I get asked almost every day whether a dual controlled car is needed in order to sit the ADI Part 3 examination.
In short, the answer is no. Dual controls are not compulsory for the part 3, however in my opinion they are useful. Having dual controls fitted to your test vehicle means that if you need to take physical action you can do so more effectively without damaging your handbrake!!
People do say that the examiner will take into account whether duals are fitted or not when deciding which faults to simulate but personally I would prefer to have them in the car.
The more important factor to consider when deciding which car to use for your part 3 is insurance. Remember, the examiner will be driving the car during the test and most domestic car insurance policies do not cover this. It is your responsibility to ensure that your vehicle is insured for the test.
Speak to your insurers and see if they will allow you to have an "any driver" policy. Some will allow this for just one day for a small cost, but be sure to explain about the part three test and make sure that your cover note states that it is covered for this purpose.
Depending on who your driving instructor training company is, you may be able to hire or borrow a car from them for the test day. We have a fleet of spare cars and hire cars for our trainee driving instructors to use. If you are not training with us then you can still hire one from us for a small fee.
By using a driving school car you know that it is fully covered by an appropriate policy and therefor is legal to use for your test. You will also usually benefit from the vehicle being fitted with dual controls which kills two birds with one stone.
For more information on our range of driving instructor training courses, please visit www.keyinstructortraining.co.uk
Comments