Which lane on a three-lane motorway should you take if there is no oncoming traffic?

Why that is the answer

On a motorway, you should always drive in the left-hand lane whenever the road ahead is clear. The middle and right-hand lanes are strictly for overtaking slower-moving vehicles. Remaining in the middle or right lanes when the left lane is free causes congestion and violates Highway Code rules. Once you have finished overtaking, you must safely move back into the left-hand lane.

How this comes up in the real test

Questions from motorway rules 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 motorway rules questions

• Before making a journey on the motorway it is important to check your vehicle fully. Why is this?
• Following a breakdown on the hard shoulder, how should you rejoin the motorway?
• How do smart motorways avoid traffic clustering?
• How should you deal with traffic already on the motorway when joining from a slip road?
• In England and Wales, traffic officers work on motorways as well as some secondary routes. What powers do they have?
• On a motorway, how are the lanes to be used?