Pass Your Driving Test

It takes 45 lessons for the average learner to pass their driving test. With lessons ranging in price from around £25 per hour up to somewhere around £50 per hour, learning to drive is an expensive thing to do.

Even without the financial element, just the amount of time required for these lessons soon adds up. However, 17-year-old Josh Burford, from Lichfield, managed to come up with a strategy that allowed him to pass his test after just 5 on-the-road lessons and a little over a month after his 17th birthday.

He summed up how he did it in 12 steps:

1. Don’t wait until you’re 17 to start learning to drive
Josh had driving lessons with Young Driver from the age of 10. Because driving lessons take place on private property, they’re completely legal. They take place in dual-controlled cars with qualified instructors, as the aim is to learn in the same way you would at 17. Mock road systems are set up, and there’s other learners practising at the same time, so you get experience of other traffic. Josh had a lesson every couple of months or so, to keep his skills up, meaning that before he even became a teenager he knew how to work the clutch and the gears. As Josh explains: “When I had my first on-the-road lesson at 17, the instructor recommended I put straight in for my test.”

2. Apply for your provisional licence as soon as you can
You don’t need to wait until you’re 17, you can do that from 15 years and nine months. Do it early so there’s no hold-up when you turn 17 as you won’t be allowed to learn on the roads without one.

3. Ask around for recommendations of instructors
Look for an instructor you can build a rapport with and bear in mind some have very long waiting lists. It is worth contacting them a few months before your 17^th birthday to enquire.

4. Practice makes perfect
Josh explains: “In the 50 days between turning 17 and taking my test I practised with my parents when it was possible, just on day-to-day journeys we would have been making anyway. If they were taking a trip to the shops, I drove. It might only have been 10 minutes, but it all helps. And it meant I had to keep practising parking!”

5. Book your theory test as soon as you can – and make sure you prep for it
You can take your theory test at 17 as long as you have a provisional licence. Josh passed his theory test nine days after his 17^th birthday. Josh said: “Get the Highway Code and start reading it at least three months prior to your theory test. Do a little bit when you can, here and there. Also, use an app with theory test practice exams and hazard perception tests too.”

6. Pay attention as a passenger
It’s easy to zone out in the car or look at your phone. But pay attention and ask questions. Look at lane discipline and get a feel for roundabouts and more complicated road systems.

7. Book your test as soon as the instructor says you’re ready
You will need to pass your theory test first though. When Josh first applied for his driving test, he couldn’t get one for five months – which he booked so he knew he had it in the diary if all else failed.

8. Use an app to monitor for driving test cancellations
Josh used a paid-for app called Testi which issues alerts for cancelled tests. His directly booked test wasn’t until November, but after booking one in August via Testi, he then managed to get one in July,  which he took and passed.

9. Do your test somewhere you know
Josh recommends being somewhere you know: “There are reports that people are travelling the length and breadth of the country to find an earlier test. However, I wanted to be somewhere where there was a likelihood I would know the roads. Travelling hours away would have added to my stress levels.”

10. Spend some time getting to know your car
Are you confident about putting on the lights, windscreen wipers and so on? You may be asked to show these in the test and you want it to be as automatic as possible.

11. Use YouTube to help you prep
Josh explains: “I watched YouTube videos on the driving test routes near to me, so I could familiarise myself with them. Sometimes I went and drove them, other times I just watched a video. I think it helped me to stay calm in the test as it seemed a little more familiar, even though mine ended up being one I’d just watched online.”

12. Don’t panic
Josh’s final advice is about keeping your cool. He said: “If it feels like it’s all going wrong, don’t panic. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed – and if you have, use it as experience. You’ll know more about what to expect next time round.”

AC Ace Is Back

In the very near future, we will be seeing the AC Ace back out on the roads of Britain.

AC Cars, Britain’s oldest active vehicle manufacturer, has recently announced the upcoming return of one of the most beautiful cars ever made. The new version of the Ace will, of course, be inspired by the recognisable classic AC Ace but will have evolved to fit in with modern driving conditions.

A New Chapter For The AC Ace

The return of the Ace comes in two models: the AC Ace Classic and the AC Ace Bristol Classic, with each version paying tribute to different periods in the original AC Ace’s evolution.

The AC Ace Bristol Classic features the “smiling face” front end, which will certainly please the classic Ace fans, while the AC Ace Classic has a more streamlined front – a nod to the final iteration of the original model.

The Specifications

Both models have a carbon-fibre body and are powered by a 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine, producing more than 300bhp. This is paired with a precision-engineered six-speed manual gearbox and a specially tuned exhaust system (to make sure the car sounds as good as it looks and drives!)

The car weighs just 1,100kg and can accelerate from 0-62 mph in a shade over 4 and a half seconds. This performance is further enhanced by a torque output of around 375Nm.

Past Meets The Future

The team at AC Cars have merged traditional styling with modern construction techniques. The chassis remains true to the original but the addition of carbon-fibre bodywork makes the new models lightweight and strong. The 15″ wire wheels maintain the classic aesthetic while the modern fuel injection and engine management systems add performance and reliability.

The timing of the AC Ace’s return is particularly relevant at the moment as it coincides with the 70th anniversary of the original model’s competition debut. The original Ace would go on to a class victory at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans, before going on to more success in the SCCA National Championships, and achieving class victories at the Sebring 12-Hour race for three consecutive years.

Availability And Price

Delivery of the AC Ace Classic and AC Ace Bristol Classic is due to begin in summer 2025. Each car will be assigned an official chassis number, authenticating its status as a genuine AC creation.

Pricing for both the AC Ace and Ace Bristol Classic begins at £175,000, inclusive of VAT.

“The new AC Ace and Ace Bristol Classics demonstrate conclusively that a classically styled car can possess outstanding performance and handling characteristics. By returning to the foundational themes of lightweight construction and powerful performance, AC Cars Classics has achieved a delicate balance between grace and modern capability.”

David Conza, CEO of AC Cars

Technical Specifications

• 2.3-litre straight-4 cylinder EcoBoost engine,
• 6-speed manual gearbox
• Built around a robust 3-inch steel tubular frame chassis.
• Period-correct 15-inch wire wheels and tyres