- DVSA has published a mandatory code of practice for ADIs and trainee instructors. It is due sometime between late 2026 and early 2027.
- It replaces the ADI register guide and the old voluntary code, and you'll have to declare you've read and agreed to it.
- It covers your vehicle, your badge, phone use, 7-day reporting deadlines, keeping your skills up to date, first aid, complaints, records and more.
- Smart Operations PRO already helps with the vehicle, credential, CPD and first aid side, all in one app.
What is the new code of practice?
On 23 September 2026, DVSA published a new code of practice for driving instructors. Unlike the voluntary code most of us signed up to in the past, this one is mandatory. It will replace both the ADI register guide and the voluntary code once it takes effect, which DVSA says will be sometime between late 2026 and early 2027.
You'll be asked to declare that you've read and agreed to it when you apply to become an instructor, when you renew your registration, and when you apply for a trainee licence. So even if you're mid-way through your badge, it will catch up with you at your next renewal.
The consequences are real. If you don't comply, the ADI Registrar can give you a formal warning, carry out a standards check or investigation, or suspend and remove you from the register.
The parts that affect your working day
The full code runs to 16 sections, and it's worth reading all of it on GOV.UK. These are the parts most instructors will feel day to day.
🚗 Your tuition vehicle
You must keep your car insured, roadworthy and legal, with an extra interior rear-view mirror and correctly positioned L plates (or optionally D plates in Wales). The code also says you should keep the car clean and free from loose objects. None of this is new in practice, but it is now written into a mandatory code, which makes a consistent daily check more important than ever.
🪪 Your badge on display
Your ADI badge, or your trainee certificate if you're a PDI, must be displayed in the windscreen whenever you're giving paid instruction. DVSA also suggests displaying it on test day, even in the pupil's own car, so your test data report is accurate.
📵 Phones stay away
This is the one that will change habits. You must not use a phone or tablet while instructing, and that includes taking calls in hands-free mode. If you want to use a tablet to record progress or show a diagram, you park safely and switch the engine off first. DVSA suggests keeping your phone in the glove box. Using one while instructing in a moving car can mean 6 penalty points, and possible removal from the register.
⏱️ Two 7-day deadlines
You must update your ADI registration within 7 calendar days of changing your name, home address, business address or email address. Separately, you must tell DVSA within 7 days if you become the subject of an allegation, receive a caution or conviction (motoring offences included), or are barred from working with children. Missing that second deadline can itself be treated as misconduct.
⚖️ Staying "fit and proper"
The code spells out what's likely to make you unfit to stay on the register. Alongside serious criminal offences, it includes having 5 or more penalty points on your licence, or a driving ban within the last 4 years. Your own driving record matters more than ever.
🎓 Keeping your skills up to date
You should keep your skills and knowledge up to date, consider completing a safeguarding course, and consider training in basic first aid and CPR so you can provide basic emergency care if something happens. The code doesn't set a minimum number of CPD hours, but if you're ever asked what you've done to stay current, you'll want the answer, with dates and certificates, ready to hand.
📋 Your business paperwork
Your terms of business must cover your contact details, lesson price and duration, cancellation and refund policies, how you handle pupil data, and how to complain. You must keep accurate records of lessons and hours delivered, keep a record of any complaints and how they were resolved, and follow data protection rules. There's also a new line on AI: anything you create with AI, whether learning material or marketing, must be technically correct and in line with the national standards.
👩🏫 If you're a trainee
PDIs must complete and document their required training hours and supervision, work only through their sponsoring school or ADI, and apply for a Part 3 test. You must never suggest to pupils that you're a qualified ADI.
Smart Operations PRO keeps your vehicle checks, credentials, CPD and first aid in one place, with reminders before anything lapses.
30 days free, then £7.99/mo · Cancel anytime · Works on any device
How Smart Operations PRO helps you stay on top of it
Smart Operations PRO was built by a working driving instructor for one reason: every other app looks after the pupil, and nothing looked after the instructor's car and credentials. The new code puts exactly those things under the spotlight. Here's how the app maps to it.
What it doesn't do (and why that's fine)
Smart Operations PRO isn't a pupil diary. Lesson records, pupil progress, your terms of business and your complaints record belong in your booking system, and the app is designed to sit alongside whichever one you already use. And reporting a change of details or an offence to DVSA is always your job. The app can remind you, but it can't do it for you.
A simple checklist to get ready now
- Read the full code on GOV.UK. It takes about 15 minutes.
- Check your car: extra interior mirror, L or D plates correctly positioned, clean cabin, nothing loose.
- Check your badge or trainee certificate is in date and on display.
- Decide where your phone lives during lessons. The glove box is DVSA's suggestion.
- Make sure your ADI registration details (name, addresses, email) are current.
- Gather your CPD and first aid certificates and log them in one place.
- Review your terms of business against the list in section 10 of the code.
- Set up a simple way to record complaints and how you resolved them.
Frequently asked questions
When does the new DVSA code of practice come into force?
Is the new code of practice mandatory?
What happens if I don't follow the code?
Can an app make me compliant with the code?
Try Smart Operations PRO free for 30 days. Vehicle checks, renewals, CPD, first aid and mileage, built for UK driving instructors.
30 days free, then £7.99/mo · Cancel anytime · Works on any device
Smart Operations PRO is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. This article is a summary for guidance only and reflects the code as published on 23 September 2026. Always read the full code of practice on GOV.UK, which is the authoritative version.