How many hours of driving practice a beginner really needs

In short: the category B programme sets a minimum of 69 hours of practical driving (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 408, as in force in October 2026). That floor applies to everyone; what you actually need depends on how often you drive, the gearbox and your experience. Go by the skills checklists below, not the number.

What the regulation says

The minimum training volume is set by Resolution No. 408. For category B, as of October 2026:

Parameter	Minimum for category B
Course length	at least 18 weeks
Practical driving	at least 69 hours
Total training load	up to 20 hours a week
Practical teaching per instructor	no more than 8 hours a day

Theory for categories A and B can now be studied independently or online, but the practical part of the mandatory programme has to be completed in full at a training organisation. After a positive skills assessment, the school issues an electronic confirmation that serves as the basis for admission to the exams. More in how long driving school takes.

What to check in your contract:

• How many driving hours are listed, and whether they are full hours or "lessons" of unclear length.
• How many are on the training site and how many in the city.
• Whether travel to the site and swapping learners eat into the time.
• The price of an extra hour, and whether you can book it with the same instructor.

What affects how much you need

Factor	Need less	Need more
Experience	Some off-road driving, cycle in the city	Never been behind a wheel
Frequency	2–3 lessons a week	Once a week or month-long gaps
Gearbox	Automatic in the city after the test	Manual in the city
Stress	Calm around horns and traffic	Strong anxiety, freezing in traffic
Training site	Ramp, garage bay, proper markings	Empty lot with no lines

Gaps eat more hours than exercises do. A learner who misses three weeks spends the next lesson remembering the clutch.

How to split the practice

An example for a learner with no experience in a manual car. It is a working plan from practice, not a regulation.

Stage	Where	What to practise	Ready to move on when
Basic control	Closed site	Seating, moving off, stopping, gears, turns	Moves off without stalling 9 times out of 10
Test-track exercises	Test track	Ramp, garage bay, parallel parking, slalom, 90° turns	Each exercise clean 5 times in a row
Quiet streets	Mahallas, residential areas	Junctions, pedestrians, road markings	Chooses lane and speed unprompted
City	Main roads, roundabouts	Traffic flow, lane changes, turns across traffic	Instructor barely intervenes
Pre-test review	Test track	Full run of the exam layout	Two clean runs in a row

Under the traffic rules, initial training happens on closed sites or tracks, and learners go into the city with an instructor once they have basic skills (points 146–147). Training drives are allowed only on routes agreed with the road safety service (point 151).

Test readiness checklist

The practical test in Uzbekistan takes place on an automated test track with no examiner in the car. Before you book, check:

• Ramp start without rolling back, 10 out of 10.
• Parallel parking and garage bay without touching lines, 5 times in a row.
• Slalom at a steady low speed without stopping.
• Indicators go on without a reminder.
• You stop before the stop line, not on it.
• You know the exam layout by heart.

If two of the six only work half the time, those are your extra hours. The most common failures are covered in 15 practical test mistakes.

City readiness checklist

The test checks the track, but you will live in Tashkent. We would not advise a new driver to go solo without:

• Turning left across oncoming traffic at an uncontrolled junction.
• Driving a roundabout and changing lanes to exit.
• Changing lanes in dense traffic with a blind-spot check.
• At least 3–4 rush-hour drives with an instructor.
• At least 2 drives after dark.
• Kerbside parking between cars on a real street.

When to book extra hours and how to use them

Book extra hours with a goal. Bad: "ten more hours of driving around". Good: "three hours of ramp and garage bay, two hours of left turns in Chilonzor, two hours in the evening".

Before each extra lesson, tell the instructor which skill you want to close. Many learners book these with private instructors in Tashkent, which helps if the main school is far away or the timetable does not fit.

Not wasting paid hours

1. Arrive ten minutes early so seat and mirror set-up does not eat driving time.
2. One goal per lesson. "Ramp and bay today" rather than "let's drive around".
3. Rehearse in your head the evening before: where to stop, when to go to full lock, when to centre the wheel.
4. Keep the exam layout on your phone and learn the order of exercises at home.
5. Write a short note after each lesson and start the next one from it.
6. Avoid needless rescheduling. A gap of more than two weeks usually costs one lesson of catching up.

Common misconceptions

• "More hours means I will pass." Twenty hours of laps on the site will not teach parking. Hours without a goal are nearly useless.
• "I'll get lucky on the day." The automated system makes no allowances, and a retake is possible only after at least seven days.
• "I'll learn properly after I pass." In your first year you have the least experience and meet the most unfamiliar situations. Closing gaps with an instructor and dual pedals is cheaper.

What to plan for

Budget for at least a few extra hours beyond the programme, especially in a manual car with no prior experience. To find a school with a convenient schedule near you, browse category B driving schools in Tashkent or leave a request on our school matching form.