In brief
- A first car learner permit brings 12 EDT lessons, each at least one hour and stamped by an approved driving instructor.
- Lesson 1 comes first; lessons 2 to 8 follow in any order; lessons 9 to 12 wait until 2 to 8 are done and lesson 8 is stamped.
- The car driving test cannot be sat without a logbook showing the course completed, signed and stamped.
- Reduced EDT is 6 lessons for a learner who has held a full, valid car licence from a country whose licences cannot be exchanged in Ireland for at least 2 years.
- EDT lessons have no price in law; Money Guide Ireland, a third party, puts 12 lessons at €500 to €750 in early 2026.
- From 1 November 2026 the rules around first permits and renewals change, while the EDT Regulations stay as they are.
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Source: Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Learner Permit Holders) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 173 of 2011, checked on 2026-09-16
Who has to do EDT in Ireland?
Anyone issued with a first car learner permit on or after 4 April 2011 must complete Essential Driver Training. The 2011 Regulations name category B only, and a first car permit is issued on the strength of a theory test pass, so the theory test comes first. They also name one exclusion, a first B permit with code 73 whose holder intends to ride a tricycle; code 73 has meant motor quadricycles (B1) since 2013 and tricycles are code 46, so how that exclusion works today is not settled.
The scale is large: 1,257,407 EDT sessions were completed in 2024, according to the RSA Annual Report 2024. That figure covers the full and reduced courses and repeated lessons.
Motorcycle and moped learners do not do EDT. A first motorcycle or moped permit brings Initial Basic Training instead, and a car learner keeps the accompaniment rule for the whole permit.
| Course | Applies to | Training | What it allows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Driver Training | A first category B car permit | 12 lessons of at least one hour each | The car driving test, sat with a stamped logbook |
| Initial Basic Training | A first motorcycle or moped permit | 16 hours in 4 modules for AM and A1 (Citizens Information); 18 hours in modules 1, 3 and 5 for A2 and A (RSA), S.I. No. 433 of 2018) | Riding unaccompanied with the L tabard, no passengers and no motorway |
The sources disagree on the A2 and A course, so both figures are shown. The RSA gives 18 hours, or 16 where IBT was already done. There is no standard IBT fee; Two Wheels Training and Irish Motorcycle Training publish their own prices as third party examples.
Source: Citizens Information, Learner permit rules for specific vehicle categories, checked on 2026-09-15
How many EDT lessons are there, and how long is each one?
The full course is 12 lessons. The 2011 Regulations set a floor of not less than one hour for each one, so a lesson cannot be shortened below the hour and still count.
That hour is a minimum, not a target. The length of the whole course depends on your knowledge and ability, and an instructor stamps a page only when satisfied that you completed the lesson.
- 12EDT lessons in the full car course
- 1 hourminimum length of each lesson
- 6lessons in the reduced course for a foreign licence
Source: Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Learner Permit Holders) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 173 of 2011, checked on 2026-09-16
Do EDT lessons have to be taken in order?
Yes, partly. Lesson 1 comes first. Lessons 2 to 8 follow in any order you and your instructor agree, and lessons 9 to 12 come only after lessons 2 to 8 are done, again in any order.
Lessons 9 to 12 also need a logbook with the lesson 8 pages signed and stamped by an instructor, so lesson 8 is the gate to the final four.
What does each EDT lesson cover?
The titles and coverage below come from the Schedule to the 2011 Regulations, in our own words. Each lesson maps onto a study area in the Learn section.
| Lesson | Topic | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Car controls and safety checks | Controls, safety checks, roadworthiness |
| 2 | Correct positioning 1 | Straights, bends, junctions, lane changes, slips, roundabouts |
| 3 | Changing direction 1 | Mirrors, signals, scanning in light traffic |
| 4 | Progression management | Speed control, limits, stopping distances |
| 5 | Correct positioning 2 | Reversing, turnabout, parking, confined space |
| 6 | Anticipation and reaction | Junctions, parked vehicles, crossings, cyclists, pedestrians |
| 7 | Sharing the road | Giving way to pedestrians and other users |
| 8 | Driving safely through traffic | Defensive driving, risk to others, co-operation |
| 9 | Changing direction 2 | Busy traffic, choosing the route yourself |
| 10 | Speed management | Fast moving traffic, variable speeds, changing limits |
| 11 | Drive calmly | Busy junctions, stall and restart, parking |
| 12 | Night driving | Driving after dark on urban and rural roads |
Lesson 12 should take place after dark. Lessons 9 to 11 include some independent driving, where you decide the route.
Source: Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Learner Permit Holders) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 173 of 2011, Schedule to Regulation 4, checked on 2026-09-16
Lesson 2 lists slip roads, but a learner must not drive on a motorway, so slip road practice stays on ordinary roads.
Who can give EDT lessons?
Only an instructor entered in the Register of Approved Driving Instructors for category B can give and stamp EDT lessons.
The RSA keeps the register and may publish its public part online. While teaching, an instructor must display the ADI card on the dashboard, with the face visible to the learner.
Giving driving instruction for reward in a public place without a driving instructor's licence for that category is an offence, with named exceptions for Gardaí, Defence Forces members and RSA staff on duty.
An approved instructor must teach in a dual control car, unless the car is provided by the pupil. A car the instructor provides must meet the minimum vehicle standards and carry insurance for instruction.
How does the EDT logbook work?
The RSA makes the logbooks available to driving instructors. The instructor holds the book for the lesson and hands it straight back to you once the page is stamped, so you always have the record.
- Before or at a lessonIdentity check
The instructor checks your learner permit and signs the logbook for that. The Regulations do not say at which lesson.
- During the lessonThe lesson itself
The lesson runs for at least an hour and the instructor signs off the pre-training checks.
- At the end of the lessonCompletion and stamp
Once satisfied that you completed the lesson, the instructor stamps the page with a personal numbered EDT stamp issued by the RSA.
- Straight afterThe logbook comes back to you
The instructor immediately gives the logbook back to you to keep.
- When the course endsYou sign and the RSA is told
You sign the logbook and the instructor notifies the RSA that you have finished; a record of that notification is kept.
A logbook stops being in force once the learner permit it relates to has been out of operation for 5 years or more.
What happens between EDT lessons?
Practice between lessons is ordinary learner driving. A qualified person must sit beside you, with a full licence in the category held for at least 2 continuous years.
L plates go front and rear, in red on a white ground at least 15 centimetres high. You must never drive on a motorway as a learner, even with your companion beside you.
The car must be insured or guaranteed for use in a public place. If you drive unaccompanied while your permit requires someone beside you, Gardaí can take and keep the car.
The EDT Regulations create no sponsor or mentor role. The accompanying driver is the only person the law requires for practice between lessons.
Extra lessons you choose are pre-test lessons, which no instrument requires. If you pay for either, they must come from a licensed instructor.
What does EDT cost, and when can you take the driving test?
Neither EDT instrument sets a price, so what you pay is a matter between you and the instructor.
| Item | Fee | Where the figure comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Car theory test (category BW) | €45 | Prometric Ireland Ltd, Driver Theory Test Car or Bike |
| Learner permit application | €45 | National Driver Licence Service, Fees |
| Car driving test | €85 | Citizens Information, Driving test |
| 12 EDT lessons (market survey, not a state fee) | €500 to €750 | Money Guide Ireland, a secondary source |
The EDT range is a third-party survey from January 2026, not a state fee, and does not cover insurance, fuel or extra lessons.
Source: Citizens Information, Driving test, checked on 2026-09-15
The three fixed fees add up to €175. Money Guide Ireland's third-party survey puts 12 EDT lessons at €500 to €750, commonly about €550, so the course plus fees comes to roughly €675 to €925.
Until 31 October 2026 you cannot, in most cases, apply for a driving test within 6 months from the day your first learner permit comes into force (S.I. No. 725 of 2007). From 1 November 2026, a person granted a category B permit who has not held a B permit in the 2 years before the grant cannot apply for a certificate of competency within 6 months from the day the permit comes into force (new Reg. 27A in S.I. No. 527 of 2025, stated for category B only).
The period runs from the day the permit comes into force, and under the Interpretation Act 2005 the first day counts inside it.
Once the six months have run you apply, wait for the invitation, then pick a slot within 10 days from the following 3 to 5 weeks. On the latest CSO data, to August 2026, the estimated time to an invite was 11.6 weeks. Bring the completed logbook and a valid motor insurance certificate.
An illustration, not a real learner. Your first car permit comes into force on 2 November 2026 and you book fortnightly Saturday lessons.
- Sat 7 Nov 2026: lesson 1, car controls and safety checks. Lesson 1 comes first.
- Sat 21 Nov 2026: lesson 2, correct positioning 1, stamped at the end.
- Sat 5 Dec 2026: lesson 3, changing direction 1.
- Sat 19 Dec 2026: lesson 4, progression management.
- Sat 9 Jan 2027: lesson 5, correct positioning 2, after a three week gap that no rule forbids.
- Sat 23 Jan 2027: lesson 7, sharing the road, before lesson 6, because 2 to 8 need no sequence.
- Sat 6 Feb 2027: lesson 6, anticipation and reaction.
- Sat 20 Feb 2027: lesson 8, driving safely through traffic, which opens lessons 9 to 12 once stamped.
- Thu 4 Mar 2027, evening: lesson 12, night driving, after dark.
- Sat 13 Mar 2027: lesson 9, changing direction 2, with independent route decisions.
- Sat 27 Mar 2027: lesson 10, speed management, never on a motorway.
- Sat 10 Apr 2027: lesson 11, drive calmly, the final stamp.
Twelve lessons over 22 weeks. The permit came into force on 2 November 2026, so the earliest application date is Sunday 2 May 2027 on our count. On the CSO estimate of 11.6 weeks the invite would arrive around Friday 23 July 2027; you then have 10 days to pick a slot from the following 3 to 5 weeks, so the test would land between about 13 and 27 August 2027.
Reduced EDT and what changes on 1 November 2026
Reduced EDT applies if the licensing authority is satisfied that you have held a full valid car licence from another state for at least 2 years, that you still hold it, and that it cannot be exchanged in Ireland. You then take 6 lessons instead of 12.
Lessons 2, 3, 4, 8, 11 and 12 are not required, leaving lessons 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10. A licence from the exchange list does not qualify you for the reduced course.
The NDLS says reduced EDT can be used only once. No such limit appears in the Regulations: reg. 4(3B) has no single use condition, and the 2025 instrument amends only the licensing Regulations. Treat it as NDLS guidance.
The same fortnightly rhythm as the full schedule, with the six required lessons only.
- Lesson 1, car controls and safety checks
- Lesson 5, correct positioning 2
- Lesson 6, anticipation and reaction
- Lesson 7, sharing the road
- Lesson 9, changing direction 2
- Lesson 10, speed management
Ten weeks from the first lesson to the last, half the length of the full course. How the lesson 8 stamping rule applies to a course with no lesson 8 is not spelled out, so agree the order and the sign-off with your instructor.
From 1 November 2026 a learner permit is granted for 2 years, or 2 years plus the unexpired period of the previous permit. After 7 years or more on permits in a category, or with no permit in that category for 2 years before you apply, your next application counts as a first learner permit, which brings the theory test, EDT and the six month rule back. After 4 years on permits, no further permit is granted unless you sat a driving test in the previous 2 years, so a slow EDT course can run into that deadline.
The EDT Regulations do not change on that date. S.I. No. 173 of 2011 has not been amended since 2019, and S.I. No. 527 of 2025 amends only the licensing Regulations. What changes for EDT learners is the 2 year permit and the restarted first permit that brings the 12 lessons back.
Some questions the law does not answer, and some we could not confirm from the sources we read.
- Whether the law requires any spacing between EDT lessons. It sets no minimum gap.
- Whether two EDT lessons can be taken on the same day, since the law is silent on a daily limit.
- How to replace a lost or damaged logbook, which no primary source covers.
- What an EDT sponsor or mentor is, since the term appears in no EDT instrument.
Questions people ask
Can I do two EDT lessons on the same day?
The Regulations set no minimum gap between lessons and no daily limit. Each lesson lasts at least an hour and lesson 1 comes first; lessons 9 to 12 wait until 2 to 8 are done and lesson 8 is stamped, and a page is stamped only when the instructor is satisfied.
Can a parent teach me instead of doing EDT?
No. EDT is stamped by an instructor on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors for category B using a personal EDT stamp, and sections filled in by anyone who is not a driving instructor are void. A parent can still sit in for practice between lessons.
Do I need to pass the theory test before EDT lessons?
Yes, in practice. EDT applies to a first car learner permit, a first permit needs a theory test pass, and the instructor checks your learner permit. See what the theory test costs.
Can I do EDT in my own car?
Yes. The dual control rule does not apply when the pupil provides the vehicle. Your car must be insured for use in a public place and carry L plates front and rear.
Does a completed EDT logbook expire?
A logbook stops being in force once its learner permit has been out of operation for 5 years or more. From 1 November 2026 a 7 year permit run, or a 2 year gap, makes your next application a first learner permit, and neither set of Regulations says whether stamped lessons count after that.
What if my learner permit runs out before I finish EDT?
The test bar runs through that permit and any later car permit, and stamped lessons are not said to be lost on renewal. From 1 November 2026 a 2 year gap makes your next permit a first permit, and after 4 years on permits no further permit is granted without a driving test in the previous 2 years.
Do I need EDT for a motorbike or a tractor?
No. The EDT Regulations apply to a first category B permit only. A first motorcycle or moped permit brings Initial Basic Training instead, 16 hours in 4 modules for AM and A1, and a motorcycle test needs a valid IBT certificate.
Can I sit the driving test before I finish EDT?
No. You cannot sit the car test without a logbook recording and stamping that you completed the course. The full course means all 12 lessons, and lesson 12 need not be the last one; the reduced course means lessons 1, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 10.
Sources
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Learner Permit Holders) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 173 of 2011, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Cars) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 172 of 2011, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Driving Instructor Licensing) (No. 2) Regulations 2009, S.I. No. 203 of 2009, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Learner Permit Holders) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, S.I. No. 9 of 2019, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2007, S.I. No. 725 of 2007, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025, S.I. No. 527 of 2025, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Interpretation Act 2005, No. 23 of 2005, section 18(h), checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Motorcycles) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 681 of 2011, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic (Courses of Instruction) (Motorcycles) (Amendment) Regulations 2018, S.I. No. 433 of 2018, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic Act 1961, No. 24 of 1961, section 56, revised text, checked on 16 September 2026.
- Citizens Information, Learner permit rules for specific vehicle categories, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Citizens Information, Driving test, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Road Safety Authority, RSA Annual Report 2024, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Central Statistics Office for the Road Safety Authority, Driving Test Waiting Time (PxStat ROA36), CC BY 4.0, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Money Guide Ireland, Cost of learning to drive in Ireland, checked on 15 September 2026.
- National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), Help: frequently asked questions, checked on 15 September 2026.
- National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), Fees, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Prometric Ireland Ltd (Driver Theory Test Service), Driver Theory Test Car or Bike, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Road Safety Authority, How to apply (driving test), checked on 15 September 2026.
- Road Safety Authority, Driver test estimation (personal), checked on 15 September 2026.
- Two Wheels Training, Prices, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Irish Motorcycle Training, Motorcycle lesson prices, checked on 15 September 2026.
- Road Safety Authority, Motorcycling lessons (IBT), checked on 15 September 2026.
Written by the Irish Mock Test team, who write and check every lesson, question and guide on this site. This guide is independent and is not advice from the Road Safety Authority or any other body.