What should I do for car driving lesson in this case?

[kmo0416]

I have a driving test booked for 8.17am next week. Because of the driving test backlog, I had to find a test in another test centre that my driving instructor is unwilling to take me to. So, I have looked into hiring an Arnold Clark dual control car for the test and luckily, there is an Arnold Clark store right in the city that my driving test is scheduled in? However, the store opens at 8am and you can only begin hiring the car from 8am but my test is at 8.17am and it's not like I can hire the car overnight. So, what should I do? I am not sure if I would be able to make it.

Call them up and offer to pay extra if someone can help you earlier? Hire from the night before?

Even if you can make it work, how are you going to get from the rental place to the driving test centre?

Why is your instructor refusing to go to this test centre? That’s bizarre

Have you called Arnold Clark? They must have come across this problem before. Why can't you hire it the day before and bring it home, or get one from nearer your home the day before (assuming whoever is supervising you can help).

I wouldn’t count on 17 minutes.

You don’t need dual controls for a driving test - you can use an ordinary car, if you have someone to take you. The only thing needed is an extra mirror for the examiner, which can be bought from Halfords.

Try contacting other driving schools, who might have a car and instructor available. They might want you to have a lesson with them beforehand, to make sure you are test ready. (I used to be an instructor, and I had so many calls “my test is tomorrow, can you take me?” from people who were nowhere near test ready, and their own instructor had probably refused to take them.)

This is what I was going to say

You don't just walk in and grab the keys, there'll be paper work to fill in and could be a line, even if it's litterally next door you'll be cutting it fine. And how are you getting from the rental place to the test center?

I'm assuming your instructor doesn't want to go to this other city but I think your best bet is to offer to pay them more? But I suppose they might not be willing if it means letting down other customers who have lessons booked

My DS is taking his in my car without dual controls, this is very common, need to make sure it is insured, roadworthy, L plates, passenger rear view mirror and practice parking, fog lights, wipers etc beforehand.

Because it's in another city? Extra time for the instructor to have to find to take her there. Most instructors take pupils on their local test routes to help them have the best chance of passing. They won't have been able to do this and if op fails it's on their statistics.
Which isn't to say I don't sympathise with the op, I can just see it from the instructor's view too.

You can't collect a hire car, sign the paperwork etc and be at the test centre in 17minutes! Even if they were next door to each other you'd be cutting it fine.
Why can't you hire the car the evening before?

Can't see how that is going to work with the Arnold Clark learner car.

Unless you can hire the Arnold Clark car from the day before or have another way to have an appropriately insured car for the day I'd look at rescheduling your test now and hopefully someone else can make use of the free slot.

Things might have changed but years ago when I did my test I hired the Arnold Clark car and they weren’t going to let me, something to do with insurance so make sure they allow this as I had to faff about for ages before they gave me the keys, not what you need just before your test! Do you know anyone who would could take you through to the other city and let you borrow their car for the test? As previous poster said you would insurance and L plates but could save the hassle of trying to get the rental car on the morning of the test.
Good luck 🍀

You can only rent for 4 hours.

Why do you need dual control? Your tester isn't going to use the the controls.

@BollickyBill i guess it's probably the only place that will hire to learner drivers

Even if you could collect the car in time for your test I would also advise that you hire it for some time before your test because driving unfamiliar cars is not always that easy a switch even when you're an experienced learner. Even the same make and model of car doesn't always "drive" the same.

They are literally for tests.

I did this for my DD’s test in another city. We hired it for the the day before as well so so she could have a go in it. I would definitely at least go the day before so all of the paperwork is done.

Then obviously it just depends on how far away it is.

You must have to arrive a certain amount of time before the test though, at the test centre I mean.

You have to be there five minutes before, I just looked it up.

The backlog thing is such a massive problem.

I dunno if this is a dumb question but can the 4 hours stradle a night? So you rent it an hour before they close and return it 3 hours after they open the next morning?

Of you do use a "normal" car make sure you get a clip on extra rear view mirror for the examiner - that's the only thing that's actually required. I nearly came unstuck with that but luckily an examiner overheard and had a spare they were willing to lend!

You don't need a dual control car to take your test in. It just needs to be a car that's insured for you as a learner plus any other driver ie the tester.

You don’t need a dual control car, also how are you planning to get the car from the Arnold Clark place to the test centre when you pick it up? Who is going to be accompanying you if your instructor won’t go to that centre?

Also remember as soon as you pass your test you are no longer a provisional license holder and your insurance to drive the car might no longer be valid, so check you are also insured on the hire car when you become a full license holder to drive it back (or the person accompanying you is insured on it)

My dad.

This. A car your not familiar with and a test route I'm assuming your not familiar with either? As someone who passed recently, there is no way I'd have chosen to do that.

Both my kids took their test in our car. As long as you get a rear view mirror and the car is appropriately insured/roadworthy, it’s all fine. Examiners do use the dual controls sometimes though. In my dc test, another driver pulled out in front of the car and the examiner tried to use a dual control brake (which wasn’t there!). Fortunately my dc hit the actual brake!

My parents both have automatic cars but I'm learning manual so that I can get a full license so I cannot use their cars.