Wolverhampton Taxi Test: Questions & Answers (2026)

If you're preparing for the Wolverhampton private hire knowledge test, this page gives you real exam-style questions and answers to practise with, plus a clear breakdown of what the test actually covers. It's free, and it's written specifically for the Wolverhampton PHV test — not a generic UK taxi quiz.

The Wolverhampton PHV knowledge test is the licensing exam every driver must pass to get their taxi badge under Wolverhampton City Council's framework. It has a reputation for being harder than people expect — and the numbers back that up. You need to score at least 75% (21 out of 28 questions), but there's a second, stricter rule that catches many drivers out: the eight key questions.

Get a single key question wrong, and you fail the entire paper — no matter how well you did on everything else. That's why so many well-prepared drivers still fail on their first attempt, and why resitters make up a large share of the people using this page. If you've failed before, you're in the right place.

What the Wolverhampton taxi test covers

The test draws from an official syllabus of around 25 topics, which group into seven core categories. Here's what each one tests and why it matters.

• Safeguarding. Protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse, exploitation, and neglect. This is the highest-stakes category on the test — drivers are often the eyes and ears of their community, and the council expects you to recognise warning signs and know how to report concerns. You are expected to report, not investigate.
• Plying for Hire. The legal line between a private hire vehicle and a Hackney Carriage. PHVs must always be pre-booked through a licensed operator — you cannot pick up people who flag you down or wait on a taxi rank. Getting this wrong isn't just an exam fail; in real life it invalidates your insurance and can cost you your licence.
• Disability Awareness. Your duties under the Equality Act 2010, including assistance dogs, reasonable adjustments, and how to treat disabled passengers with dignity. Refusing an assistance dog or charging extra for one is unlawful discrimination.
• Customer Care and Safety. How to treat passengers professionally and keep everyone safe — reasonable assistance with luggage and seatbelts, handling difficult situations, and protecting yourself against false allegations.
• Licensing and Compliance. The rules that keep your licence valid — insurance, vehicle checks, reporting convictions, dashcam and CCTV registration, and the conditions attached to your badge.
• Vehicle and Road Safety. Keeping your vehicle roadworthy and safe, carrying out walkaround checks, and meeting Wolverhampton's vehicle standards.
• Law and Regulations. The legislation behind the job, chiefly the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, which underpins how private hire licensing works.

For a full breakdown of how to revise each area, see our guide on how to pass the Wolverhampton PHV test.

The 8 key questions — and why they matter most

This is the single most important thing to understand about the test.

Within the 28 questions, eight are designated key questions. Unlike the rest, these are pass-or-fail on their own: get even one wrong and you fail the whole paper automatically, regardless of your overall score. You could answer 27 out of 28 correctly and still fail if the one you missed was a key question.

The key questions are concentrated in the highest-stakes categories. Based on the official test structure, they break down as three from Safeguarding, three from Plying for Hire, and two from Disability Awareness. That's not a coincidence — these are the areas where a wrong answer in real life could put a vulnerable person at risk, break the law, or invalidate your insurance.

Here's the trap: most drivers revise broadly, spreading their effort evenly across all seven categories. But because the key questions carry so much more weight, a driver who knows the general material well can still fail on a single safeguarding or plying-for-hire question they never drilled properly. Broad revision isn't enough — you have to drill the key question areas specifically until the correct answers are automatic.

We cover exactly how these work in our dedicated guide to the 8 key questions. The PHV Prep UK app also includes a focused key questions drill that targets these areas directly.

Sample questions and answers

Here are ten Wolverhampton-specific practice questions with answers and explanations. These are written in the style and difficulty of the real test, grounded in UK law and council policy. At least two come from the highest-stakes safeguarding and disability awareness categories.

Question 1 — Plying for Hire

A member of the public flags you down in the street and asks for a lift. You are a licensed private hire driver. What should you do?

• A. Take them if they agree to pay
• B. Take them, then log it as a booking afterwards
• C. Refuse, give them the operator's number, and move on
• D. Take them only if it's a short journey

Correct answer: C. A private hire vehicle may only carry passengers whose journey has been pre-booked through a licensed operator. Accepting a flag-down is illegal plying for hire — and creating the booking after the fact does not make it legal. Only Hackney Carriages may accept street hails.

Question 2 — Plying for Hire

If a PHV driver picks up a passenger who has not booked through the operator, what happens to the insurance for that journey?

• A. It remains fully valid
• B. It is invalidated completely
• C. It provides third-party cover only
• D. It is valid for journeys under five miles

Correct answer: B. Private hire insurance only covers journeys pre-booked through the licensed operator. An unbooked pickup invalidates the policy entirely, leaving the driver personally liable for any injury or damage. This is one reason illegal plying is treated so seriously.

Question 3 — Safeguarding

You suspect a passenger is being abused. What is your responsibility?

• A. Gather evidence before saying anything
• B. Report your concerns to the authorities — investigating is not your role
• C. Confront the suspected abuser directly
• D. Do nothing unless the passenger asks for help

Correct answer: B. Drivers report concerns to safeguarding agencies such as the police or the council's safeguarding team. Investigation is the job of professional services. Trying to investigate yourself can put you and the victim at risk and may compromise a later inquiry.

Question 4 — Safeguarding

Is it acceptable to give a vulnerable passenger your personal mobile number?

• A. Yes, if they ask for it
• B. Yes, for regular passengers
• C. No
• D. Only in an emergency

Correct answer: C. Giving a vulnerable passenger your personal number blurs professional boundaries and creates a grooming risk. All contact should go through your operator. This is exactly the kind of judgement a key question is designed to test.

Question 5 — Disability Awareness

A passenger books a journey and has a guide dog. You are afraid of dogs. Can you refuse to carry the dog?

• A. Yes — it's your vehicle
• B. No — only a council-issued medical exemption certificate justifies refusal
• C. Yes, if the passenger agrees
• D. Yes, once per shift

Correct answer: B. Under the Equality Act 2010, fear, dislike, or religious objection are not lawful grounds to refuse an assistance dog. The only defence is a medical exemption certificate issued by the council, for example for a severe allergy. Refusing without one is unlawful disability discrimination.

Question 6 — Disability Awareness

Can you charge a passenger extra for carrying their assistance dog?

• A. Yes, a small cleaning fee
• B. Yes, if the journey is long
• C. No — the dog must be carried free of charge
• D. Only if the dog sheds

Correct answer: C. Charging any additional fee for an assistance dog — including a cleaning charge — is unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act 2010. The dog must be carried free of any extra charge.

Question 7 — Plying for Hire

Is a private hire driver allowed to wait on a Hackney Carriage taxi rank?

• A. Yes, if there is space
• B. Yes, at night only
• C. No, never
• D. Only to drop off a passenger

Correct answer: C. Taxi ranks are reserved exclusively for Hackney Carriages licensed by Wolverhampton. Under the city centre Traffic Regulation Order, a private hire vehicle may not enter a rank at all — not even to drop off or pick up. Council cameras monitor this, and enforcement action follows.

Question 8 — Customer Care and Safety

An elderly passenger asks you to carry their shopping into their house. What should you do?

• A. Refuse and leave the bags in the vehicle
• B. Politely take the shopping to their front door, but not inside
• C. Take everything inside and put it away
• D. Charge extra to take it inside

Correct answer: B. Reasonable assistance includes carrying luggage or shopping to the door. Going inside a passenger's home creates safeguarding risks and exposes you to false allegations. Help to the door, then stop there.

Question 9 — Safeguarding

Are children with disabilities more or less likely to be abused than other children?

• A. Less likely
• B. Equally likely
• C. More likely
• D. They are never abused

Correct answer: C. Research consistently shows children with disabilities are at significantly higher risk of all forms of abuse, because of communication barriers, greater dependence on others, and social isolation. Awareness of this raised risk is part of your safeguarding duty.

Question 10 — Licensing and Compliance

Your licence has been suspended. What does this mean for your work?

• A. You can work as normal
• B. You can work weekends only
• C. You cannot work at all
• D. You can work with a temporary badge

Correct answer: C. A suspended licence means you must stop work immediately as a private hire driver, and cannot drive again until the suspension is lifted. Continuing to work while suspended is a serious offence.

How to prepare for the test

Practising a handful of questions is a good start, but passing the real test takes a focused approach. Here's what works.

1. Start with the eight key questions, not the full bank. Because one wrong key answer fails the whole paper, this is where your revision has the highest return. Drill Safeguarding, Plying for Hire, and Disability Awareness until the correct answers are second nature.
2. Do timed mock exams. The real test is 28 questions under time pressure. Practising full mocks in the same format builds the stamina and pace you need, and shows you where you're weak before it counts.
3. Retry the questions you get wrong. Don't just note the right answer and move on. Come back to the questions you failed and answer them again later until you get them right consistently.
4. Get explanations for anything you don't understand. If you're unsure why an answer is correct, find out — a memorised answer you don't understand won't survive a slightly reworded question on the day.

If you've already failed once, our guide on what happens if you fail explains the resit process. And when you're ready to apply, see how to apply for your licence.

Practise the full question bank

This page gives you ten questions to get started. PHV Prep UK gives you the complete set: 300+ authentic exam-style questions across all seven categories, full-length timed mock exams that mirror the real test, a dedicated key questions drill, and an AI tutor that explains any answer in plain English. It's built for exactly one thing — helping you pass the Wolverhampton PHV test first time, or bounce back if you've failed before.

PHV Prep UK is available on iOS now, with Android coming soon. Download on the App Store

PHV Prep UK is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with, authorised by, or endorsed by City of Wolverhampton Council or any licensing authority. Always refer to the council's official website for the definitive licensing position.