Changing, cancelling or standing by for a road test in B.C.
A road test booking is easy to change, but the rules around cancelling, not showing up, and taking a standby slot have money and waiting attached to them. For what happens inside the test itself, see our article on the Class 7 road test.
Moving or cancelling your appointment
You can book, reschedule or cancel a Class 5, 6, 7 or 8 road test online (ICBC: Book a road test). Call ICBC's driver licensing information line instead if you need to change the appointment from outside Canada or the United States (ICBC).
Cancel with at least 48 hours' notice. After that, ICBC charges a $25 cancellation fee (ICBC: Book a road test). Its fee page states the same rule and amount (ICBC: Fees).
Learn to Drive Smart words the no-show rule more widely: if you miss the appointment and do not give either 48 hours' notice or a valid reason for not attending, a fee is charged (Learn to Drive Smart, inside front cover). Cancelling with notice and simply not turning up are both covered; the required notice is the same 48 hours.
Booking and rebooking
The earliest date you may take the test is printed on your licence (ICBC: Book a road test). Book well ahead, because offices get busy, especially in spring and summer (ICBC).
Appointments open up as other people cancel or move theirs, so an earlier slot can appear after you first book (ICBC). Calling ICBC does not produce different times from booking online (ICBC).
Two things that sit outside the normal online flow:
- If you are driving on a non-B.C. licence, have passed the knowledge test and have not been issued a learner's licence, call the driver licensing information line to book (ICBC).
- If you have outstanding debt with ICBC, it could affect your licence renewal or upgrade, and ICBC asks you to call Account Services before booking (ICBC).
Standby road tests
If your schedule is flexible, you can try for a standby road test. These fill places left by people who cancel or do not show up, so ICBC cannot promise a slot (ICBC: Book a road test).
How you get one depends on where you are. At ICBC's Lower Mainland offices, standby tests are allocated by a random draw: you have to arrive at the office with your vehicle and be in line before it opens, and when it opens, people in the line are drawn in order until the day's places are filled. Outside the Lower Mainland, standby tests are given out first come, first served (ICBC).
Not every office offers every class of road test on standby, so check that your nearest one runs the test you need (ICBC). ICBC's page lists the offices that take Class 4, 5 and 7 standby tests (ICBC).
Emails ICBC sends
After you book, ICBC sends a confirmation email, then reminder emails seven days and three days before the appointment (ICBC: Prepare for your road test appointment).
When your vehicle is turned away
If the vehicle is unsafe or does not meet legal requirements, ICBC may cancel the test on the spot and you have to book again for a later date (ICBC). Learn to Drive Smart gives the same warning and lists typical reasons a test is cancelled, starting with lights that do not work and a cracked windshield (Learn to Drive Smart, p.144).
In this case it is the examiner who cancels, on the day of the test (ICBC). The full list of reasons a vehicle is not accepted is in our article on the day of the test.
Before you go
If you cancel or miss an appointment and have to book again, keep the rules and signs fresh with our free question bank, written by us from Learn to Drive Smart. They cover the knowledge test, not the road test, and they are our own questions, not ICBC's.