Motorbike test cost: £15.50 + £75, plus a CBT day you cannot skip.
The DVSA splits the motorbike practical into two modules and charges for each separately. The headline £90.50 weekday total is only the test slice. Total cost from learner to full A licence with training, theory and CBT typically lands at £900-£1,800.
- £15.50Module 1 fee
- £75Module 2 weekday
- £150CBT avg
- 2 yrMod 1 validity
Two-module structure
- Module 1 (off-road)20 min / £15.50
- Module 2 (on-road)~40 min / £75
- Module 2 weekend£88.50
- Module 1 pass validity2 yr
- Two-module weekday total£90.50
Mod 1 must be passed first. Mod 2 can be re-sat alone if you fail it. No part-test fee discount for re-sits.
CBT is a separate day, paid to a training school not to the DVSA.
Compulsory Basic Training is the entry ticket for the whole UK motorcycle licensing pathway. It is a single day, around eight hours, run by an approved training body, not the DVSA. You pay the training school directly. CBT has no test fee component. The DVSA collects no money from CBT. The certificate issued on the day lets you ride a 125cc bike with L-plates on the road for two years.
CBT pricing in May 2026 is regional. Most UK training schools charge between £130 and £180 for the standard one-day course including a hire bike, instructor time and basic equipment hire (helmet, gloves, hi-vis). London schools tend to come in at £180-£220 because of higher overheads and the need for a larger off-road training area. Rural training schools sometimes offer the course for £110-£140 because their site rents and instructor pay rates are lower.
Some training schools include a second day for free if you fail the assessment portion of CBT on the first attempt; others charge a reduced half-day rate of £60-£90 for the retest. Roughly 15-20% of CBT candidates need more than one day to complete, per published figures from the Motorcycle Industry Association. Bikers with prior cycling experience tend to pick up the slow-ride elements faster.
For more detail on the CBT process, the DVSA publishes the official specification at gov.uk/cbt-compulsory-basic-training. Find approved training bodies via the same site.
A1, A2 and A licences: same DVSA fee, different bikes.
The UK motorcycle licence pathway has three categories above CBT. The DVSA fees are identical for all three. Differences in total cost come from age requirements, training hours and the cost of hiring the larger test bike.
| Licence | Bike up to | Min. age | Module 1 fee | Module 2 weekday | Typical training |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | 125 cc, 11 kW | 17 | £15.50 | £75 | 8-12 hours @ £45-£55 |
| A2 | 35 kW with cap | 19 | £15.50 | £75 | 12-16 hours @ £55-£70 |
| A (direct access) | Unrestricted | 24 | £15.50 | £75 | 16-20 hours @ £65-£80 |
| A (progression) | Unrestricted | 21 (after 2 yr A2) | £15.50 | £75 | 8-12 hours @ £65-£80 |
DVSA fees verified at gov.uk/driving-test-cost, May 2026. Training-hour ranges from MCIA published instructor data and ten independently surveyed UK training schools. Hire bike sizes vary the per-hour figure noticeably.
Two riders, two end-to-end bills.
Profile A is a 17-year-old going for the A1 licence with no prior riding experience. Profile B is a 26-year-old going for full A via direct access, also no prior experience. Both pass each test stage on the first attempt.
Profile A · A1 licence at 17
- Provisional licence (online)£34
- CBT one-day course£150
- Theory test (£23)£23
- 10 hours training @ £50£500
- Module 1 fee£15.50
- Module 2 weekday fee£75
- Total to A1 pass£797.50
Profile B · full A via direct access at 26
- Provisional licence (online)£34
- CBT one-day course£160
- Theory test£23
- 18 hours training @ £72£1,296
- Module 1 fee£15.50
- Module 2 weekday fee£75
- Total to A pass£1,603.50
Both totals exclude personal kit (helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, base layers) which is a separate £400-£900 spend, and after-pass insurance and road tax. CBT and training fees from ten UK training-school websites surveyed in May 2026.
What a Module 1 or Module 2 fail actually costs.
Module 1 has a published pass rate of around 70% across all categories. That is higher than the practical car test (49%) because Module 1 is a set of repeated set-piece manoeuvres in a closed environment. Module 2 has a published pass rate of around 73%. Combine the two and roughly 51% of candidates pass both modules at the first attempt. A second attempt on either module means another fee (£15.50 or £75) plus the cost of additional training hours to address whatever caused the fail.
The most common Module 1 fail reason is the emergency stop, where the test specification requires you to bring the bike to a stop from 50 km/h in a controlled, straight-line manner without locking the wheels. The most common Module 2 fail reasons are positioning at junctions and observation at left-turns, both of which can be addressed with three to five hours of additional on-road training (£165-£375 typical).
Mandatory waiting between attempts is three clear working days for both modules. There is no cap on how many times you can retake either module within the two-year validity of your CBT or Module 1 pass, but each fresh attempt costs the full fee.
The economic case for taking Module 1 weekday only (when the fee is the same as weekend) and Module 2 weekday only (when there is a £13.50 premium for evening or weekend) is straightforward: book weekday slots if your work or college schedule permits. Most training schools offer test-prep packages that include the DVSA fee, the bike hire on test day and the last two training hours immediately before the test slot.
Motorbike test cost FAQ.
How much is the motorbike test in the UK?+
There are two DVSA test fees: Module 1 (off-road manoeuvres) at £15.50, and Module 2 (on-road) at £75 on weekdays or £88.50 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. Both fees together come to £90.50 weekday or £104 weekend. You must pass Module 1 before you can sit Module 2.
Do I need CBT before the test?+
Yes. Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) is a one-day course (around 8 hours) run by an approved trainer, not the DVSA. CBT typically costs £130-£180 in 2026, more in London (£180-£220) and less in rural areas (£110-£140). CBT alone lets you ride a 125cc with L-plates for two years. You need a CBT certificate before booking either Module 1 or Module 2.
What is the total cost of getting a motorbike licence?+
Budget £900-£1,800 for a full A2 or A licence depending on category and training intensity. The breakdown: provisional licence £34, CBT £130-£180, theory test £23, training (10-20 hours at £45-£75 per hour) £450-£1,500, Module 1 £15.50, Module 2 £75. The biggest variable is the training hours, which depends on whether you have any prior riding experience and which licence category you are taking.
What is the difference between A1, A2 and A licences?+
A1 covers bikes up to 125cc and 11 kW (minimum age 17). A2 covers bikes up to 35 kW with a power-to-weight cap (minimum age 19). Full A covers any bike (minimum age 24 via direct access, or 21 if you have held A2 for two years). DVSA test fees are identical across A1, A2 and A. The difference is the test bike category and your training cost, because a larger bike costs more to hire for training.
What does Module 1 actually involve?+
Module 1 is a 20-minute off-road test at a DVSA test centre. You ride round a marked manoeuvring area performing a slow-ride exercise, a slalom and figure of eight, a U-turn, a controlled stop, an emergency stop from 50 km/h, and a hazard avoidance swerve. The fee is a flat £15.50 regardless of when you take it (no weekend premium for Module 1).
Why is Module 2 more expensive on weekends?+
Module 2 is the on-road test (about 40 minutes) and the DVSA pays examiners an unsocial-hours premium for evening and weekend slots. The £13.50 premium pays the examiner, not the test. The test content is identical and there is no evidence weekend pass rates differ from weekday rates.
Can I retake just Module 2 if I pass Module 1?+
Yes. A Module 1 pass is valid for two years. If you fail Module 2 you only retake Module 2 (£75 again), you do not have to redo Module 1. The same works the other way: pass Module 1 and you have two years to pass Module 2 before the Module 1 pass expires.