How long it takes
TfL says the Knowledge typically takes three to four years, and that candidates working at it full time have been known to pass in two. Its freedom of information answer of November 2025 gives the average time to qualify, for the candidates who qualified in each year:
| Year qualified | Candidates qualified | Average months to qualify |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 775 | 49 |
| 2016 | 870 | 48 |
| 2017 | 806 | 50 |
| 2018 | 502 | 55 |
| 2019 | 392 | 59 |
| 2020 | 180 | 63 |
| 2021 | 188 | 61 |
| 2022 | 198 | 60 |
| 2023 | 114 | 58 |
| 2024 | 110 | 53 |
For 2025 TfL gave figures to September only (91 qualified, 38 months on average), too early in the year to compare. The averages count only those who finished; TfL holds no figures for candidates who gave up.
The time limits
The Knowledge is open-ended overall, but each stage has a limit. If you run past one, you meet an examiner and may go back to an easier stage.
- Learning all 320 runs and sitting the written exam: up to two years.
- Stage 3: three years. Stage 4: two years. Stage 5: one year.
- The final exam: within six months of finishing Stage 5.
What TfL charges
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Licence application (not refundable) | £138 |
| Grant of the licence | £205 |
| Written exam, All London only, each time you sit it | £225 |
| Appearances, paid once at your first one | £425 |
| Enhanced DBS check, when you apply | £52 online, £54 on paper |
| Medical, paid to your GP | about £80 |
| A second enhanced DBS check, near the end | £52 online |
| DBS Update Service, from the end of the Knowledge | £16 a year |
| Total, sitting the written exam once and paying one year of the Update Service | about £1,190 |
The total is our sum of TfL's fee table, with the DBS checks paid online. The Update Service goes on at £16 a year for as long as you are licensed. TfL's fee table still lists a taxi driving test, but there has been no provider for it since 2016, so there is nothing to pay for now.
What TfL does not list
- A moped or scooter, protective clothing and fuel, or a bike. Unless you already hold a moped licence you need a CBT certificate, which lasts two years.
- Maps of at least three inches to the mile.
- A Knowledge school, if you join one: some are free, some charge a monthly fee.
- Every re-sit of the written exam, at £225 each.
- Certificates of good conduct, if you have lived abroad.
One cost TfL takes away: Knowledge candidates can have a free annual Santander Cycles pass, normally £120. Email the Knowledge team at TfL with your name and Knowledge reference number to ask for the code.
Questions about this
- How much does the Knowledge cost?
- How much is the Knowledge written exam?
- How much are Knowledge appearances?
- How much is a London taxi driver licence?
- Do Knowledge students get free Santander Cycles?