Best Learner Aids: Books

The Official DSA Guide to Driving – The Essential Skills

Price: £12.99
Rating: ★★★★
Contact: 0870 600 5522,
www.tsoshop.co.uk

BEST BOOK More like a novel than a book, this colourful guide is for learners of all ages. Instead of questions and answers, it offers advice across the board. The 376-page paperback is also the biggest here, and each chapter is well organised. Rather than get you ready for a test, the Official DSA Guide prepares you for driving, which makes it a better resource than the AA books.

The AA Theory Test Made Easy
Price: £6.99
Rating: ★★★
Contact: www.theaa.com

First of three titles from the motoring group – and the Theory Test book got off to a good start as it’s written in an upbeat tone and is well priced. There are plenty of tips, although it isn’t as comprehensive as the more costly Guide to Driving. Sample questions are great, as are the well organised chapters. But Theory Test book can’t challenge the superb DSA in this category

The AA Driving Skills Manual
Price: £6.99
Rating: ★★★
Contact: www.theaa.com

A happy medium between the Practical Test book and the DSA’s well appointed guide. This has more advice on how to pass your practical, plus progress charts and diagrams. You can also fill in sample questions and review your answers. But once again, it does without independent driving advice, and while the diagrams make it easy to understand, this well priced guide has to settle for second behind the DSA’s Official Guide.

The AA Practical Test
Price: £4.99
Rating: ★★★★
Contact: www.theaa.com

There are loads of questions in this book to help you pass the practical element of your test. It works well, and we liked the advice provided towards the back of the paperback which includes handy tips once you’ve passed your test. It’s also the cheapest aid here, which helped it score points. But it has to make do without advice on the independent driving section of the test, so it loses out overall.