When are you permitted to use the right-hand lane of a two-lane dual carriageway?

When driving at the maximum speed limit

When driving at the minimum speed

Right-hand lane, two-lane dual carriageway

The answer options

When passing a left turn
When driving at the maximum speed limit
When driving at the minimum speed
When turning right or overtakingCorrect

Why the other options are wrong

“When passing a left turn” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which when turning right or overtaking 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.
“When driving at the maximum speed limit” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which when turning right or overtaking 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.
“When driving at the minimum speed” is a distractor. It does not meet the standard the question is testing, which when turning right or overtaking 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

You should always stay in the left-hand lane of a dual carriageway unless you are overtaking slower traffic or preparing to turn right. The Highway Code outlines that the right-hand lane is for overtaking or turning right only. Once finished, you must return to the left lane. Driving at the maximum speed limit does not justify staying in the right-hand lane, as lane hogging disrupts traffic flow and creates an unnecessary hazard.

What rules of the road covers

· National speed limits for cars, cars towing, and built-up areas
· Priority at crossroads, roundabouts and unmarked junctions
· Where waiting, loading and stopping are prohibited
· One-way streets, bus lanes and contraflow systems

Mistakes learners repeat on this topic

· Assuming street lighting always means 30mph without checking for repeater signs
· Forgetting the reduced limits when towing on dual carriageways and motorways
· Believing a roundabout always gives priority to the right regardless of markings
· Parking within 10 metres of a junction because there were no yellow lines

Instructor tip: When a limit question names a vehicle type, answer for that vehicle — the trap is applying the car limit to everything.

How this comes up in the real test

Questions from rules of the road 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.

Practise Rules of the Road Sit a full mock test