test drive

plural test drives

1. A sample driving session in a motor vehicle, in order to assess its quality before purchase.

   And with an on-the-road price in the region of £15,300, the Primera 1.8S represents solid rather than really tempting value, since £200 more will buy you the more powerful and arguably more stylish Honda Accord 1.8iS. But even so, this new Primera is still well worth a test drive.

   1999 September 13, Richard Simpson, “Test drive”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

2. figurativelyAny preliminary assessment of something through use.

   Synonyms: test-ride

present singular third person test drives · participle present test driving · past test drove · participle past test driven · alternative test-drive

1. transitiveTo take a motor vehicle on the road to assess its quality before purchase.
2. figurativelytransitiveTo establish a preliminary assessment of something through its use.

   Synonyms: test-ride