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Is the Irish theory test changing?

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The driver theory test in Ireland still asks 40 questions in 45 minutes, with 35 correct to pass. Counts, timings and pass marks on this page are read from the test rules rather than from rumour. Source: Citizens Information, page edited 6 May 2026, checked on 15 September 2026.

By the Irish Mock Test teamFacts checked 15 September 2026How we check facts
Key facts

The facts, with sources

Common questions

Questions people ask

Did the Irish theory test change in 2024?

Yes, on 1 July 2024. The revised test went live that day and the recommended study edition changed with it, after a question bank revision the year before. The exam itself was left alone: the question count, the time and the pass mark all stayed where they were.

Source: theorytest.ie (Prometric Ireland Ltd for the Road Safety Authority), Driver Theory Test updated for 2024, dated 2024-06-03, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: Road Safety Authority, RSA Annual Report 2024, note 8(a) to programme costs, printed p. 112 (PDF p. 114), undated, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: theorytest.ie (Prometric Ireland Ltd for the Road Safety Authority), Driver Theory Test: car or bike, dated 2025-02-20, checked on 2026-09-15

Has the number of questions gone up?

No. The revision left the exam length and the pass mark untouched, and the current counts are in the rows above with their sources. A longer figure quoted online is usually the combined truck and bus test, which is a different exam from the car test and is also listed above.

What changes for learner permits on 1 November 2026?

S.I. No. 527 of 2025 comes into operation that day and rewrites how permits are renewed. The rows above carry each provision: a driving test in the recent past before a further permit once four years on permits have passed, a restart after seven years in the car and motorcycle categories, a wait before a first driving test application, and the removal of the illness concession.

Source: Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025, S.I. No. 527 of 2025, reg. 1(2), dated 2025-11-04, checked on 2026-09-15

Is a hazard perception test coming to Ireland?

Not on any published date. The Road Safety Strategy action to examine one is recorded as complete with no introduction date attached, and the RSA procurement notices name hazard prediction testing only as a possibility that could raise footfall at centres. Where we looked for a plan is set out at the end of this page.

Is the theory test contract changing hands?

It has been advertised. The RSA published a contract notice for a service that would bring theory testing and licence work into the same centres, and the rows above give its estimated value, its length and the timing the RSA expects for an award. The notice describes where services are delivered rather than what the exam asks.

Does the new EU driving licence directive change the Irish theory test?

Not yet. Directive (EU) 2025/2205 is in force at EU level and sets its own dates for adoption and application, and one recital asks for theory test requirements on driver assistance and automated driving systems. No Irish measure, bill or published plan to transpose it has appeared, so nothing in it is an Irish rule today.

Source: Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex), Directive (EU) 2025/2205, recital 28, dated 2025-11-05, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: Irish Statute Book, Chronological tables of statutory instruments 2026, dated 2026-09-14, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: Government of Ireland (gov.ie), Government Legislation Programme, Summer 2026, Transport items (PDF, 34 pages), undated, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas, Dáil written answers, 14 July 2026, question 176 [53664/26], Minister of State at the Department of Transport, dated 2026-07-14, checked on 2026-09-15

Will 17 year olds be able to drive accompanied in Ireland?

Nothing has been published that would allow it. The directive lets a Member State issue a category B licence from that age with an accompanying driver, on the conditions in the row above, but Ireland has adopted no such measure, and a written answer says there are no plans to amend the accompanying driver rule for learners.

Source: Publications Office of the European Union (EUR-Lex), Directive (EU) 2025/2205, Article 17(1) and 17(3), dated 2025-11-05, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: Houses of the Oireachtas, Dáil written answers, 11 February 2026, questions 59 to 62 (11038/26 to 11041/26), Minister of State at the Department of Transport, dated 2026-02-11, checked on 2026-09-15

Which edition of the Rules of the Road applies?

The edition named above is the current one. It still prints the learner permit rules that end on 31 October 2026, so anyone checking renewal rules in it is reading rules with a closing date on them.

Source: Road Safety Authority, Rules of the Road, Revision No. 9 (May 2026), back cover (PDF p. 292), undated, checked on 2026-09-15

Open questions

What we could not confirm, and where we looked

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