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Code changes

Recent Highway Code changes

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Two major Highway Code updates have reshaped the theory test in the last four years — the 29 January 2022 revisions (8 new or rewritten rules, including the Hierarchy of Road Users) and the 25 March 2022 mobile-phone tightening. CPR and AED questions joined the bank from 2026. Below: every substantive change since 2022 with the rule number, the before-and-after, and the gov.uk source.

The new rules are designed to improve the safety of those most at risk on our roads — pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders.
— GOV.UK — Highway Code: 8 changes you need to know from 29 January 2022

29 January 2022 — the eight rule changes

The biggest overhaul of the Highway Code since its 1931 first edition. Three brand-new rules were added at the top of the code (H1, H2, H3) and several existing rules were rewritten. All eight changes are routinely tested.

1. Hierarchy of Road Users — Rules H1, H2, H3

The introduction now opens with a hierarchy that ranks road users by how much harm they can cause to others. Pedestrians sit at the top; HGVs at the bottom. Those who can do the most harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce risk.

  • Rule H1: Every road user should know the Code and look out for those most at risk. Drivers of larger vehicles bear the greater responsibility.
  • Rule H2 (drivers): At a junction, drivers should give way to pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross the road into or from which the driver is turning. Drivers MUST give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing, and to pedestrians and cyclists on a parallel crossing.
  • Rule H3 (drivers): Drivers should not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse-drawn vehicles going ahead when turning into or out of a junction or changing lane. Do not turn at a junction if doing so would cause the cyclist, horse rider or horse-drawn vehicle going straight ahead to stop or swerve.

The catch: these are “should” rules, not MUST rules — but failing to follow them can still be used in evidence against a driver in court, and the theory test treats them as the expected behaviour.

2. People crossing the road at junctions — Rule 170

Before: Drivers had general right of way through a junction; pedestrians were expected to wait.

After: When turning into or out of a side road, drivers should give way to pedestrians who are crossing or waiting to cross. The waiting case is the most-tested change on the theory exam.

3. Walking, cycling and horse-riding in shared spaces — Rule 63

Cyclists must take care when passing pedestrians, horse riders or horse-drawn vehicles — especially children, older adults or disabled people. Cyclists should slow down, let walkers know they are there (a bell or a polite call) and not pass closely or at high speed, particularly from behind. Pedestrians retain right of way on shared paths.

4. Cyclist positioning on the road — Rules 72 and 66

Cyclists are now explicitly advised (Rule 72) to ride in the centre of their lane on quiet roads, slow-moving traffic and at junctions; on busier roads and faster traffic, they should keep at least 0.5 metres from the kerb edge. Groups of cyclists may ride 2 abreast (Rule 66) — particularly safer when riding in larger groups or with children — but should be aware of drivers behind and allow them to overtake when safe.

5. Overtaking people cycling or on horseback — Rule 163

The clearance distances were quantified for the first time:

  • Cyclists: at least 1.5 metres (5 feet) at speeds up to 30 mph; more at higher speeds.
  • Horses and horse-drawn vehicles: pass at under 10 mph and allow at least 2 metres of space.
  • Pedestrians in the road: at least 2 metres of space at speeds under 10 mph.

6. People cycling at junctions — Rule 76

Cyclists going straight ahead at a junction have priority over traffic waiting to turn into or out of the side road, unless road signs or markings indicate otherwise. Cyclists may use cycle-only routes through a junction and may continue straight on as if on the main carriageway.

7. People cycling at roundabouts — Rule 186

Drivers must not attempt to overtake people cycling within that cyclist’s lane on a roundabout. Cyclists may stay in the left-hand lane while travelling all the way around the roundabout. Drivers should give priority to cyclists and watch carefully for them.

8. Opening vehicle doors — “the Dutch Reach” — Rule 239

When you’re able to do so, open the door using your hand on the opposite side to the door you are opening — for example, use your left hand to open a door on your right-hand side. This forces a shoulder check over your shoulder, making you more likely to spot approaching cyclists or motorcyclists.

25 March 2022 — mobile phone tightening (Rule 149)

Before: Drivers could be charged with using a hand-held mobile phone only if it was being used for an “interactive communication function” (call, text, browsing). Stationary scrolling or photo-taking sometimes escaped prosecution.

After: The law (and the Highway Code) extends to any interactive use. Picking up the phone to look at a photo, change a music track via the device’s own UI, scan a notification or use a camera function — all illegal while in control of a vehicle. The penalty is 6 points and a £200 fine; for a new driver inside the 2-year probation, that is automatic licence revocation.

The narrow exception remains: a hands-free or built-in vehicle system you do not pick up is legal. Genuine emergencies and contactless payment at a drive-through are also exempt under Construction and Use Regulation 110.

2023 — smart motorway programme paused, then cancelled

15 April 2023: the Department for Transport announced that all new smart motorway schemes were cancelled — including 11 already paused and 3 earmarked for construction in the 2025–2030 road investment strategy. The existing 400-plus miles of smart motorway (mostly all-lane-running, no hard shoulder) remain in operation; they will receive £900m of investment in more emergency refuge areas and improved stopped-vehicle detection, but the hard shoulder is not being reinstated.

For the theory test, this means the rules on smart motorways still apply: Red X means leave the lane (Rule 258); the hard shoulder of an existing all-lane-running motorway is a live running lane unless signed otherwise; emergency areas (Rule 270) are reached on foot or via a slow exit, and re-entry must be coordinated by the Regional Control Centre using the SOS phone.

August 2025 — CPR and AED questions confirmed for 2026

On 13 August 2025, DVSA confirmed that new questions on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) — and, for the first time, on using a public-access automated external defibrillator (AED) — would begin appearing in the car and motorcycle theory tests from 2026. There is no change to the test duration, the question count or the pass mark. The questions were developed with the Resuscitation Council UK and the four nations’ Save a Life programmes. See the 2026 changes guide for the detail you need to revise.

A note on what hasn’t changed

Despite the volume of online speculation, DVSA has not added “50 new questions” in autumn 2025 or rewritten the question bank wholesale. The 2025 Official DVSA Guide to Driving book has refreshed content on ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) and CPR/AED, but the underlying revision question bank has rolled organically as it always does. DVSA addressed this directly on its public channels after a cluster of social-media posts claimed otherwise.

How to revise the changes efficiently

  1. Memorise H1, H2 and H3. Three short rules that recur across multiple questions on the test.
  2. Remember the numeric clearances — 1.5 m cyclist at 30 mph, 2 m horse at 10 mph, 2 m pedestrian at 10 mph.
  3. The Dutch Reach is short, visual, and almost always asked. Practise the hand-swap when you next park.
  4. Any interactive phone use is driving with the phone. Stationary at lights does not exempt you.
  5. Smart motorway hard shoulders are live lanes unless signed otherwise. The old “pull onto the hard shoulder” advice is wrong for an all-lane-running stretch.

The full updates list — Highway Code on gov.uk

GOV.UK publishes a running log of every update at gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/updates . Use that page if you want a complete diff at any point in time — it’s the canonical source and is updated within hours of any change taking effect.

Sources

Highway Code excerpts are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0 .