YOUR child has almost a 50-50 chance of failing Queensland's tough new driving test - and you will pay up to $230 each time they re-sit the exam.

One Warwick mum labelled it a "thieving racket" after her son failed the practical exam twice during last year's pilot.

APN Newsdesk can reveal 42% of learners did not pass the new Q-SAFE test when the trial was held in Warwick, Stanthorpe, Clifton, Toowoomba and Brisbane.

This compares to 37% under the current system.

The new test, which rolls out across the state on Monday, focuses on dangerous manoeuvres including right-hand turns and high-speed merging.

There will also be a zero tolerance on speeding - currently you can go 4kmh over the limit - and the testing routes are likely to include major thoroughfares such as highways.

While the emphasis is no longer on standard procedures, things like reverse parking and three-point turns will be surprise add-ons.

Parents can expect to dig deep if their kids fail to pass.

Learners will pay $50.50 each time they sit the test and a further $150-$170 for a licensed instructor to come along on the ride.

Local father Greg Hardy said it's another burden for parents.

"Most kids who are 17, are still in school, so parents have to cough up," he said.

"I think it would be unaffordable for a lot of families."

His children, Tom, 18, and Grace, 16, are on their learners and will be taking the new Q-SAFE test this year.

"To me, it's just another tax."

Warwick mother Liz Johnson said her son failed the pilot test twice, costing the family $450.

"Well don't get me started - after two goes at the driving test, my son got it," she wrote on the Daily News Facebook site.

"Was a day off work, lost money for not working, had to rent the learner driver's car and a lesson again costing money neatly all the way through the test he failed.

"So had to push my learner again ... and we had to wait 14 days for (the) next appointment .... $450 all up.

"He succeeded on second attempt. Just a money thieving racket."

Warwick driving instructor Andrew Gale's students took part in last year's three-month pilot.

Mr Gale, who responded to countless accidents during 17 years in the police force, said the new test would save lives.

"The speeding change is good because if you give people a little bit of leniency people are more likely to use that," he said.

"There are a lot more right-hand turns and more merging ... I like the idea that we've moved away from simple manoeuvres like reverse parking.

"How do you kill yourself doing a reverse park? A lot more people hurt themselves turning right and merging."

WHAT TO EXPECT

From June 29, learner drivers sitting the new Q-SAFE practical driving test can expect the following:

• A zero-tolerance approach to speeding
• Increasing significance placed on not maintaining an appropriate following distance
• A greater emphasis on hazard perception
• New driving situations such as a high-speed merge or entering a high-speed area
• A greater emphasis on providing meaningful feedback to the candidate at the end of the test