Driving theory tests to include CPR and defibrillator training from 2026

Learner drivers across the UK will soon be tested on enhanced first aid skills, as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has announced plans to expand the driving theory test from 2026 to include new cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) content and questions on using automated external defibrillators (AEDs) for the first time.

The move aims to tackle the UK’s low cardiac arrest survival rates by ensuring millions of people gain the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency. Each year, there are over 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK, but fewer than one in ten people survive. Research shows survival rates can reach 70% when CPR and defibrillation are given within three to five minutes of collapse.

“Part of being a safe and responsible driver is knowing what to do in an emergency – how to step in and make a real, life-saving difference.”

Mark Winn, DVSA Chief Driving Examiner.

Around 2.4 million theory tests are taken annually, meaning hundreds of thousands of new drivers will receive updated life-saving knowledge. The changes will not increase test time or cost, but will update existing first aid content in line with best practice.

From autumn 2025, car and motorcycle theory test candidates will need to learn:

• Correct CPR technique, including hand placement and compression depth
• How to locate and use an AED

The knowledge will later be added to other vehicle test types. Official DVSA learning resources have already been updated, and free CPR and AED guides from Resuscitation Council UK are available online.

The initiative is a collaboration between DVSA, Save a Life programmes in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and Resuscitation Council UK.

Len Nokes, Chair of Save a Life Cymru, whose daughter Claire died from complications following cardiac arrest in 2017, said:

“We hope that by making CPR and defibrillator use part of the theory test, we will significantly increase the number of people with this life-saving awareness.”

Public-access defibrillators are currently used in fewer than 10% of cardiac arrests, partly due to lack of awareness and confidence. By embedding these skills into a widely taken assessment, the DVSA hopes to create a generation of drivers ready to act in the critical first minutes before emergency services arrive.

The initiative supports the government’s Plan for Change commitment to build an NHS fit for the future in England by reducing preventable deaths.

The industry will once again be gathering at the NEC, Birmingham for The Emergency Services Show, co-located with The Emergency Tech Show, on 17-18 September, check out the full exhibitor list here. You can find Resuscitation Council in Hall 5, Stand E217.