Driving Lessons in Your Own Vehicle | Electronic Agreement

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Using Your Own Vehicle for Driving Tuition

Skill4Life Driver Training is happy, where appropriate, to provide driving tuition in a pupil’s own vehicle.

These conditions apply in addition to Skill4Life Driver Training’s main Terms of Business. The main Terms of Business continue to apply to tuition undertaken in a pupil-owned vehicle, including provisions relating to bookings, payments, cancellations, conduct and termination of tuition.

Where these conditions specifically relate to the use of a pupil-owned vehicle, these additional conditions will apply.

1. Suitability of the Vehicle

The vehicle must be suitable for professional driving tuition and must, in the instructor’s reasonable professional judgement, be safe and appropriate for the pupil’s level of ability and the tuition being undertaken.

Skill4Life Driver Training and/or the instructor reserves the right to refuse to conduct or continue tuition in any vehicle considered unsuitable, unsafe or unlawful to use.

2. Insurance

The pupil is responsible for ensuring that they hold valid and appropriate motor insurance permitting them to drive the vehicle while receiving paid professional driving tuition.

Where the vehicle belongs to another person, the pupil must ensure that they are properly insured to drive that vehicle for the purpose of receiving professional driving tuition.

Evidence of appropriate insurance may be requested before tuition takes place.

Skill4Life Driver Training maintains appropriate professional motor/instructor insurance in connection with the provision of driving instruction, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the applicable insurance policy.

The instructor’s insurance does not replace or remove the pupil’s responsibility to be properly insured to drive the vehicle.

3. Vehicle Ownership and Permission

Where the pupil is not the registered keeper or owner of the vehicle, they must have the owner or registered keeper’s permission to use the vehicle for professional driving tuition.

The pupil must disclose any restriction, modification or other circumstance which could reasonably affect the vehicle’s insurance, legality, safety or suitability for tuition.

4. Roadworthiness and Legal Requirements

The pupil is responsible for ensuring that the vehicle is roadworthy and complies with all applicable legal requirements.

This includes, where applicable:

• a valid MOT;
• vehicle tax;
• valid motor insurance;
• tyres which comply with legal requirements;
• correctly functioning lights, indicators, brakes, steering and other safety-critical equipment;
• correctly fitted and functioning seat belts;
• adequate visibility;
• secure mirrors; and
• no warning lights, defects or modifications which could affect the safety or legality of the vehicle.

The instructor may carry out reasonable visual or operational checks before or during a lesson. Any such check does not constitute a mechanical inspection, vehicle certification or guarantee of roadworthiness.

Responsibility for maintaining the vehicle in a safe, legal and roadworthy condition remains with the vehicle owner/keeper and pupil as appropriate.

5. Warning Lights, Faults and Defects

The pupil must inform the instructor of any known mechanical, electrical, safety-related or other relevant fault before tuition begins.

If a warning light, defect, unusual vehicle behaviour or other concern arises before or during a lesson, the instructor may suspend or terminate use of the vehicle where they reasonably consider continued use unsafe, unsuitable or unlawful.

6. Instructor Safety Discretion

The instructor has final professional discretion as to whether tuition can safely take place in the vehicle and in the prevailing circumstances.

This may include consideration of the pupil’s experience and ability, vehicle characteristics, weather, road and traffic conditions, the proposed lesson content and the instructor’s ability to intervene safely.

An instructor is not required to begin or continue tuition where they reasonably believe doing so would create an unacceptable safety or legal risk.

7. Dual Controls

A pupil-owned vehicle is not normally expected to be fitted with dual controls.

The absence of dual controls means that the instructor may have less ability to intervene physically than when tuition takes place in a purpose-equipped driving-school vehicle.

The instructor may therefore restrict particular roads, manoeuvres, exercises or driving situations until satisfied that they can be undertaken safely.

The instructor may decline to provide tuition in a non-dual-controlled vehicle where the pupil’s level of experience, prevailing conditions or proposed lesson content would make its use inappropriate.

8. Vehicle Unavailable, Breakdown or Mechanical Failure

Skill4Life Driver Training is not responsible for the maintenance, repair or recovery of a pupil-owned vehicle.

If the vehicle cannot be used because of a breakdown, mechanical or electrical defect, insurance issue, roadworthiness concern, warning light, legal deficiency or because it otherwise fails to satisfy these conditions, the instructor may refuse to commence or continue tuition in that vehicle.

Where the Skill4Life tuition vehicle is available and it is reasonable to do so, the instructor may offer the pupil the opportunity to continue the booked lesson using the Skill4Life tuition vehicle.

Where this alternative is accepted, the applicable Skill4Life tuition rate for use of the school vehicle will apply, and the pupil will be responsible for any difference between that rate and the rate applicable to tuition in their own vehicle.

If the pupil declines the reasonable alternative of continuing in the Skill4Life tuition vehicle because they wish to undertake tuition only in their own vehicle, the booked lesson will remain subject to Skill4Life Driver Training’s normal cancellation terms.

If the Skill4Life tuition vehicle is unavailable, the circumstances will be dealt with reasonably and in accordance with the applicable Terms of Business.

Where a breakdown occurs during tuition, the instructor will take reasonable steps to assist in making the immediate situation safe. Any repair, recovery or associated vehicle costs remain the responsibility of the vehicle owner/keeper or their breakdown provider, as appropriate.

9. Damage, Collisions and Incidents

The pupil remains responsible for complying with the requirements of their motor insurance policy and applicable law following any collision, damage or other incident involving their vehicle.

Any incident must be reported to the appropriate insurer where required under the applicable insurance policy.

Nothing within these conditions excludes or restricts liability where it would be unlawful to do so.

10. Cameras, Recording Equipment and Telematics

The pupil must inform the instructor if the vehicle contains active audio or video recording equipment which may record the instructor or tuition.

Any recording, storage, publication or sharing of material must comply with applicable privacy and data-protection requirements.

The instructor may require audio recording to be disabled or may decline to provide tuition where they reasonably consider the operation or proposed use of recording equipment inappropriate.

11. Vehicle Cleanliness and Condition

The vehicle must provide a reasonably clean, safe and suitable working environment.

The instructor may decline to enter or use a vehicle where its condition presents a reasonable health, hygiene or safety concern.

12. Use of the Vehicle for the Practical Driving Test

Agreement to provide tuition in a pupil-owned vehicle does not automatically constitute confirmation or agreement that the vehicle is suitable for use on a practical driving test.

Where a pupil intends to use their own vehicle for a DVSA practical driving test, the vehicle must satisfy all applicable DVSA requirements in force at the time of the test.

The pupil is responsible for ensuring that their vehicle satisfies those requirements and remains appropriately insured, legal and roadworthy.

The instructor may provide guidance regarding apparent suitability but cannot guarantee that the vehicle will be accepted for test by the DVSA or an examiner.

Where the instructor is expected to provide tuition immediately before the test, attend the test centre or otherwise be involved in the test-day arrangements, this must be agreed in advance and remains subject to Skill4Life Driver Training’s Terms of Business and the instructor’s professional judgement.

13. Changes in Circumstances

The pupil must inform Skill4Life Driver Training of any material change affecting the vehicle or its use for tuition.

This includes changes to:

• insurance;
• ownership or keeper details;
• MOT or taxation status;
• mechanical or electrical condition;
• warning lights or known defects;
• significant vehicle modifications; or
• any other matter which could reasonably affect the vehicle’s legality, safety, insurance or suitability for tuition.

Previous acceptance of a vehicle for tuition does not prevent the instructor from subsequently refusing its use where circumstances have changed or a safety, legal or suitability concern becomes apparent.

14. Relationship With Skill4Life Terms of Business

These conditions must be read together with the current Skill4Life Driver Training Terms of Business.

Using a pupil-owned vehicle does not remove or replace the pupil’s obligations under those Terms of Business.

Where an issue is not specifically addressed within this Own Vehicle Agreement, the applicable provisions of Skill4Life Driver Training’s Terms of Business will continue to apply.

Skill4Life Driver Training may amend these conditions where reasonably necessary to reflect changes in legislation, DVSA requirements, insurance requirements, industry guidance or business practice.

The version of these conditions applicable to tuition will be the version in force at the relevant time.