score up to 5 points for each one, with earlier clicks earning more. The pass mark is 67 out of 100. You do not lose points for clicking and getting it wrong, but you score nothing if you click continuously or in a pattern, and you only get one attempt at each clip.

The CPC case studies test

Driver CPC part 2 is the case studies test, and it costs £23. It is made up of 7 case studies you work through on a computer. The case studies are short stories based on situations you are likely to come across in your working life as a professional driver — things like vehicle checks, loading, drivers' hours and dealing with emergencies. You are asked between 5 and 10 multiple-choice questions on each case study, 50 questions in total. The test lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the pass mark is 40 out of 50. You can book part 2 as soon as you have your provisional licence — you do not need to have passed part 1 first, and you can take part 2 before or after part 1. You need to pass the part 4 practical demonstration within 2 years of passing part 2, or you will have to pass part 2 again.

Which licence, which test

The fees and the theory test are the same for every category, but it helps to know which category you are aiming for, because the words people search for are not the words DVSA uses. Class 2 is the trade name for Category C — a rigid lorry over 3.5 tonnes with a trailer of up to 750 kg. Class 1 is the trade name for Category C+E — an articulated lorry, or a rigid lorry with a heavier trailer. C1 is a medium-sized lorry between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes. A bus or coach licence is Category D, and a smaller bus or minibus is D1; the theory test for buses is called the PCV theory test, and it costs exactly the same as the HGV one — £26 for multiple choice and £11 for hazard perception. So a "C licence theory test price", a "C1 theory test cost", a "Class 2 theory test price" and a "bus theory test price" are all the same answer: £37 for the two parts.

How to book

Book through the official GOV.UK service. You need a provisional lorry or bus licence first, and it is free to apply for. When you book, you choose your test centre — so if you are looking for an HGV theory test in Dartford, or anywhere else, choose the centre nearest you at booking rather than searching for a separate Dartford booking service. The test itself is taken at a DVSA theory test centre (the centres are run for DVSA by Pearson VUE), and the only official booking route is GOV.UK. Unofficial sites that offer to book your theory test for you charge more for the same test, and some charge far more — always check you are on GOV.UK before you pay.

Book both parts together if you can, and take them on the same day: it saves a second trip and keeps the two halves of the test close together. If you fail one part, you only retake that part — but you have to pass both parts within two years of each other to get your theory test certificate. Your theory test certificate is valid for 2 years from when you passed the first part of the test, and you need to pass the part 3a and part 3b driving tests within 2 years, otherwise you will have to pass the part 1 theory test again — so do not leave your practical training so long that the theory expires and you have to pay for the tests again.

How to prepare

The multiple-choice questions are based on the three books named above, and the Official DVSA Theory Test kit is the closest thing to the real test you can practise with. Work through the kit until you are consistently scoring above the pass mark — 85 out of 100 is a high bar, and it catches people who revise lightly. For hazard perception, the skill is clicking early, as soon as a hazard starts to develop, not when it has already happened. Practise with the official clips until your timing is early and consistent. And remember that the case studies test is about judgement in real working situations, not memorising facts: read each case study properly, think about what a professional driver would actually do, and do not rush the 50 questions.

Sources: GOV.UK, "Become a qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or bus driver: Fees" (https://www.gov.uk/become-lorry-bus-driver/fees) — checked 6 November 2026. GOV.UK, "Become a qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or bus driver: Driver CPC part 1 test: theory" (https://www.gov.uk/become-lorry-bus-driver/driver-cpc-part-1-theory-test) — checked 6 November 2026. GOV.UK, "Become a qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or bus driver: Driver CPC part 2 test: case studies" (https://www.gov.uk/become-lorry-bus-driver/driver-cpc-part-2-case-studies-test) — checked 6 November 2026. GOV.UK, "Learn to drive a car: step by step" (https://www.gov.uk/learn-to-drive-a-car) — checked 6 November 2026.