Summary of Road Test Vehicle Guidelines
Item
Cleanliness,
Hygiene
Cargo
security
Licence
plates
Class
Guideline
All
• Interior (particularly where driver examiner is seated) must be clean, including seat and seat belt
• No noxious smells or items in vehicle interior that may affect health and safety (e.g., spilled
noxious or hazardous liquids or materials, mould, obvious fuel leaks, etc.)
All
• No loose items or cargo inside vehicle that could cause injury in an emergency (e.g., could fly
forward in a sudden stop and strike examiner or examinee)
• Cargo in pickup bed or trailers must be secure to prevent escape during road test.
All
• At least 1 plate must be displayed and it must be the plate with the licence/insurance decal:
• In the case of a combination unit, the truck and trailer(s) must each display at least the plate
with the licence/insurance decal
• Plates and decal must be clean and readable:
• Licence plate covers acceptable provided licence plate is readable (opaque licence plate covers
not acceptable)
• Licence plate frames that completely obscure plate number, lettering and/or decal not
acceptable
• Cut-down plates (e.g. top and/or bottom cut off to fit car bumper) only acceptable if
alphanumeric licence number (e.g.,” ABC 123”) is readable
• Bike racks and other accessories acceptable provided they do not completely obscure plate
• Plates must be securely fastened in horizontal position:
• Angle or vertical mounted plate not acceptable (e.g., some custom motorcycles and customized
pickup trucks)
• Dangling or “cockeyed” plates not acceptable
• If your office has them, you may provide an examinee with a zap strap or tape to fasten a
licence plate
Note:
CVIP decal
All
Seat belts,
air bags, etc.
All
Windshield,
windows,
windshield
wipers
All
Advise the examinee that ICBC takes no responsibility for any damage resulting from the
use be
of the
zap strapdisplayed
or tape inside vehicle (e.g., in window) provided:
• Plates may
temporarily
• Plates are secured and visible to other road users, and do not impair examinee’s or driver
examiner’s field of vision (lying on package shelf or on top of dashboard not acceptable as plate
would not be readable and is not securely fastened. Plate must not obscure centre (high
mount) brake light
• For Class 1-4; decal must be present and examinees are expected to check for decal during the
pre-trip inspection.
• For Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, if the vehicle is used by a Driver Training School, it must display a
valid decal.
• Seat belts including shoulder belts must work and not be excessively frayed for both the examinee
and examiner
• If the vehicle is equipped with air bags, the Air Bag Warning Light must not stay on (this could
indicate that an air bag will deploy)
• If vehicle equipped with passenger air bags, cannot also be fitted with accessory “racing” steering
wheel:
• Accessory steering wheels are not equipped with air bags, and installing one in a car in place of
an air bag-equipped steering wheel not only deprives the driver of air bag protection but can
potentially disable all the vehicle’s air bags
• Accessory steering wheel manufacturers do not recommend they be used for street use
• All cars since 1998 have been equipped with driver’s and passenger side air bags (dashboard
usually has a decal or imprinted wording indicating vehicle equipped with driver’s and
passenger side airbag)
• Windows including windshield, driver’s- and passenger-side windows and rear window must be
clean to allow the examinee and driver examiner to see
• Windshield, side and rear windows must not be frosted or fogged such that vision is impaired or
that the defrosters will not adequately clear them
• Windshield must not be badly cracked (e.g., cracks that impair, restrict, obscure or distort
examinee’s or examiner’s view through windshield)
• If it is raining or likely to rain during the road test, both driver’s- and passenger-side windshield
wipers must work and adequately clear windshield
• Rear windshield wiper and front or rear windshield washers not required to work
• Both the driver’s and passenger’s side windows must open from the inside
Item
Window
tinting
Mirrors
Horn
Speedometer
Doors
Lights
(general)
Headlights
Brake Lights
Turn Signals
Class
Guideline
All
• Any tinting must still allow other road users to see the driver inside the vehicle through the front
windshield and through the driver’s and passenger-side windows.
• No aftermarket tinting permitted on the windshield other than within 75 mm (3”) of top, no
aftermarket tinting on front side windows.
• Aftermarket tinting permitted on side windows behind driver and on rear window:
• If aftermarket tinting on rear window, vehicle must be fitted with left and right outside rear view
mirrors
All
• Cracked mirrors permitted provided cracks do not impair driver’s ability to use mirrors to see traffic
approaching from behind
• Cars and light trucks must have at least 2 mirrors – one inside mirror and at least driver’s side
outside rear view mirror (must have both left and right outside rear view mirror if no rear window or
view to rear obstructed (e.g., pickup with camper or box, van without side windows or without rear
window)
• Commercial trucks and buses must have at least left and right side rear view mirrors
• Motorcycles must have at least 1 rear view mirror
All
• Horn must work:
• If equipped with more than 1 horn, accept as long as at least 1 horn works (e.g., commercial
vehicle with air horn and electric horn, car with low- and high-tone horns)
All
• If it is faulty or missing, road test may be conducted provided the examinee agrees beforehand to
accept examiner’s estimation of speed
All
• Both examinee’s and examiner’s doors must open and close from both the inside and outside
• If vehicle manufactured with doors, they must not be removed (e.g., 4x4’s such as Jeeps
manufactured with doors cannot have doors removed)
All
• Critical lights (brake lights and turn signals - and headlights/taillights if dark or low visibility) must
be clean and working so that other road users can see them when in use
• Daytime running lights do not need to work (but turn signals must work)
• Not all bulbs in a light need to work – e.g. if 2 bulbs in a turn signal, accept if at least 1 bulb works
• Cracked or broken taillight or brake light lenses must not emit noticeable amount of white light
• Shields (some owners add these to place over taillights and some headlights):
• If shields have been added, advise examinee that shields are not legal, and that a subsequent
road test will not be conducted unless shields are removed
All
• If headlights needed during road test due to darkness or low visibility:
• Both left and right headlights must work (1 headlight acceptable on motorcycle)
• They must not be badly cracked (e.g., not acceptable if cracked and moisture/condensation
inside impairs brightness of light)
• Motorcycles may be equipped with modulating headlight (not legal on other vehicles)
All
• Brake lights must work:
• For Class 1-4, 5/7:
• Most cars and trucks are equipped with left, right and centre-mounted brake lights – at least 2
of them must work
• Where a vehicle does not have a centre-mounted brake light, both left and right brake lights
must work
• For Class 6/8:
• Motorcycle brake light must work (if it only activates from the front or rear brake but not both,
this is acceptable for road test purposes)
• Lenses must be clean
• Cracks permitted provided they do not emit white light
All
• Both left and right turn signals must work and both front and rear:
• Turn signals not required for MST (advise examinee that turn signals are required for Class 6/8
road tests)
• Some vehicles have auxiliary turn signal indicators on mirrors – these do not have to be working
for road test and do not replace the requirement of functioning front and rear turn signals
• Some motorcycles have custom turn signals:
• Some are very small and some are combined into the taillight.
• Some of these can be difficult to see, particularly in bright sunlight.
• They are only acceptable if the turn signals will be clearly visible to other road users during
the road test
Item
Bumpers
Muffler
Tires and
wheels
Steering
Raised or
lowered
vehicles
Class
All
•
•
All
•
All
•
All
All
•
•
•
•
Brakes
All
•
•
•
All
•
Class
5/7
•
Class
1-4
•
Guideline
Passenger cars must have both front and rear bumpers
Trucks must have front bumper
Excessively loud mufflers that would interfere with the conduct of road test not permitted
Tires must have adequate tread, no deep cuts or defects and must be adequately inflated:
• If vehicle equipped with Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) and low pressure warning
light is on, vehicle may be used for road test provided tires appear to be adequately inflated:
• A TPMS low pressure warning light on does not always mean that a tire has inadequate
inflation (e.g., vehicle may have custom wheels or snow tires on wheel rims not fitted with
TPMS sensors).
• No flat tires permitted (e.g., no flat tires on tractor/trailer combination with dual wheels)
• Temporary spare tire must not be fitted (they are intended only to get the vehicle to the nearest
repair shop at reduced speeds so that the proper tire can be repaired or replaced)
Wheels must not be badly damaged or missing wheel lugs
Steering must not be faulty (i.e., the vehicle must not wander)
If vehicle has been obviously raised or lowered by more than 10 cm (4”) and/or vehicle handling
and control appears to have been compromised, driver must provide proof that vehicle has passed
BC vehicle inspection.
Vehicles that may fit this description include:
• “Monster” pickup trucks with oversize tires and raised suspensions (raising centre of gravity
affects handling and increases risk of rollover
• “Tuner” import cars with lowered suspensions (may affect steering and handling if tires rub on
fenders)
The service brakes (foot brake) must properly stop the vehicle
Motorcycles must be equipped with both front and rear brakes, and they must function from their
corresponding levers/pedals
If equipped with air brakes, must not have air leakage over allowable amounts
• Not more than 20 kPa per minute (3 PSI) on single unit
• Not more than 28 kPa per minute (4 PSI) on 2-unit combination
• Not more than 40 kPa per minute (6 PSI) if more than 2 unit combination
Do not conduct road test if Brake Warning light and/or ABS light stays on - this could indicate a
problem with brakes. (Note: some vehicles have both an ABS light and a Brake Warning light)
Parking brake does not have to work - if it is discovered that the parking brake does not work
during the road test or during the pre-trip/safety check, advise examinee that vehicles are required
to be equipped with functioning parking brake
Parking brake must work