Learner guide
EDT, the theory test and the driving test, in order
Essential Driver Training (EDT) is the mandatory course of 12 one-hour lessons that every first-time learner in Ireland has to complete with an RSA-approved instructor before sitting the car driving test. This page puts it in order with everything else you need.
EDT is a fixed course of 12 lessons that sits between your theory test and your driving test
- Driver theory test. Book it at theorytest.ie, pass it, and you can apply for your first learner permit.
- Learner permit. Apply through the NDLS. A first learner permit for category B (car) must be held for at least six months before you can sit the driving test. While learning you must be accompanied by a full-licence holder with at least two years' experience, and your car must carry L plates.
- EDT: 12 lessons. One hour each, with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI). Each lesson has a set topic and is logged online on the RSA's MyEDT portal after the instructor signs it off. They do not have to be with the same instructor, but most people stay with one.
- Practice between lessons. The RSA recommends practice with your accompanying driver between EDT lessons; the logbook has space to record it.
- Pre-test lessons. Not compulsory, but most schools recommend one or two lessons on the roads around your test centre in the weeks before the test.
- Driving test. Booked on MyRoadSafety once you are eligible. Dublin has seven centres on the RSA's list; pick the one whose roads you know.
- After the test. You get a certificate of competency, apply for a full licence, and drive with N plates for two years.
What the 12 EDT lessons cover
The syllabus is fixed by the RSA, and your instructor follows it in this order unless they have a reason to swap two lessons:
- Car controls and safety checks
- Correct positioning, part one
- Changing direction
- Progression management
- Correct positioning, part two
- Anticipation and reaction
- Sharing the road
- Driving safely through traffic
- Changing direction, more complex situations
- Speed management
- Driving calmly
- Night driving
Lesson 12 has to happen in the dark, which is why schools schedule it in the evening, and why in summer it may be the last thing you do.
What EDT costs in Dublin
Schools set their own prices. On the websites we have checked, a single EDT lesson in Dublin is typically somewhere between the mid thirties and fifty euro, and most schools sell a 12-lesson block at a discount. The price on each listing on this site is the one the school publishes itself; we do not add anything and we do not take a commission. Always confirm the current price with the school.
Who does not need EDT
EDT applies to anyone whose first learner permit for category B was issued on or after 4 April 2011. If you held a learner permit before that date, or you hold a full licence from another country that Ireland exchanges, different rules apply. The RSA's own pages are the reference for exemptions.
Manual or automatic
You can do EDT and the test in an automatic car, but a licence gained in an automatic only covers automatics. If you expect to drive a manual car later, learn in one now; adding manual later means another test. Listings on this site show which transmission each school offers.
Choosing a school
Three things matter more than the rest: that the instructor is on the RSA's ADI register, that the school teaches around the test centre you will use, and that the price and the cancellation rules are written down. Everything else, car model, pick-up points, weekend availability, is convenience. The listings here show the area, the test centres the school says it covers, the transmission and the published price, and link to the school's own website so you can check the rest yourself.