United Kingdom · Private hire testHow the TfL English test works
It’s a conversation. You take it at a TfL Driver Assessment Centre, talking to an examiner from PeopleCert, TfL’s service provider, over a secure video or telephone link. TfL describes it as a 15 to 20 minute conversation, and LanguageCert, PeopleCert’s language brand, lists the exam itself at 11 to 13 minutes, one candidate at a time.
LanguageCert calls it LanguageCert International ESOL B1 (Speaking & Listening) for TfL. ESOL means English for speakers of other languages. The test has four parts, and the last one comes in two halves:
| Part | What you do |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | Answer questions on familiar topics |
| Part 2 | Act out an everyday situation |
| Part 3 | Swap information about pictures |
| Part 4a | Answer questions on a short talk |
| Part 4b | Give a short talk on a set topic |
LanguageCert’s pass score is 60 out of 100, for speaking and listening together.
Reading and writing: the SERU assessment
There’s no separate reading or writing test. TfL uses the SERU assessment, a computer test on its PHV Driver’s Handbook, to judge your reading and writing, so passing it covers both.
Who needs the speaking and listening test
Anyone who applied for a new PHV driver’s licence on or after 1 April 2023 has to pass both the speaking and listening test and the SERU assessment before TfL grants the licence. TfL’s driver policy says you meet the requirement by passing a speaking and listening test conducted by or on behalf of TfL. Drivers renewing a PHV licence must meet it too, but only once: if TfL has already accepted your English, you don’t take the test again.
There’s also an exemption for people whose disability prevents them from taking the speaking and listening test. TfL’s guidance gives permanent profound deafness as one example. You need evidence from a professional such as a doctor, and you pay for it yourself. Ask TfL for the exemption application form. TfL won’t grant an exemption if reasonable adjustments would let you take the test, if your English is the problem, or for money or hardship reasons.
Taxi driver applicants don’t take this test. TfL treats the Knowledge of London’s spoken exams as enough.
Fees and resits
The speaking and listening test costs £40, and £30 to resit. Those prices apply from 9 March 2026; before that they were £36 and £16.
TfL’s driver policy allows three attempts at each test. After a third fail the application is normally refused, and three missed appointments without a good reason mean it’s refused. You’d then make a new application, and there’s no waiting period before you can.
Can you practise for the TfL English test?
Yes. LanguageCert publishes free practice material for this exam: a practice paper, two mock interviews on video, the same two as audio only, and the qualification handbook. Watching a mock interview is the quickest way to see what the examiner asks.
TfL also suggests free English help. Some colleges offer English courses for people on a low income or on benefits, and some councils run free classes, which you can find through the National Careers Service. BBC Skillswise has free videos and worksheets on reading, writing, speaking and listening. If you’re disabled, Access to Work may help with the cost of the assessments.
Sources: TfL · LanguageCert and 6 more. Checked November 2026.
- TfL: English language requirement ↗
- TfL: Apply for a private hire driver licence ↗
- TfL: TPH Notice 01/23, requirements for new PHV driver applicants from 1 April 2023 ↗
- TfL: English language requirement exemption guidance, version 2.0 (4 March 2026) ↗
- TfL: London taxi and PHV driver policy, version 6.0 (1 September 2026) ↗
- TfL: TPH Notice 05/26, taxi and private hire licence fees (13 March 2026) ↗
- LanguageCert: International ESOL B1 (Speaking & Listening) for TfL ↗
- LanguageCert: Practice material for TfL ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.