‘Show me, tell me’: tell me questions 2024: official DVSA guide

you'll be asked one show me a one kill me question during your driving test remember every car is different and your instructor should be teaching you how to do all these checks these are the tell me questions you'll do one of these at the start of the test before you set off we'll show you how to do these checks but you only need to tell the examiner how you do them tell me how you check the brakes are working before starting a journey when you press the brake pedal it shouldn't feel spongy or slack if your brakes are working properly the car shouldn't pull to one side tell me where you find the cars recommended tire pressures and how you check each tire look in the car manual and then use a reliable pressure gauge to check and adjust the pressures when the tires are cold don't forget to refit the valve caps and check the spare tire if you've got one tell me how you'd make sure your head restraint is correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection adjust the head restraint so the rigid part is at least as high as your eyes or the top of your ears make sure it's close to the back of your head and comfortable some cars might not have adjustable head restraints tell me how you check the tires have sufficient tread depth and are in a safe condition check they have no cuts or bulges they must have at least one point six millimeters of tread depth across the middle three-quarters of the tire and around the entire outer circumference tell me how you check the headlights and tail lights are working turn on the switch you might need to turn the ignition on then walk around the car to check the lights are working tell me how you'd know if there was a problem with your anti-lock braking system the ABS warning light should light up if there's a fault tell me how you check the indicators of working turn on the hazard warning lights you might need to turn the ignition on then walk around the car to check the indicators of working tell me how you check the brake lights are working press the brake pedal and ask someone to check the brake lights command or use reflections in windows and doors tell me how you check the power steering is working before starting a journey turn the ignition on and then turn the steering wheel it should move with ease you can also turn the steering wheel just after moving off to check that it works tell me how you'd switch on the rear fog lights and explain when you'd use them turn the ignition on then turn on the dipped headlights and then the fog lights check the warning light on the dashboard is on tell the examiner you'd only use them when visibility is seriously reduced generally when you can't see from more than 100 meters tell me how you switch your headlight from dipped to main beam and explain how you know the main beam is on turn the ignition on then turn on the dipped headlights and switch to the main beam check that the main beam warning light on the dashboard is on open the bonnet and tell me how you check the engine has sufficient oil remove the dipstick and wipe it clean with a cloth put it back in the holder then take it out again look at the high and low marks the oil level should be between them if it's too low top it up but don't overfill it as you could damage the engine open the bonnet and tell me how you check the engine have sufficient engine coolant check the coolant level by looking at the high and low level marks on the radiator header tank if the levels are low top it up with a water and antifreeze mix but only when the engine is cold you could get a serious injury if you open the cap when the engine is hot open the bonnet and tell me how you check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid the brake fluid must be kept between the high and low marks if it's low top it up with the correct type of fluid you can find out what this is in your car's manual head over to the show-me questions video to find out about the rest of the questions