lindamchugh

Hi my daughter passed her driving test in Canada, is that any good in the UK ? Is it any good just for driving an automatic car ?

Atlantic Xpat

As a visitor or as a resident of the UK?

Vulcanoid

She'd be able to rent a car as a visitor. If she's now a UK resident and seeking to swap, then she'll be issued an automatic-only licence unless she can prove she took her test in a manual (which she won't be able to). She could remove this restriction by taking a new test in a manual in the UK.

Aviator

This is not always the case. In BC ICBC issue a letter stating there is not no test differentiating between standard and automatic. Which should be OK.

Bobrovsky

If she didn't decide yet where to live in Canada or in the UK, then maybe it would be better just to pass the tests (theory and driving) in the UK as a novice driver.
In this case she will gain the experience on both licences. It would be good for insurance cost. However, in some Canadian provinces the test is much simpler than in the UK. Only 15-20 minutes driving. Only one manoeuvre - parallel parking, whereas there are 4 in the UK. It is allowed to hit the curb during parallel parking. Unless you mount it, everything is fine. In the UK, hitting the kerb during parallel parking usually means fail.

Aviator

However a harder test one hopes leads to a better and safer driver. I would sooner my kids achieved a higher standard of driving than got their license easily.

cheeky_monkey

only if you are over 21 and have held a full licence for a year..if you have just passed your test you cant rent a car

Aviator

https://www.sixt.co.uk/campaigns/student-offers/

Some rental agencies are aged 25+
Those that will rent to under 25s often have a vehicle restriction and surcharge.

Pulaski

So a letter saying that there is no test differentiating between manual and automatic, helps how? Isn't that exactly the circumstance under which the DVLA will only swap a foreign licence for a British automatic-only licence?

Aviator

They seemed OK with it when I spoke to them.

BritInParis

They being the DVLA?

Novocastrian

Not foreign. Just North American. (just, AFAIK).

No reply there? Interesting.

Pulaski

Other licences can be swapped for a British licence subject to it being provable that a road test was taken in a vehicle with a manual transmission. Which is why I am very sceptical about the indifference of a DVLA call center operative reported by Aviator. Not only can NZ and Australian licence be swapped, but so can Japanese, and I presume there are others too.

BritInParis

Canadian and New Zealand licences need evidence of a test being passed in a manual car. You can't swap a US licence full stop. The other countries don't need evidence.

Full list: https://www.gov.uk/exchange-foreign-driving-licence

Indeed.

Bobrovsky

Maybe the licences from the other countries (with reciprocal agreement) indicate that the licence is valid for driving automatic cars only.