Driving and Medical Conditions

The DVLA publishes a comprehensive guide (sometimes called "Assessing Fitness to Drive") setting out which conditions must be notified. Categories include:

• Neurological: Epilepsy, stroke, TIA (transient ischaemic attack), brain tumour, multiple sclerosis
• Cardiovascular: Heart attack, arrhythmias, heart failure, some valve conditions
• Diabetes: Insulin-treated diabetes and some cases managed with certain oral medications
• Vision: Visual acuity below 6/12 (Snellen) in the better eye, visual field defects
• Mental health: Severe anxiety or depression affecting driving, psychosis, bipolar disorder during acute episodes
• Sleep disorders: Untreated obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) or excessive daytime sleepiness
• Alcohol and drug dependency

This list is not exhaustive — check DVLA's full guide or ask your GP. Your GP has no duty to report to DVLA on your behalf — you must self-declare.

To notify DVLA of a medical condition:

1. Complete the relevant medical questionnaire — available at gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving or by calling DVLA's medical enquiry line on 0300 790 6806.
2. Some conditions can be notified online; others require a paper form (the relevant DIAG form for your condition).
3. DVLA may contact your GP or specialist for further information — you will be asked to consent to this.
4. DVLA will assess the information and decide: to take no action (you continue driving), to issue a short-period licence, or to revoke your licence.

While a decision is pending, you may continue to drive unless DVLA tells you not to or your condition itself makes driving unsafe. If you are in doubt about whether you are safe to drive, stop driving and seek medical advice immediately.

For many conditions, DVLA issues a short-period licence (1, 2, or 3 years) rather than a full licence to age 70. This means your licence is reviewed regularly. When your short-period licence expires, you must reapply and DVLA will reassess your medical fitness.

Short-period licences are common for:

• Well-controlled epilepsy (typically licensed if seizure-free for 1 year)
• Insulin-treated diabetes (assessed individually — some are licensed for 1 or 3 years)
• Certain heart conditions following treatment
• Sleep disorders following treatment (e.g., CPAP therapy for OSA)

Always ensure you reapply before your short-period licence expires — driving on an expired licence is an offence.

If DVLA revokes your licence on medical grounds and you disagree, you can:

1. Ask DVLA to reconsider by providing additional medical evidence (e.g., a specialist report supporting your fitness to drive).
2. Appeal to a magistrates' court (or sheriff court in Scotland) within 6 months of the revocation decision. The court can consider all the evidence and may restore your licence.

If you are appealing, it is advisable to obtain an independent medical report from a specialist in the relevant condition. The appeal is not simply a review of DVLA's process — the court makes its own assessment of the medical evidence. Legal representation is not required but can be beneficial for complex cases.

UK driving licences are divided into two groups based on the vehicle categories covered, and the medical standards applied to each group differ substantially.

Group 1 (car and motorcycle)

Group 1 covers categories B (car), A (motorcycle), and associated sub-categories. These are the licences held by most private drivers. The DVLA medical standards for Group 1 are designed to permit driving where the condition is managed and the risk to public safety is proportionate.

Group 2 (lorry and bus)

Group 2 covers categories C (lorries), D (buses and coaches), and their sub-categories. Professional drivers — HGV drivers, bus drivers, and coach drivers — hold Group 2 licences. The medical standards are significantly stricter:

• Epilepsy: Group 2 drivers are generally required to be seizure-free for 10 years without medication before licensing is considered. Even provoked seizures (e.g., caused by alcohol withdrawal) have a 5-year bar from Group 2 driving.
• Diabetes: Insulin-treated diabetes is a bar to Group 2 entitlement in most cases, though individual assessment may be possible for stable, well-controlled cases. Hypoglycaemic episodes are taken seriously.
• Cardiovascular: More stringent requirements apply — for example, a Group 2 driver following a heart attack faces a longer period before re-licensing is considered, and must pass exercise ECG testing.
• Vision: Higher visual acuity standards apply to Group 2 than Group 1.

If you are a professional driver and are diagnosed with a condition that triggers notification, seek specialist advice immediately. The consequences of a Group 2 licence revocation are often more severe — your livelihood may depend on it — and the standards for reinstatement are higher.

Medical conditions and motor insurance

Your duty to notify DVLA of a medical condition is separate from your duty to tell your motor insurer. Most motor insurance policies require disclosure of any condition that could affect your driving ability or that you have notified (or should have notified) to DVLA. Failing to disclose to your insurer while continuing to drive can:

• Invalidate your policy — meaning any claim (including third-party claims) will not be paid by your insurer
• Lead to the Motor Insurers' Bureau pursuing you personally for any damages paid to third parties

Tell both DVLA and your insurer when a relevant condition is diagnosed. If your insurer declines to cover you after disclosure, specialist impaired driver insurance brokers can often provide cover — at a higher premium, but legally valid.

The DVLA medical notification process in practice

DVLA medical enquiries can be made online at gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving, by telephone on 0300 790 6806, or by post to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1TU. For many conditions, a specific form is available (e.g., DIAG for diabetes, B1 for heart conditions). Keep a copy of everything you send. DVLA should acknowledge receipt and confirm the timeline for its assessment — if you do not hear within 3 weeks, follow up. During assessment, you may continue to drive unless DVLA tells you not to or your doctor specifically advises against it.