He may have written a song called ‘Perfect’, but does British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran live up to his own lyrics? For most people, the ability to hop in a car and cruise around whenever you fancy is a desirable trait in a significant other. So can Ed Sheeran drive?
Ed Sheeran passed his driving test at the age of 24 on October 29th, 2015. In a now-deleted tweet, Ed confirmed: “passed my driving test yesterday, zoom zoom zoom”. Reports suggest that it was Ed’s third attempt at the practical test, after failing two times previously.
After embarking on the world’s highest-grossing tour of all time, there’s no doubt that Ed Sheeran is not strapped for cash. Has he spent his hard-earned fortune on a series of luxury cars? Keep reading to find out.
Learning To Drive
In the UK, the law dictates that you must be 17 years of age before you learn to drive. But in 2008 when Ed turned 17, he was too busy trying to make it big in the music industry to care about driving. So Ed relied on being chauffeured until he was 24.
What spurred Ed to finally learn to drive? The pivotal moment seems to be Ed’s appearance on Top Gear in early 2015, in which he sat behind a steering wheel for the very first time. More on this shortly.
A few months after his appearance, Ed purchased his first car: a 2015 Mini Cooper. Despite not being able to drive yet, the car served as Ed’s motivation.
Later down the line in August, Ed was pictured leaving a driving theory test center in Bury St Edmunds. Though he didn’t divulge whether he’d passed the test or not, fans who were waiting outside noted that he seemed“happy”.
Two months later in October 2015, the Facebook page Total Driving UK shared a post saying:
“Congratulations to Ed S who passed his car test with us in Ipswich this afternoon. Good effort Ed!!! @edsheeran”
The status was accompanied by a photo of Ed wearing a grey onesie and showcasing his driving test certificate.
However, it seems this wasn’t Ed’s first attempt at the practical. Two years later in a YouTube video for Radio Magic, Ed told fellow popstar, Rick Astley:
“I had my phone in the car, and as I was going round a roundabout my mum rang me to see if I passed my test, and instead of ignoring it I picked it up and said ‘sorry mum I’m doing my driving test’”.
It goes without saying that Ed immediately failed the test, since using a mobile phone whilst driving is illegal in the UK.
Interestingly, this may not be the only time that Sheeran has broken the law with his driving. In Ed’s song ‘Castle on the Hill’ from his 2017 album, Divide, Sheeran sings: “I’m on my way driving at ninety on those country lanes”. However, Ed has vehemently denied claims that his lyrics encourage speeding. Speaking to the BBC, he said:
“I’m not encouraging speeding at all; I’m just singing it in a song”
TopGear
Getting behind the wheel of a car for the first time can be extremely nerve-wracking. But Ed Sheeran decided to make it that bit harder, by agreeing to film his experience for national TV.
In January 2015 Ed starred on the British TV show, Top Gear where his first driving experience was caught on camera for the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’segment.
Chatting to host Jeremy Clarkson, Sheeran said:
“The reason I said ‘yes’ to Top Gear is that I thought it would be funny that the first time I drive [is on TV] it was interesting. I had some funny bloopers”.
The aim of the segment is to try and outpace some of the other stars that have cruised around the track. In light of Ed’s amateur driving skills, the producers provided him with an automatic version of the usual Vauxhall Astra.
Watch the clip below – how do you think Ed did?