Driving test centre

Alness driving test centre

Car practical driving test pass rates at Alness: each year since 2007/08, by month, for men and women, and at the first attempt, compared with Great Britain as a whole. From DVSA’s published statistics.

Last updated
Records analysed
783 car tests at Alness in 2025/26
Methodology
View methodology
  • Pass rate, 2025/26 63.1% Great Britain 50.0%
  • Tests taken 783 494 passes
  • First-attempt pass rate 63.1% Great Britain 50.5%
  • Women’s pass rate 63.5% GB 49.1%
  • Men’s pass rate 62.7% GB 50.8%

Few tests. Alness ran 783 car tests in 2025/26. DVSA warns that pass rates from small numbers of tests are not a sound basis for comparison, so treat differences of a few points with caution.

What is the pass rate at Alness?

In April 2025 to March 2026, 63.1% of car practical tests at Alness were passes (494 of 783), against 50.0% across Great Britain: 13.1 points higher. The year before it was 63.0%.

Pass rate at Alness and in Great Britain

Highest 63.3% in 2020/21, lowest 52.7% in 2007/08. −0.2 points since 2020/21.

Car practical test pass rate at Alness and in Great Britain by financial year
Year AlnessGreat Britain
2007/08 52.7%44.2%
2008/09 55.0%45.3%
2009/10 55.8%45.9%
2010/11 46.3%
2011/12 58.6%46.9%
2012/13 54.0%47.2%
2013/14 58.9%47.1%
2014/15 58.7%46.9%
2015/16 61.2%47.1%
2016/17 60.7%47.1%
2017/18 59.6%46.3%
2018/19 58.2%45.8%
2019/20 56.6%45.9%
2020/21 63.3%49.8%
2021/22 61.4%48.9%
2022/23 62.0%48.4%
2023/24 61.6%47.9%
2024/25 63.0%48.7%
2025/26 63.1%50.0%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Pass rates for men and women

In 2025/26, women passed 63.5% of tests at Alness and men 62.7%. Across Great Britain the figures were 49.1% and 50.8%.

Pass rate by gender

Pass rate by gender at Alness and in Great Britain, 2025/26
Candidates AlnessGreat Britain
Women 63.5%49.1%
Men 62.7%50.8%
All 63.1%50.0%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Passing first time at Alness

496 people took their first practical test at Alness in 2025/26 and 63.1% passed, against 50.5% of first attempts across Great Britain. 31 of them passed without a single driving fault.

First-attempt pass rate

First-attempt pass rate at Alness and in Great Britain by financial year
Year AlnessGreat Britain
2007/08 51.3%43.3%
2008/09 51.9%45.3%
2009/10 53.2%45.7%
2010/11 46.2%
2011/12 56.0%47.5%
2012/13 50.1%47.7%
2013/14 58.5%47.9%
2014/15 55.7%47.6%
2015/16 59.2%47.5%
2016/17 59.0%47.1%
2017/18 60.2%46.7%
2018/19 55.2%46.6%
2019/20 55.6%46.4%
2020/21 66.2%51.1%
2021/22 61.2%49.3%
2022/23 63.2%48.3%
2023/24 61.2%48.1%
2024/25 65.1%48.9%
2025/26 63.1%50.5%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Month by month

Monthly pass rates move more than yearly ones because each month has fewer tests. DVSA withholds some monthly counts to protect candidates’ privacy; the rate is still shown.

Monthly pass rate

Monthly car test pass rate at Alness
Month Alness
Apr 2025 74.6%
May 2025 59.7%
Jun 2025 67.8%
Jul 2025 61.7%
Aug 2025 52.9%
Sep 2025 68.6%
Oct 2025 64.7%
Nov 2025 63.6%
Dec 2025 56.7%
Jan 2026 58.1%
Feb 2026 60.6%
Mar 2026 62.8%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Tests each month

Car tests each month at Alness (withheld months show as zero)
Month Tests
Apr 2025 59
May 2025 62
Jun 2025 59
Jul 2025 60
Aug 2025 0
Sep 2025 0
Oct 2025 102
Nov 2025 99
Dec 2025 67
Jan 2026 43
Feb 2026 94
Mar 2026 86

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

The most common reasons for failing

DVSA publishes the most common faults for Great Britain as a whole, not for each centre. In April 2025 to March 2026 they were:

  1. Junctions - observation
  2. Mirrors - change direction
  3. Junctions - turning right
  4. Response to signs - traffic lights
  5. Control - steering
  6. Move off - safely
  7. Response to signs - road markings
  8. Response to signs - traffic signs
  9. Positioning - normal driving
  10. Maintain progress - speed

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Driving tests Driving test and theory test data (DRT tables) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency April 2025 to March 2026 783 car tests at Alness in 2025/26 15 September 2026
  • Car practical tests (categories B and B1) in financial years, April to March. Great Britain only: DVSA does not test in Northern Ireland.
  • DVSA leaves out of centre figures any centre where only one examiner tested, but counts those tests nationally, and withholds small counts (“..”) where they could identify people.
  • Centres are matched across years by name. Pass rates reflect the candidates who test at a centre as well as the centre itself.
  • DVSA’s tables give centre names only, with no address, so we do not place centres in council areas.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.