Code 78

Read the category and its restriction together. A B entitlement with 78 beside it covers an automatic car or light van within category B. It does not give you a manual B entitlement. An automatic gearbox may have a conventional selector, buttons or paddles; changing gears yourself with paddles does not turn a two pedal car into a manual for licence purposes. DVSA describes manual test cars as having three pedals and automatic or semi-automatic test cars as having two.

The 1999 licensing regulations treat a vehicle as automatic when the driver has no clutch pedal or lever to operate, so a battery electric car with no clutch pedal counts as an automatic. Passing in one gives automatic entitlement, not manual. Likewise a semi-automatic test car leads to automatic and semi-automatic entitlement. If you are choosing a test car with the hope of later hiring a manual abroad, settle the transmission question before booking the test rather than after you receive the card.

Turn over the photocard and find the vehicle category row before looking at the code. The restriction sits in the codes area against the relevant entitlement. The dates beside a category tell you when that category is valid; they do not cancel the transmission condition. An old licence may express the same history differently: GOV.UK's comparison of old and new categories maps the former B auto entry to B with restriction code 78.

For a Great Britain licence, open the View or share your driving licence information service. It shows the vehicles you can drive and lets you create a check code for somebody such as a hire company. You need your licence number, National Insurance number and the postcode on your licence. A check code is valid for 21 days. Give a hire desk the code if it asks, but also tell it explicitly that you need an automatic car. The online record is the useful place to check after an upgrade test, especially while you are waiting for a replacement card.

The GB viewing service excludes Northern Ireland licences. NI's photocard guide identifies restrictions at item 12 and says its licences retain a paper counterpart. Read both documents and use the Driver and Vehicle Agency's services for an NI record.

For an ordinary car test, the vehicle used matters. A pass in an automatic or semi-automatic car is evidence that you can handle that kind of transmission, not that you have demonstrated clutch control in a manual. Regulation 43 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 ties that test choice to automatic entitlement. DVSA's examiner guidance also distinguishes an administrative 78, which follows a test in an automatic, from code 10 for a driver who needs a modified transmission because of a disability.

If your licence also contains adaptation codes, changing cars does not remove them. DVSA says drivers must inform DVLA when required adaptations change, and removing adaptations can require another test. The ordinary automatic to manual process concerns somebody whose restriction follows the test vehicle alone.

GOV.UK says you can start learning manual at any time and need not apply for another provisional licence. Until you pass the manual upgrade test, treat manual practice as learner driving. Display L plates at the front and rear, or the permitted D plates in Wales, arrange cover for you as a learner, and have a qualified supervisor beside you. Your full automatic entitlement still lets you drive a suitable automatic on your own during this period.

The supervisor must hold a full licence for the type of car being driven. An automatic-only driver cannot supervise you in a manual. DVSA's guidance for private practice says a supervisor must be over 21, must have held a full licence for at least three years and cannot be paid for giving an informal lesson. Ask the insurer how you are covered before moving a family member's manual car. Being listed as a driver on an automatic policy does not answer the manual learner cover question.

Phone DVSA driving test booking support on 0300 200 1122. The dedicated GOV.UK upgrade page says this test cannot be booked online. Have a debit or credit card ready and choose the test centre. You do not retake the theory test. The practical test itself works the same way as the ordinary manual car test, so the car, insurance and examiner arrangements still matter.

If using your own car, GOV.UK requires a suitable roadworthy vehicle, an extra interior mirror for the examiner, a passenger head restraint and seatbelt, correct learner plates, tax, an MOT if needed, and insurance covering the test. A hire car used for the test must have dual controls. GOV.UK warns that an unsuitable car can lead to a cancelled test and another fee. Ask the test centre about an unusual model before the day rather than discovering a visibility problem at the appointment.

Do not accept the keys to a manual hire car while B still has code 78. A hire agreement does not extend your driving entitlement. Before paying, reserve an automatic specifically and read the confirmation for transmission. If the desk offers a manual substitute, explain the restriction and ask for another automatic or a refund under the booking terms. A vehicle described as semi-automatic may have paddles, but check the pedals and the hire company's classification rather than relying on the advert's wording.

Driving a manual without the relevant entitlement can amount to driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence. The Highway Code penalty table gives a maximum £1,000 fine, possible discretionary disqualification and 3 to 6 penalty points for that offence. Those are maximum and range figures, not an automatic outcome for every stop. The court decides the sentence in the circumstances.

There is also an insurance question, but do not assume every policy responds in exactly the same way. The Highway Code requires valid cover for your use of the vehicle. Check the policy wording and contact the insurer directly if a mistake has already happened. After a collision, give accurate facts about the car and licence rather than assuming a hire contract or an annual premium proves you were covered.

Code 78 can be attached to motorcycle entitlement too. GOV.UK says a rider who passes the motorcycle tests on an automatic or semi-automatic machine receives entitlement only for those transmissions. A manual car pass does not erase a separately restricted motorcycle row. The A, A1, A2 and AM categories also have their own vehicle rules; read the exact category before borrowing a bike or scooter.

A light van within category B is treated like a car for this transmission question. An automatic-only B licence can cover an automatic van, provided the van and any trailer fit the driver's category entitlement. A manual van is still a manual B vehicle. Check the plated maximum authorised mass, especially with larger electric vans, and ask the operator for the vehicle details instead of inferring category from its shape.

Your UK photocard can be accepted in many destinations, but acceptance of the document does not make a manual vehicle lawful for you to drive. Tell the foreign hire company you hold automatic entitlement and book an automatic car. If it asks for a licence check code, generate one before travelling. GOV.UK advises checking the hire company's requirements and the rules of the country you are visiting.

GOV.UK says a UK photocard holder needs no international driving permit for the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein. Elsewhere, check the destination rules. A permit accompanies your licence where required; it does not add manual entitlement. Confirm insurance with the hire company.