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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junctions - observation | 304 | 45 | 445 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 168 | 37 | 273 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 121 | 5 | 274 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 114 | 13 | 594 |
| Control - steering | 97 | 34 | 860 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 90 | 4 | 360 |
| Judgement - meeting | 84 | 16 | 261 |
| Move off - safely | 80 | 9 | 574 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 78 | 5 | 404 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 78 | 0 | 103 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 77 | 1 | 61 |
| Move off - control | 67 | 4 | 501 |
| Use of speed | 66 | 1 | 255 |
| Junctions - turning right | 65 | 3 | 70 |
| Control - gears | 60 | 0 | 351 |
| Reverse park - Control | 55 | 4 | 342 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 49 | 0 | 111 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 45 | 2 | 1,029 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 45 | 0 | 653 |
| Awareness/planning | 35 | 3 | 207 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 33 | 1 | 223 |
| Signals - correctly | 32 | 1 | 327 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 30 | 1 | 79 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 21 | 0 | 34 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 19 | 1 | 135 |
| Position - normal stops | 19 | 0 | 232 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 18 | 2 | 23 |
| Judgement - crossing | 17 | 9 | 19 |
| Reverse right - Control | 16 | 1 | 68 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 12 | 1 | 67 |
| Vehicle checks | 10 | 2 | 328 |
| Control - Footbrake | 8 | 1 | 213 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 7 | 0 | 387 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 7 | 0 | 26 |
| Signals - timed | 7 | 0 | 270 |
| Signals - necessary | 6 | 1 | 146 |
| Control - parking brake | 5 | 0 | 38 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| Following distance | 5 | 0 | 96 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Eyesight | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - accelerator | 1 | 1 | 15 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 1 | 1 | 32 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 0 | 21 |
| Control - clutch | 1 | 0 | 65 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 1 | 0 | 9 |
| Junctions - turning left | 1 | 0 | 24 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 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.