What you need to know: DVSA’s published car-test list contains 14 “tell me” questions and 7 “show me” questions. You are asked two on your test: one before driving and one during the drive. Getting one or both answers wrong normally results in one driving fault. Dangerous or potentially dangerous driving during the demonstration can result in a fail.
Preparing for the show me tell me questions in 2026 is about knowing your car, not reciting a perfect script. You need to explain basic safety checks and use everyday controls without losing concentration on the road.
This guide covers every topic on the current DVSA vehicle safety question list, with questions paraphrased into revision prompts and answers explained in plain English. It applies to car tests in England, Scotland and Wales, including Nottingham. The year in the title identifies this revision guide, not a newly introduced DVSA question bank.
How the Questions Work
Your “tell me” question comes at the beginning of the test, before you start driving. Usually you explain a check, but three questions require you to open the bonnet and identify the relevant component. Questions about switching on fog lights or main beam also require familiarity with the actual controls.
Your “show me” question comes while driving. The examiner asks you to demonstrate a control when it is safe. Keep observation, speed and steering under control. Do not immediately look down or reach for a switch while approaching a junction or dealing with another hazard.
If you did not hear the request clearly, ask the examiner to repeat it. Practise choosing an appropriate moment with your instructor rather than treating the question as a race. Our Nottingham driving test day guide explains how these checks fit into the wider appointment.
All 14 Tell Me Questions: Revision Prompts and Answers
The numbering follows the official list. Learn the safety points, then rehearse them beside or inside the car you will use for your test. Control locations and checking procedures can differ between vehicles.
1. How would you check the brakes before a journey?
The brake pedal should not feel spongy or slack. Test the brakes as you move off, where it is safe to do so, and check that the car does not pull to one side. Explain both the feel of the pedal and what happens when you brake.
2. Where are the recommended tyre pressures, and how do you check them?
Use the manufacturer’s information for the correct pressures. Check and adjust them with a reliable gauge when the tyres are cold. Include a spare tyre if fitted and replace the valve caps afterwards. Use the settings appropriate to the vehicle and its load.
3. How should the head restraint be adjusted?
The rigid part should be at least as high as your eyes or the top of your ears, and as close to the back of your head as is comfortable. Some head restraints cannot be adjusted. Learn how your own seat and restraint work.
4. How do you check tyre tread and condition?
Check for cuts and bulges. The minimum tread depth is 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre’s width, around its entire circumference. A tread-depth gauge helps you check accurately; one glance at a single patch of tread is not a complete inspection.
5. How would you check the headlights and tail lights?
Explain that you would operate the light switch, turn on the ignition if needed and walk around the car to check the lights. For this question, you do not actually need to get out and perform the walk-round.
6. How would you recognise an anti-lock braking system fault?
The ABS warning light would indicate a fault. Know which symbol is the ABS warning in your vehicle and distinguish a fault indication from the normal startup check described in its handbook.
7. How would you check the direction indicators?
Explain that you would operate the indicator switch, with the ignition on if necessary, then walk around the car to check the indicators. As with the headlight question, you explain the walk-round rather than leave the vehicle to carry it out.
8. How would you check the brake lights?
Press the brake pedal and use reflections in windows or doors to see whether the lights work, or ask another person to check them. Be able to explain how you would see the lights while the pedal is being operated.
9. How would you check the power-assisted steering?
Unusually heavy steering may indicate a problem. DVSA describes maintaining gentle pressure on the steering wheel while starting the engine: a slight movement shows the assistance beginning to work. Alternatively, steering just after moving off gives an indication that assistance is operating. Ask your instructor how the check applies to your car.
10. How do you switch on the rear fog lights, and when should you use them?
Operate the rear fog-light control, using the ignition and dipped headlights if the car requires them, and identify its warning light. Rear fog lights are for seriously reduced visibility, generally when you cannot see more than 100 metres. Switch them off when visibility improves so they do not dazzle other drivers. See Highway Code rules 226 and 236.
11. How do you change from dipped headlights to main beam?
Operate the relevant light control, with the ignition or engine on if necessary. Identify the main-beam warning light, normally blue. Learn how to select main beam properly rather than only flash the headlights momentarily.
12. Open the bonnet: how would you check the engine oil?
Open the bonnet and identify the dipstick or oil-level indicator. Explain how you would compare the level with the minimum and maximum marks. Follow the manufacturer’s checking procedure, including any requirements for a level surface and engine temperature. Do not assume every car has the same dipstick arrangement.
13. Open the bonnet: how would you check engine coolant?
Identify the coolant header tank and its high and low markings where fitted, or the relevant radiator filler arrangement. Explain how the level is checked and how it would be topped up to the correct level using the manufacturer’s instructions. Never remove a coolant pressure cap when the engine is hot.
14. Open the bonnet: how would you check hydraulic brake fluid?
Identify the brake-fluid reservoir and check the level against its high and low markings. Make sure you can distinguish it from the coolant and screenwash containers. The test asks you to identify and explain the check, not carry out a fluid change.
All 7 Show Me Questions: What to Demonstrate
Each request begins with the condition that it must be safe to act. The answer is the demonstration, not simply describing which button you would press.
1. Wash and clean the rear windscreen
Use the rear washer and wiper control. Learn which movement activates the washer as well as the wiper; wiping a dry window alone does not demonstrate washing it.
2. Wash and clean the front windscreen
Operate the front washer and wipers. Identify the correct stalk movement or button in your test car while parked, then practise using it safely during lessons.
3. Switch on dipped headlights
Select dipped headlights using the car’s light control. Understand the difference between automatic lighting, sidelights and dipped beam. Your demonstration should show that you can deliberately select the requested setting.
4. Set the rear demister
Operate the heated rear-window control, usually marked with a rectangular window symbol. Check the relevant indicator briefly without letting the dashboard take your attention away from the road.
5. Operate the horn
Use the horn control when it is safe to respond to the examiner’s request. Find the pressure point beforehand; do not search around the steering wheel during the test.
6. Demist the front windscreen
Select the front demisting setting or adjust airflow, fan and temperature as appropriate for the vehicle. Air conditioning can help remove moisture. Know the difference between the front demist controls and the heated rear-window button.
7. Open and close the side window
Use the window switch to open and close the side window while maintaining safe control. Learn the switch location and any one-touch function so you are not watching the door controls.
How These Questions Are Marked
One or both answers wrong: one driving fault. DVSA does not award a separate driving fault for each incorrect answer in this pair. However, dangerous or potentially dangerous driving while demonstrating a control can cause a test failure. Knowing the answer does not excuse losing control of the car.
A missed answer is a reason to refocus, not assume the whole test is lost. Continue driving safely. Avoid trying to repair a mistake by rushing through another control or taking a prolonged look away from the road.
Practise in Your Actual Test Car
Begin with the car safely parked. Locate each control, practise opening and securing the bonnet with your instructor and identify the three relevant fluid checks. Then answer random questions aloud, explaining the check in your own words.
During lessons, build up to operating controls without disrupting observation or steering. This matters just as much in an automatic car: removing clutch and gear changes does not remove the need to divide attention safely.
For preparation at Colwick or Chilwell, the vehicle checks are part of the same national car-test requirements. The local difference is the traffic you may be handling when a demonstration is requested. Learn to recognise when a junction, crossing or developing hazard needs your full attention.
If your test car changes, practise in the replacement before test day. Read our guide to using an instructor’s car for a Nottingham test and discuss arrangements early.
Combine these checks with realistic mock tests and a broader driving test preparation plan. Vehicle knowledge is one part of becoming a safe, independent driver.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many show me tell me questions are there in 2026?
The published DVSA list contains 14 tell me questions and 7 show me questions. You receive one of each during your car test.
Can I fail just for answering both questions incorrectly?
Incorrect answers to one or both normally result in one driving fault. Unsafe driving during a demonstration is different: DVSA says dangerous or potentially dangerous driving can result in failure.
Do I have to open the bonnet?
Yes, if asked the oil, coolant or hydraulic brake-fluid question. You open it, identify the relevant component and explain the check. Practise the release and securing mechanism beforehand.
Must I memorise the answers word for word?
Concentrate on explaining the correct safety check clearly. Learn the key points and how they apply to your vehicle rather than relying on a script you do not understand.
Are the questions different for automatic driving tests?
The published car-test question list is the same. The controls and appropriate checking method depend on the vehicle, so practise with your instructor in the car you will use.
Source: DVSA, Car “show me, tell me” vehicle safety questions. Revision prompts and answers adapted from Crown copyright material licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0, with additional teaching guidance from NGPass Driving Academy. Official list checked 12 September 2026.
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