After passing
This article covers advice for newly qualified drivers, drawn mainly from Appendix E of Sevenoaks Driving Test Secrets. Newman's central point is that passing shows a driver is safe enough to carry on learning alone, not that they are a finished driver.[1]
Immediately after the test
Newman advises against driving home straight away, because candidates are usually mentally exhausted and emotional, and because learner insurance often stops on passing.[1] He also asks learners not to tease their parents by pretending to have failed.
Insurance
A new policy is needed before driving alone. Newman considers a black box a good choice for new drivers, both for cost and for the habits it encourages, and warns that if the box reports through a phone app, the app must stay installed and active.[1]
Protecting the licence
For two years after passing, six or more penalty points revoke the licence, and points gained before passing count towards the six. The driver must then reapply for a provisional licence and retake both tests. Using a hand-held phone while driving carries six points on its own.[1][2]
Early driving
- Start on familiar roads, without a car full of friends.
- Keep driving regularly, as the skill fades quickly, for example during a first year at university.
- Never let observation slip; it is what prevents pulling out into something unseen.
- Take extra care at night, when risk rises sharply for new drivers.
- Resist peer pressure. Newman suggests "I'm driving. I'll go when I'm ready."
- Take a few sessions in your own car, which may feel very different from the one you learned in.
Further training
Newman strongly recommends motorway lessons, before or soon after passing; he takes learners on the M25 to places such as Bluewater and Gatwick. He suggests Pass Plus only for the skills it builds, since insurance discounts are not guaranteed.[1]
P plates
Green P plates are optional. Newman does not generally recommend them, having seen drivers make impatient overtakes around both L and P plates.[1]
References
- Newman, Geoff (2026). Sevenoaks Driving Test Secrets, chapter 25 and Appendix E.
- "Penalty points: new drivers". GOV.UK.