How to pass a driving test without lessons

No it’s not just the instructor giving directions. The test has significantly changed. I assume she’s passed her theory and the hazard perception test? If not that’s the first thing to get studying for.

The test itself consists of being able to set and follow a set nav for 25 - 35 minutes, a reversing manoeuvre such as reversing round a corner, parallel parking and bay parking. She will no doubt need to demonstrate the correct and safe way to perform an emergency stop. She will need answer questions of vehicle safety or show the tester such things as checking the tyre pressures, opening the bonnet, filling washer fluid.

If you cannot find an instructor you can go online and watch videos on the test standards. This can form the structure of your lesson for her but you do need to structure the lessons to the standards, otherwise she may not pass and if she gets a number of major faults on the test this may impact her confidence.

Youtube has mock driving test videos. You could try watching some of those?

Just something else to check that we never thought about. If you choose to take her for test in your vehicle you will need to check this is covered with your insurance. My husband was unable to take his part 2 test as a driving instructor in our car as our insurance company would not cover the examiner. This could possibly be an issue for you too.
Driving instructors are often very unlikely to take someone on whi already has a test as it reflects on them if they fail badly. Maybe best to not mention the booked test when looking for an instructor. Let them assess whether they feel your daughter is ready for test. Good luck xxx

Are you calling and texting potential instructors too, not just relying on getting answers to emails? I find it hard to believe that no-one in your area ever takes driving lessons.

If you aren't aware of the recent changes to the test (I.e using a sat nav) then I really don't think you are best placed to teach your daughter without quite a lot of research and learning on your part. Recent changes, what examiners need to see, test routes etc. Do you have time for that?

There's being able to drive a car .....and then there's being able to drive the car to pass a driving test.

You need to be aware of what's being asked of you for a test.

We have a TOMTOM phone app on our smartphone, which we connect to our car (car sat-nav is underwhelming). It doesn’t cost a huge amt per year for the subscription (about £4/month or £20/year). You would need to buy some sort of cradle to hold the phone. DD’s instructor’s car had inbuilt TomTom, so it must be pretty standard these days.

I second the suggestion of working your way through any Youtube videos of the routes (usually done by local driving instructors), as well as trying a fair few yourselves.

Also make sure your car is in tip top condition tyre/brakes wise etc.

I know you've said no one you've contacted has availability but.....
Have you looked at the gov.uk website for instructors in your area? It gives you the names and contact details of 40 nearest driving instructors to your postcode. Hopefully one of them will have some space?

Hi @Bilster have you been trying just local instructors? A large company like the AA can have a faster turnover and lots of instructors. I learnt with them years ago and then more recently I booked a refresher (having not driven for years). I was able to book with only a few days notice?

Test route my dd did was on YouTube. Have you tried asking on local facebook some instructor may have availability or know someone.

My DP did this after lessons with me. We practiced parking and emergency stop. He did study really hard for the theory before and did well. He only booked the test for practice but passed. Test was the first time he had gone over 40 😬

I wouldn't recommend it to be honest.

But things to consider:
The driving test is very prescriptive. So she'll need to be checking mirrors and blind spots at the correct times and frequency, placing her hands correctly on the steering wheel, position on the road, etc.

She'll need to know the correct way to carry out the manoeuvres.

She'll need to know the show and tell questions and be able to demonstrate on the car.

She'll need to practice with a satnav as that could be on the test.

If you are using your own vehicle, there are some strict conditions so check those.

I taught my youngest and my eldest's partner. The did have a few lessons to neaten up, get told how to do things test wise etc.

They had lots of practice with me and so looking back it was probably about 50/50.

I’d suggest you spend some time finding out exactly what is in the test. Ability to follow a satnav has been part of it for a number of years and yet you don’t know this. There are probably a lot of other things that are part of the test that you don’t know about too. I assume you’re going through the “show me..” “tell me..” things with her too?

Lots of technical things like checks you do before pulling away, checking mirrors and blind spots. Parking - bay park and parallel park.

Presumably she's passed the theory test, so if she's got a high score on that, she should be pretty good with knowing the rules of the road.

You can google exactly what the driving test will consist of and can do lots of practice with parking, reversing, etc. Just be aware that things have changed from the test you'll have taken a few decades ago so don't waste time practising things that aren't tested anymore.

Your main risk will be that you've taught her your bad habits by accident, so she may be doing things that could start accumulating minors, such as inadequate mirror use, inadequate signalling, wrong road positions, etc. Maybe she'll also get caught out by not noticing speed restriction signs, being in the wrong lane at junctions/roundabouts etc. These are the kind of things that instructors live and breath but you, as an experienced driver, may not notice.

She’ll have to set and follow a sat nav for about 20 mins. She’ll need to show she can do basic safety checks on a car. I’d not risk a test without at least a couple of lessons as being a good driver and being test ready are two totally different things. The car she takes the test in has to meet the standard set by the test centre - eg it must have no drops of rain on the seat! They’re really really picky if you’re not in a driving instructors car. Four friends are driving instructors!

Also, yes to learning the show me, tell me questions. I feel most drivers would know them already but if you're a person who likes to be very prepared I would recommend practising them like I did. She will need your help but it's definitely doable.

OP I passed in September with zero driving faults after lots of driving experience and 10 lessons, which is way less than most, I recommend:
Learner driver sub-reddit- lots of good tips from other learners
Watching test routes on YouTube- common fails are mentioned
Practise the manoeuvres to perfection, after watching some YouTube of exactly how they're done (exactly when to look in mirrors)

Yes you do need to follow a sat-nav, very easy if you've have driving experience, in my opinion. It doesn't matter if you go wrong, as long as you do it safely. I would also suggest you get a special mirror so you can see when she looks in the mirror.

She can absolutely do it but you do need to learn all the "proper" ways!

The driving test has changed in recent years. She’ll need to revise ‘show me/tell me’ questions. Perform a reversing manoeuvre, follow road signs OR a sat nav, emergency stop etc. you can find all the components here - https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/what-happens-during-test#:~:text=an%20eyesight%20check,reversing%20your%20vehicle

I’ve had a couple of bf’s in the past who never took formal lessons before passing.

That was before sat nav.

Some, but very much less than before.

Part of the test is following a sat nav now. The instructor will set a route and then you have to follow it. Sometimes though they ask you to follow signs to a set destination instead.

My info is about 6 years out of date but you need to be able to either follow road signs or a sat nav, i.e. the examiner will tell you to go to a particular place and you have to either use road signs or sat nav, examiner will choose on the day.

Check what the testable manoeuvres are and practice them a lot, and practice a lot around the test centre. Decent googling may give you an idea of what the usual routes are from the test centre. This is the biggest advantage of an instructor, IMO.

The driving test format has fundamentally changed recently. My test was around 95% following sat nav, alternatively it might be predominantly following road signs, or a mixture of the two.