An HGV licence isn't one thing — it's a sequence of steps, each with its own cost and its own gatekeeper. Some of it is paid to the DVLA and DVSA, some of it to a training provider like us. This section breaks the whole thing down so you can work out exactly where you are in the process and what your next move should be.
How you get from a car licence to a lorry
Almost everyone starts in the same place: a full UK car licence and no lorry experience. The route from there looks like this.
1. HGV medical (D4)
A short medical with a doctor who completes the DVLA D4 form. It covers eyesight, blood pressure, heart, diabetes, sleep problems and a few other areas. You can book an HGV medical through us or arrange your own.
2. Apply for provisional HGV entitlement
Send the DVLA a D2 application form with your completed D4. There's no DVLA fee for adding provisional lorry entitlement to an existing licence. Our guide on which boxes to tick on the D2 form saves most people a rejected application.
3. Theory tests
Multiple choice and hazard perception (often called Module 1a and 1b), plus the Driver CPC case studies test (Module 2) if you're driving professionally. See HGV theory tests and the theory revision kit.
4. Practical training
Time behind the wheel with an instructor, covering both the off-road manoeuvring exercise and on-road driving. Our packages include a set number of hours, and you can add extra training hours if you want more practice.
5. DVSA practical tests
The off-road manoeuvres test (Module 3a) and the on-road driving test (Module 3b). Pass both and the entitlement goes on your licence.
6. Driver CPC Module 4
A practical demonstration test on vehicle safety and security. Pass it and you get your Driver Qualification Card (DQC), which you need to drive professionally. Full detail on our Driver CPC page.
A longer walk-through of each stage, with realistic timings, is in our guide on how to get an HGV licence in the UK, and on how long the whole thing takes.
Which licence should you actually go for?
Two questions decide it: what you want to drive, and what you already hold.
- Car licence and want the best job options: go straight to Class 1 (C+E). You can train directly for it — you don't have to pass Class 2 first.
- You want rigid work only (supermarket multi-drop, tippers, refuse, local distribution): a Class 2 (Category C) licence is enough.
- You already hold Class 2: the Class 2 to Class 1 upgrade skips the medical, theory and CPC Module 4 you've already done.
If you're weighing the two up, read Class 1 vs Class 2: which should you get first?
What it costs, in short
Getting a Class 1 licence from a car licence typically runs into the low thousands once you add up the medical, theory fees, training hours, DVSA test fees and Driver CPC. Our complete Class 1 package starts from £3,070 and rises depending on how much of the process you still have to complete — the full itemised breakdown, including DVSA fees you'd pay whoever you trained with, is in how much an HGV licence costs.
You don't have to pay for it in one go. We work with a regulated credit broker for HGV training finance and also run our own 0% in-house payment plan. Finance is subject to status.