Can I do my K53 drivers license test in an electric car?

The adoption of electric vehicles in SA will continue to gather momentum, but what will the youth have to deal with in a few years when it comes time to get that all-important driver's license?

Lawrence Minnie

17 Feb 2023 · 12:35Car Ownership

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License to electrify

With the steady adoption of electric vehicles in South Africa a question was recently posed during one of EV activations. Can you do your K53 in an electric car? if so, how will it affect your license code?

We scoured through the very lengthy legalese of the Road Traffic Act to see if we could find an answer and what we found was both positive and negative. Although the act was drafted decades ago and made provision for the K53 test procedure and the eventual advent of electric cars, it states that you can indeed do your test in an EV, but it will come with a proviso.

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"In the case where the applicant has in terms of subsection (2) provided a motor vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission or the motor vehicle is electrically powered, [the examiner shall] endorse the driving license to the effect that authorisation is granted only for the driving of a motor vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission or which is electrically powered, as the case may be."

Section 18(4)(a) of the Road Traffic Act

What this means in layman's terms is that if you do your test in an EV the instructor will have to limit the license you gain to only being able to drive an EV or an automatic vehicle, thus excluding you from driving manual derivatives in the future.

There really are two ways to look at this negative aspect here and that is the fact that manual transmissions are slowly fading away from current vehicle lineups and EV is slated to be the future of motoring so having an endorsed license really isn't a problem at all or if you are the kind that enjoys spirited driving that can only come from the joy of shifting your own gears this will limit how much you can indeed enjoy the act of driving. Whatever which way, if you want to drive a manual car you have to do the test in one.

If you don't care too much about manual transmissions and an EV will fit your lifestyle, you can shop here for that perfect electrifying drive. or your can make use of AutoTrader Instant Offer to help you sell your car in under an hour so that you have some dosh to spend on that brand-new EV dream.

Written by Lawrence Minnie

Lawrence has been involved with motorsports for almost 30 years. Whether it's two wheels or four, if it has an engine, he will try to race it. This love of motor vehicles has led him to ride, drive, film, photograph, and write about his passion. Freelance for a while but now a permanent fixture on the AutoTrader team for over 7 years, Lawrence contributes written, photographic, and video content for AutoTrader and AutoTrader Bikes.Read more