DVSA topic · Updated 2026-07-23

Safety & Your Vehicle

Vehicle condition, fault warning signs, security and environmental basics.

Quick answer

Tyres, brakes, lights, warning signs and basic maintenance — what the Safety & Your Vehicle topic tests and where the answers live.

What does this topic cover?

Keeping the vehicle roadworthy between MOTs: tyre condition and pressures, brakes and ABS, lights and horn, fluid checks, fault warning signs, basic security, and the environmental effects of how you drive and maintain the car.

Which Highway Code rules should I revise?

Rules 89 (vehicle condition), 97 (before setting off), 120 (ABS), 123 (the environment — don’t idle, drive smoothly), and Annexe 6 (vehicle maintenance, safety and security — the source for most questions here).

Test yourself on Safety & Your Vehicle

Free Safety & Your Vehicle practice questions in the official four-option format, with explained answers and Highway Code references.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the legal minimum tyre tread depth for cars?

1.6 mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre, around its entire circumference.

What does the topic ask about warning lights?

That you take them seriously: a brake system light means get the brakes checked before driving on, and heavy steering suggests an underinflated tyre.

Revise the rest of the syllabus in the 14 DVSA topics directory, or sit the full free mock theory test.