Vehicle checks in the driving test: fluids, lights, seat

The system draws one item from five (oil, coolant, brake fluid, washer fluid, horn) and one of eight lights. You have 5 minutes and you only need to show where and with what the level is checked. For the brake and reversing lights you may ask the examiner to confirm. Then seat, head restraint, mirrors, belt and doors.

How the draw works: one fluid and one light

The vehicle check is the first task on the manoeuvring area (table no. 1 of the annex to the regulation on examining (rozporządzenie w sprawie egzaminowania), item 1). You do not have to check the whole car. The test centre's computer system draws two items for each candidate:

• one of five: engine oil level, coolant level, brake fluid level, presence of fluid in the washer reservoir, or the operation of the horn,
• one of eight lights: position lights, dipped headlights, main beam, brake lights (STOP), reversing lights, indicators, hazard lights, rear and front fog lights (if the car has them).

You have no more than 5 minutes to do it. The regulation requires you at least to show where and with which instruments or indicators the level of the given fluid is checked. You do not have to pull out the dipstick or unscrew any caps. For the brake and reversing lights you may ask the examiner to confirm that they work, because you cannot see them yourself from the driver's seat.

When the IT system is down, you draw yourself before starting the task, keeping the same split: one item from the first group and one from the second.

Fluids and horn: what, where and how to show it

The key skill is opening the bonnet. In the car you drive on your course, find the release lever and the bonnet catch, and practise opening it several times until you can do it without searching.

Lights: how to check them in the test

With the lights the examiner assesses two things: whether you know where the switch is, and whether you can confirm they work.

Pointing to the indicator lamp on the dashboard is enough in most cases. If you are not sure whether a given light works, say so to the examiner and ask for confirmation from outside. The regulation expressly provides for such a request for the brake and reversing lights.

Preparation for driving: seat, mirrors, head restraint, belt, doors

The second part of task no. 1 is setting up the driver's position. The assessment criteria from table no. 3 are specific, so do them in a fixed order:

1. Set the seat so that you can reach the pedals and the steering wheel comfortably. Check that the seat is locked.
2. Set the head restraint close behind your head, at head height. This is the only criterion the regulation gives for the head restraint.
3. Set the left mirror: in it you should see the left side of the vehicle and the area behind the vehicle on the left.
4. Set the right mirror the same way: the right side of the vehicle and the area behind on the right.
5. Set the interior mirror so that you can see the area behind the vehicle through the rear window.
6. Fasten your seat belt.
7. Make sure the doors are closed.

If your medical certificate carries a restriction code, for example glasses or contact lenses, the examiner checks before the test whether you meet that condition (§ 26(5)). Bring your glasses, even if you usually forget about them.

The official question catalogue has questions from the same area, including the question on setting the driver's seat before driving and questions about what you should see in the mirrors. Going through them helps you understand why the criteria look the way they do.

What happens when you make a mistake

A mistake in the vehicle check or the preparation for driving does not end the test. The regulation provides for a second attempt, and in it the examiner assesses only those parts of the task you did incorrectly or missed. If you forgot the head restraint in the first attempt, only the head restraint is checked in the second.

Only performing the same task from table no. 1 incorrectly twice closes the way to the on-road part (§ 12(2)(3)). Then the test ends with a fail and you book a new date from scratch, with a new fee (in the Mazowieckie region 229.99 zł (PLN) for the category B practical part, as of September 2026, according to the WORD Warszawa price list; WORD is Wojewódzki Ośrodek Ruchu Drogowego, the regional driving test centre).

The examiner tells you about the mistake straight away, naming the task. You do not have to guess what went wrong. What the rest of the procedure looks like and what happens next is described in the article on the tasks in the category B practical test.

Typical mistakes in the vehicle check

Most slip-ups at this stage come from rushing, not from a lack of knowledge:

• Looking for the bonnet release lever only in the test. Five minutes pass quickly when you do not know where the catch is.
• Confusing the coolant tank with the washer reservoir. Both are plastic, but the washer reservoir has the windscreen symbol and the expansion tank has level marks.
• Pointing to the brake fluid reservoir as the oil. Remember that oil has a dipstick, brake fluid has a small reservoir by the master cylinder.
• Unscrewing the radiator cap. Do not do it, pointing to the tank and the marks is enough.
• Switching on main beam instead of dipped headlights. Check the colour of the indicator lamp: blue means main beam.
• An unfastened belt or an open door after setting the seat. This is part of the criteria, not a formality.
• The head restraint left in the position from the previous candidate. Always set it, even when it looks fine.

If a warning light you do not recognise comes on on the dashboard, do not guess. The warning lights of safety systems and what they mean are described in the article on car safety systems.

How to practise in the course car

It is best to practise the whole task at the start of several lessons until it becomes automatic:

1. Ask your instructor to draw one fluid and one light for you at the start of the lesson, just like in the test.
2. Open the bonnet and point to all five items from the first group one by one, saying out loud what you are checking and where.
3. Close the bonnet, get in and do the preparation for driving in a fixed order: seat, head restraint, mirrors, belt, doors.
4. Switch on each of the eight lights and name the indicator lamp you see.
5. Time yourself. Eventually the whole thing should take much less than 5 minutes.

On top of that, go through the catalogue questions on operating the vehicle, for example the question on when to check the brake fluid level. They concern the same items the system draws on the manoeuvring area.

What if the test car is different from the course car

Many driving schools train in a car similar to the test car at the local WORD, but that is not always the case. A different car means a different bonnet lever, a different layout of reservoirs and different light switches. You have two options.

First: before the test, look at the model used at your WORD, if only in photos, and check in the owner's manual where the reservoirs are. Second: submit a request to take the test in the vehicle of the OSK (ośrodek szkolenia kierowców, the driving school) that trained you. The Act on Vehicle Drivers (ustawa o kierujących pojazdami, art. 53(4a)) allows this for categories AM, A1, A2, A, B and B+E, at the candidate's expense. The OSK car must have a device recording the course of the test.

Come to the test itself with a valid identity document and your glasses, if you have a restriction code. Before you pull away from the manoeuvring area, say each step of the preparation for driving out loud: it is the simplest way not to miss anything.