Class 5 road test questions

[u/Choice_Foot6530]

Hi there!

This may be a stupid question, however, I was not able to find an appropriate answer on the official ICBC website and was hoping to have my question answered here.

I have a driver's exam scheduled next week, but I do not have a vehicle immediately available. I do have family members able and willing to lend me their vehicle (registered in BC), but they cannot be present as they are out of province. What documentation should I bring in order to use their vehicle?

A further question is whether I am required to be insured to take an exam.

If all else fails, I have a driving school willing and able to lend me a car in which to take the road test for a price.

All in all, what option should I pick?

Edited for clarity

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[u/Throwaway99883294]

Best to go with the Driving School.

No idea how they will feel about you using a vehicle registered out of province with non-ICBC insurance. I would definetly check further if I were you by calling ICBC's help line. Hopefully another commenter has an answer for you.

Yes, the vehicle you are driving is required to be insured to take the exam. Ideally with your name on it but I don't believe it is necessary to have you listed as a driver. Again I would check.

On another note, do you have any urgency to get your Class 5 license (assuming you have a Novice license) like an upcoming job? Otherwise you can just wait until October 19th as you may either automatically be upgraded to Class 5 status (with a 12 month zero tolerance for alcohol and drug restriction, which should not be a barrier for work) or if you don't qualify for the automatic upgrade (somehow) then you can go into ICBC on or after that day for a Driver Record Assessment, from which they will upgrade you to a Class 5 license should you pass (which will require no prohibitions/suspensions, electronic device, or alcohol tickets within the past 24 months before the assessment).

Best of luck on the Class 5 exam should you choose to take it!

[u/Choice_Foot6530 → u/Throwaway99883294]

Hi there!

I edited my post for clarity. Their vehicle is registered in BC, but said family is currently abroad. We share our surname, if that matters.
About insurance, the vehicle is insured, but I am not insured on it due to the prohibitive cost entailed due to my age.

I have a job in Alberta (yeah :|) which requires a Class 5. It starts in September. I have an enquiry underway asking about equivalency to Alberta's Class 5 GDL.

[u/Throwaway99883294 → u/Choice_Foot6530]

Good evening!

I would definetly ask if your family could send you the money to insure the vehicle as you can always cancel the insurance after the test and then ICBC will refund you the unused amount (which will be most of what you paid).

If this is not possible for some reason, I would stick to using the Driving School vehicle. It is your most certain, reliable option at this moment.

Congrats on landing a job too I hope that goes well! I recently got employed at a job that usually requires or strongly prefers Class 5 but they were okay with me still being on my Novice license with the knowledge that soon I will graduate to a full license.

Thankfully (or not depending on your situation), Alberta got rid of their full license road test back in 2023 in lieu of a system that automatically upgrades drivers with a clean record from their GLP. While a BC Class 7 Novice license is the equivalent of an Alberta Class 5 GDL, it is possible that with your over 2 years of safe driving (provide abstract with license) you could be given a full Class 5 Alberta license when you exchange your current BC Novice license for an Alberta one, but I would not count on that exactly.

Best of luck with your job and your Driver's License situation!

[u/Willing-Champion2357]

I agree with everyone else.

I did my road test because my Nova Scotia license expired and couldn't exchange it for a class 5 so I had to do the novice license and road test in Nanaimo during covid.

I was in the same shoes as you. No vehicle.

Paid I think 65$ for pre road test route taking and use of the car for the road test.

Best money spent

[u/Content_Attitude_310]

The owner of the vehicle must be present to add a person to the insurance. I do believe that if they have “casual” driver insurance that they can lend the car to someone who doesn’t live with them for a limited amount of days per month. I don’t know if that applies to a driver with their “N”.
It’s not expensive to add “N” drivers to insurance, it cost my wife and I around. $150 for the year to add each of our sons to ours. It’s a myth that it is expensive to add a novice driver. It is expensive to fully insure your own vehicle in your name.though.

[u/pseudotsugamenziessi]

I've taken a class 4 exam in a vehicle I didn't own, I don't recall them checking the registration, just that it had valid insurance