The answer options
- The large vehicle will take longer to accelerate
- The large vehicle will have a speed limiter
- The large vehicle will have air brakes
- It will take longer to overtake the large vehicleCorrect
Why the other options are wrong
- “The large vehicle will take longer to accelerate” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which it will take longer to overtake the large vehicle does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “The large vehicle will have a speed limiter” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which it will take longer to overtake the large vehicle does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
- “The large vehicle will have air brakes” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which it will take longer to overtake the large vehicle does. Picking it in the real test costs a mark you cannot get back, and with a pass mark of 43 out of 50 you only have seven to spare.
Why that is the answer
Large vehicles are much longer than standard cars, meaning it takes significantly longer to pass them completely. You need a greater length of clear road ahead to complete the manoeuvre safely. The Highway Code recommends dropping back to increase your view ahead before pulling out to pass. Although large vehicles may have speed limiters, the main challenge is simply the extra time and distance needed to overtake a much longer vehicle.
What other types of vehicle covers
- · Long vehicles swinging wide at junctions and roundabouts
- · Overtaking lorries and the spray and buffeting involved
- · Buses pulling out and priority at bus stops
- · Trams, tram lanes and the surfaces around rails
Mistakes learners repeat on this topic
- · Filling the gap when a lorry moves right to turn left
- · Overtaking a tram on the wrong side or crossing rails at a shallow angle
- · Following a large vehicle closely and losing sight of its mirrors
- · Cutting in too soon after overtaking a long vehicle
Instructor tip: If you cannot see a lorry driver's mirrors, assume the driver cannot see you — that logic answers most of this band.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from other types of vehicle appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More other types of vehicle questions
- There is a lot of wind. If you're following a motorbike rider who is passing a car with a high side, what should you do?
- What should be your biggest concern when a bus pulls up at a bus stop in front of you?
- What should you do if there is a bus pulled into a bus stop on the road ahead of you?
- What should you do if you see this lorry?
- What should you do in this situation?
- What should you do when overtaking a cyclist in very windy conditions?