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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Response to signs - road markings | 89 | 1 | 91 |
| Junctions - observation | 84 | 33 | 200 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 83 | 20 | 244 |
| Move off - control | 55 | 5 | 528 |
| Control - gears | 50 | 1 | 267 |
| Move off - safely | 48 | 4 | 712 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 43 | 5 | 47 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 43 | 3 | 64 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 42 | 12 | 357 |
| Use of speed | 41 | 2 | 192 |
| Reverse park - Control | 40 | 6 | 273 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 39 | 4 | 212 |
| Control - steering | 34 | 5 | 406 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 34 | 0 | 94 |
| Judgement - meeting | 33 | 4 | 213 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 33 | 1 | 158 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 33 | 0 | 605 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 28 | 0 | 485 |
| Junctions - turning right | 26 | 1 | 90 |
| Awareness/planning | 21 | 1 | 209 |
| Judgement - crossing | 18 | 22 | 37 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 17 | 0 | 69 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 14 | 0 | 187 |
| Reverse right - Control | 14 | 0 | 46 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 13 | 0 | 689 |
| Signals - correctly | 13 | 0 | 232 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 11 | 1 | 15 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 9 | 0 | 95 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 6 | 2 | 32 |
| Vehicle checks | 6 | 1 | 213 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| Position - normal stops | 5 | 0 | 143 |
| Control - clutch | 4 | 0 | 85 |
| Signals - necessary | 4 | 0 | 163 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 3 | 0 | 27 |
| Junctions - turning left | 3 | 0 | 22 |
| Control - Footbrake | 2 | 1 | 116 |
| Following distance | 2 | 0 | 41 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 1 | 2 | 29 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 1 | 1 | 72 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| Control - accelerator | 1 | 0 | 16 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 1 | 0 | 10 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - parking brake | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eyesight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Reverse left - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reverse left - Observation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Signals - timed | 0 | 0 | 125 |
| 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.