To choose a theory test app or website, look at three things: whether it explains your mistakes, whether it covers your licence category and what you can do without paying.
We compared six: Via Rápida, Testes-Código, Testes de Código Oficiais IMT, Testes Código Estrada IMT, Segurança Rodoviária and Bom Condutor. The differences are in the explanations, the price, the categories, the ads and offline mode, meaning studying without internet.
The starting point: the questions come from IMT
IMT (the national transport authority, Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes) publishes the questions for the exame de código (the theory test) on its website, organised in groups, with the images and the answer options. It also says it changes, updates or replaces the questions whenever necessary.
This has two practical consequences:
- The exam questions the apps use are the ones IMT publishes; no app has access to others. What differs is how each app lets you practise those questions and whether it keeps them up to date.
- IMT does not explain the questions. Every explanation you read in an app or on a website was written by whoever made that app or website.
The Código da Estrada (the Highway Code) and IMT’s Manual do Ensino da Condução (driving instruction manual), with study sheets on the category B material, are also public and free.
The comparison
The order of the table is not a ranking.
| Tool | Where it works | Price | Explanations | Exam simulation | Categories | Ads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Via Rápida | Browser (phone or computer); no app in the stores | Free, no account | On every question | Yes | B, A, AM, C, D (and TVDE for ride-hailing drivers, CAM for the professional driver certificate, CMT for the taxi driver certificate) | No |
| Testes-Código | Browser, iPhone, iPad, Android | Free; Premium €19.99 for 30 days (€17.99 with the discount the site was showing) | Listed among the Premium benefits; the public page of each question has an explanation from the administrator, and the App Store advertises “help with doubts on every question” | Yes, with the structure of the exam | A, B, A+B, C, D | Yes, except in Premium |
| Testes de Código Oficiais IMT | iPhone, iPad, Android | Free; subscription of €2.99 or €4.99 a month | Not stated | Yes, exams by category | A, B, A+B, C, D | Yes |
| Testes Código Estrada IMT | iPhone, iPad | Free; ad-free for €8.99 (one-off purchase), €0.99/month or €4.99/year | Not every question has one | The description says it is not an official exam simulation | Not stated | Yes, removable |
| Segurança Rodoviária | Browser, iPhone | €19.99 for 30 days (€14.99 for 15 days); free tests to try | Questions answered by a teacher; written explanations not stated | Yes, exam tests | AM to D and CAM (the website also has TVDE and CMT) | No (app) |
| Bom Condutor | Browser | Free | Yes, and comments | Yes, “Exame” test | AM, A, B, A+B, C, D | Yes; a donation above €1 removes them |
Checked on 26 October 2026 on each service’s public pages.
Beyond the tests: material, books and games
Some tools go beyond tests. This table covers what each one offers for studying the material and for learning with games.
| Tool | Material and book | Games and learning modes |
|---|---|---|
| Via Rápida | 26 exam chapters with figures and simulators; free book «Código da Estrada Explicado» (Highway Code Explained; 365-page PDF and EPUB) | Sprint (60 seconds of signs and rules), 3D driving game with 3 levels, tricky questions with “the detail” highlighted, skill-based training and Quadro de trânsito (traffic board) |
| Testes-Código | Free study material on about 20 topics and the full text of the Highway Code | Sign quiz, quick learning, tests by difficulty, ranking and challenges (Premium); most-missed questions, free |
| Testes de Código Oficiais IMT | Not stated | Daily ranking and weekly podium |
| Testes Código Estrada IMT | Signs section and references on limits, penalties and braking distances | Sign identification test |
| Segurança Rodoviária | Paper books for sale and the Highway Code online | We did not find any |
| Bom Condutor | Summaries of the material and the text of the Highway Code | “Difícil” (hard) test (the most-failed questions) and “Erradas” (wrong answers) test |
Checked on 26 October 2026 on each service’s public pages.
Via Rápida (viarapida.pt)
Practice, exam simulation, the study material and the signs are free and need no registration. The account is for taking your progress to other devices, commenting on questions and connecting to your school.
It has the questions from the IMT bank plus its own questions, all with a written explanation produced with AI support, which is corrected when someone flags a mistake, and 26 chapters of theory test material with tables, figures and examples.
For schools there are paid plans: the school sees the student’s progress as long as the student gives it access through the school code. The privacy policy says it does not use advertising cookies and that, if it ever shows ads, it will ask for your consent first.
What it lacks: it works only in the browser, with no app in the App Store or Google Play. In the browser it needs a connection (offline practice is announced for the app, which is not yet in the stores). The material has no videos or live classes and is only in Portuguese. The apps called “Via Rápida” in the stores belong to other companies.
Testes-Código (testes-codigo.pt)
It has a website, an iPhone app (“Testes Código da Estrada IMTT”), an Android app and a Huawei AppGallery listing.
The Premium page lists offline and ad-free tests, tests in English, explanations of the questions, videos of the questions and live broadcasts with an instructor. Without a discount, 30 days of Premium cost €19.99; on 26 October the Premium page showed €17.99, a 10% discount. On the App Store, the “Versão Premium” purchase costs €19.99. On Google Play, the listing says “Contains ads”.
When to choose Testes-Código: you want to study offline in an installed app, practise in English or learn from videos and live broadcasts by an instructor. Via Rápida has published a direct comparison of the two (in Portuguese).
Testes de Código Oficiais IMT (App Store and Google Play)
Despite the name, it is not from IMT. It has an app for iPhone and iPad, in Portuguese and English, and one for Android.
It says it uses the official IMT questions, and it has practice by topic and by the questions you got wrong, statistics and a ranking. There are two monthly plans with automatic renewal, Silver (€2.99) and Gold (€4.99). On Google Play, the listing says “Contains ads”, and on the App Store the privacy section mentions third-party advertising. The page does not mention explanations.
When to choose this app: you want a native app on both iPhone and Android, with an English interface, or you like competing on a ranking.
Testes Código Estrada IMT (App Store, Vladislav Zhirnov)
It is for iPhone and iPad, and we did not find it on Google Play. The history and the review of mistakes are free, and the app shows ads. To remove them there is a one-off purchase (€8.99) or a subscription of €0.99 a month or €4.99 a year.
The description itself says that some questions do not have an explanation yet and that the study sessions are not an official exam simulation. It also has a signs section, references on limits and penalties, and estimates of braking distances.
When to choose this app: you use an iPhone or iPad, you want a native app with signs and references to hand, and you would rather pay once to remove the ads.
Segurança Rodoviária (segurancarodoviaria.pt)
It is a publisher of teaching material.
It sells books, test packs on USB sticks, online theory tests (€19.99 for 30 days, with free tests to try), a distance-learning platform for theory classes that you reach through partner schools, and training rooms for schools. The app is only for iPhone. On the App Store, it says it has no advertising and that it covers categories AM to D and CAM, with IMT questions and its own questions. The website also has TVDE and CMT tests.
When to choose Segurança Rodoviária: you also want to study on paper, you need to practise for CAM, or your school is a partner and you want to take the theory classes at a distance. There is also a direct comparison with Via Rápida (in Portuguese).
Bom Condutor (bomcondutor.pt)
Bom Condutor works in the browser, is free, and has explanations and comments on the questions, summaries of the material and the text of the Highway Code. It shows ads, which disappear from your account with a donation above €1.
When to choose Bom Condutor: you want a free website that also has category AM and the A+B combination, or you like reading other students’ comments on each question.
What matters when you choose
Before paying, take two or three tests in the free version and read the explanations of the questions you got wrong. If you do not understand why you made a mistake, the tool is not teaching you.
- Questions aligned with the current IMT bank. Check whether the tool says when it last updated its questions. IMT changes them when needed, and an app that has been idle for years may train you on old rules.
- Explanations. A good explanation tells you the rule and why the other options fail. It helps if you can flag mistakes, because the explanations are not official.
- Free or paid. Read what is left out of the free version. If it is a subscription, check whether it renews by itself and, if you only need it for a month, cancel before the renewal.
- Offline. If you study on the train or have little data, look for an offline mode; web platforms, as a rule, need a connection.
- Categories beyond B. For a motorcycle, heavy vehicles or a moped, check that the tool has questions for that category, and not only for B. If you are unsure which one you need, see the driving licence categories.
- Privacy and ads. On the App Store, the “App Privacy” section says whether your data is used to track you across other apps; on Google Play, the listing says whether there are ads. Check also whether an account is mandatory.
- Language. If you prefer to study in another language, check that the tool really has it. We explain the options in taking the theory test in English.
The school platform and the books
Some schools give students access to a test platform, to distance classes or to both. Before paying for another tool, ask the school what is included in your enrolment. If you have not chosen a school yet, see how to choose a driving school in Portugal.
Highway Code books are for reading the material straight through, away from the screen. They do not tell you where you are going wrong and can go out of date when the law changes, so check the year of the edition.
A combination that works
You do not need five apps. One tool where you practise questions with good explanations is enough, plus one source for the material: a book, the IMT manual or the chapters of a platform. If your school already gives you a platform, use it first. If you cannot decide between a book and an app, see Highway Code books or apps.