Driving theory test to include CPR first aid questions

13.08.25

LEARNER drivers are to be tested on their CPR skills in an update to the theory test.

Questions on basic CPR and defibrillator use will be added to the car and motorcycle theory test in early 2026.

Drivers are often first on the scene when someone has a cardiac arrest.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency hopes the initiative will improve cardiac arrest survival rates and give the 2.4 million learner drivers who take their theory test each year a better understanding of what to do in an emergency.  

The initiative was developed in partnership with Resuscitation Council UK and the Save a Life programmes in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, which has been hosted by the Welsh Ambulance Service since July 2025.

Save a Life Cymru Chair Professor Len Nokes, whose 24-year-old daughter Claire died in 2017 from complications following a cardiac arrest, said:  “When Claire, my daughter, had her cardiac arrest, some knowledge of CPR might have made a difference.  

“I don't want any other family to go through this experience.  

“All of us in this partnership hope that by making CPR and how to use a defibrillator part of the theory test, we will be able to significantly increase the number of people who have this life saving awareness.”  

Full story: New theory test questions aim to boost cardiac arrest survival rate - GOV.UK