Choose a test centre to explore recorded fault categories. These counts can help structure a conversation about observation, control and planning alongside your own lesson feedback.
A single test can record several faults, including more than one type. Counts are not numbers of failed tests or your chance of committing a fault. The attachment does not supply matching test denominators for a fault-rate calculation.
We use explicitly labelled January and February 2026 rows in DVSA’s July 2026 response. Later and unlabelled repeated blocks are excluded. A centre may have only one of these months; missing observations are not zero.
Use the figures alongside feedback from a qualified instructor. A recorded category does not identify a test route, exact junction or guaranteed manoeuvre. Historical category names are retained, including legacy labels.
313 unambiguously matched statistical centres. The source contains 314 named centre records; unmatched names remain in the downloadable data.
Sorted by serious-fault count, then dangerous-fault count. The driving-fault column is a separate severity category.
| Published fault category | Serious | Dangerous | Driving faults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positioning - normal driving | 94 | 4 | 263 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 86 | 22 | 261 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 83 | 3 | 68 |
| Move off - safely | 74 | 8 | 569 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 73 | 5 | 754 |
| Junctions - observation | 72 | 26 | 322 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 63 | 1 | 62 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 62 | 9 | 152 |
| Junctions - turning right | 44 | 4 | 50 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 42 | 0 | 121 |
| Control - steering | 40 | 18 | 460 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 40 | 2 | 55 |
| Use of speed | 39 | 1 | 204 |
| Awareness/planning | 37 | 2 | 231 |
| Reverse park - Control | 33 | 4 | 222 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 32 | 4 | 366 |
| Move off - control | 29 | 2 | 315 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 25 | 1 | 463 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 18 | 0 | 61 |
| Judgement - meeting | 17 | 2 | 108 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 14 | 0 | 11 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 11 | 3 | 149 |
| Junctions - turning left | 10 | 0 | 29 |
| Control - Footbrake | 9 | 1 | 65 |
| Reverse right - Control | 9 | 0 | 41 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 8 | 2 | 77 |
| Following distance | 8 | 0 | 125 |
| Signals - correctly | 8 | 0 | 252 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 8 | 0 | 32 |
| Judgement - crossing | 7 | 2 | 32 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 7 | 1 | 13 |
| Vehicle checks | 5 | 2 | 124 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 5 | 1 | 92 |
| Position - normal stops | 5 | 0 | 107 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 4 | 0 | 282 |
| Control - gears | 3 | 2 | 120 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| Ancillary controls | 2 | 0 | 37 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 2 | 0 | 100 |
| Signals - necessary | 2 | 0 | 144 |
| Signals - timed | 2 | 0 | 141 |
| Control - clutch | 1 | 0 | 27 |
| Control - parking brake | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eyesight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reverse left - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reverse left - Observation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turn in road - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turn in road - Observations | 0 | 0 | 0 |
DVSA FOI response 2606-112694 and Annex H, published 1 July 2026. Our download preserves the source categories, per-month counts, original-file checksum and exclusions. Crown copyright information is reused under the default Open Government Licence; no individual test or candidate records are included.