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 | 164 | 24 | 283 |
| Control - steering | 93 | 13 | 774 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 84 | 0 | 785 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 79 | 1 | 113 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 78 | 10 | 295 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 68 | 1 | 118 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 64 | 4 | 463 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 64 | 1 | 770 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 57 | 4 | 394 |
| Reverse park - Control | 49 | 0 | 205 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 46 | 0 | 98 |
| Junctions - turning right | 45 | 2 | 213 |
| Move off - control | 45 | 0 | 354 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 35 | 2 | 268 |
| Move off - safely | 35 | 0 | 413 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 35 | 0 | 97 |
| Signals - correctly | 28 | 3 | 230 |
| Use of speed | 28 | 0 | 172 |
| Judgement - crossing | 27 | 8 | 29 |
| Signals - necessary | 26 | 0 | 163 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 23 | 0 | 38 |
| Awareness/planning | 22 | 0 | 313 |
| Judgement - meeting | 15 | 2 | 100 |
| Control - gears | 14 | 2 | 280 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 11 | 1 | 11 |
| Position - normal stops | 11 | 0 | 186 |
| Control - Footbrake | 9 | 2 | 139 |
| Vehicle checks | 7 | 2 | 182 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 7 | 1 | 387 |
| Junctions - turning left | 6 | 1 | 66 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 6 | 1 | 14 |
| Reverse right - Control | 6 | 0 | 44 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 5 | 1 | 106 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 5 | 0 | 59 |
| Following distance | 4 | 0 | 60 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 4 | 0 | 37 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 3 | 0 | 48 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Signals - timed | 3 | 0 | 217 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - clutch | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| Control - parking brake | 0 | 0 | 30 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eyesight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 0 | 0 | 136 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 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.