Provisional vs full driving licence: the difference
Published
A provisional licence and a full licence look almost identical — same pink photocard, same 16-character driver number. The difference is what the holder is allowed to do with it, and for an employer that difference is the line between a legal journey and an unlicensed driver in your vehicle.
What a provisional licence is
A provisional licence is the learner's licence. It grants provisional entitlement to a category — permission to learn to drive that kind of vehicle, not to drive it independently. For cars (category B), a provisional holder may only drive when all of these conditions are met:
- They are supervised by someone aged 21 or over who has held a full licence for that category for at least three years.
- The vehicle displays L plates (or D plates in Wales) front and rear.
- They are insured to drive that vehicle as a learner.
Since 2018 learners may also drive on motorways, but only with an approved driving instructor in a car fitted with dual controls — not with an ordinary supervising driver.
What a full licence is
A full licence means the holder has passed both the theory and practical test for that category. They can drive unsupervised, carry passengers, tow within their entitlement, and drive for work. Each category on a licence is separately provisional or full — it is common for a driver to hold a full category B (car) entitlement and only provisional entitlement for motorcycles or lorries.
The difference at a glance
| What it means for | Provisional | Full |
|---|---|---|
| Drive alone | No | Yes |
| Supervision required | Yes, qualified supervisor | No |
| L plates | Required | No |
| Motorway driving | Only with an instructor, dual controls | Yes |
| Drive for work | No — not unsupervised | Yes, within category |
| Penalty points threshold | 6 points revokes a new driver's licence in the first 2 years | 12 points in 3 years for a totting-up ban |
Why employers must check, not ask
You cannot tell a provisional licence from a full one by glancing at the photocard in a wallet — the entitlement detail is on the record, per category. A driver may honestly believe they are entitled to drive a 9-seat minibus or tow a large trailer when their licence says otherwise.
Letting someone drive for work on a provisional licence (unsupervised) means the journey is unlicensed and almost certainly uninsured. The employer is exposed under the Road Traffic Act 1988 — it is an offence to cause or permit someone to drive without the right licence — and under duty of care obligations that survive any claim of "they told us they had a licence".
A DVLA licence check shows exactly which categories are held and whether each is provisional or full. See licence categories explained for what each category covers.
The new-driver trap
A full licence can also become provisional again. Under the New Drivers Act, a driver who accumulates six or more penalty points within two years of passing their first test has their licence revoked — they revert to provisional status and must re-pass both tests. Two SP30 speeding offences is enough. This is a strong argument for checking more often than annually: the driver you checked at onboarding may not hold the same licence six months later.