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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirrors - change direction | 186 | 23 | 282 |
| Junctions - observation | 167 | 35 | 377 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 70 | 0 | 555 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 69 | 1 | 313 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 66 | 0 | 128 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 60 | 5 | 72 |
| Use of speed | 55 | 0 | 347 |
| Reverse park - Control | 46 | 3 | 328 |
| Move off - safely | 43 | 1 | 395 |
| Junctions - turning right | 42 | 3 | 85 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 39 | 0 | 466 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 37 | 0 | 149 |
| Judgement - meeting | 35 | 5 | 171 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 32 | 2 | 198 |
| Control - steering | 31 | 7 | 439 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 31 | 2 | 51 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 29 | 7 | 215 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 29 | 1 | 134 |
| Move off - control | 28 | 3 | 313 |
| Awareness/planning | 28 | 2 | 253 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 24 | 0 | 24 |
| Signals - correctly | 20 | 0 | 155 |
| Signals - necessary | 18 | 0 | 143 |
| Judgement - crossing | 17 | 0 | 33 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 16 | 0 | 42 |
| Position - normal stops | 14 | 0 | 143 |
| Control - gears | 12 | 2 | 265 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 11 | 0 | 16 |
| Reverse right - Control | 9 | 0 | 34 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 9 | 0 | 30 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 8 | 0 | 169 |
| Signals - timed | 8 | 0 | 184 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 7 | 1 | 242 |
| Following distance | 7 | 0 | 89 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 6 | 0 | 85 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 5 | 1 | 29 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 5 | 0 | 20 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 5 | 0 | 37 |
| Vehicle checks | 4 | 0 | 177 |
| Control - Footbrake | 3 | 0 | 123 |
| Junctions - turning left | 3 | 0 | 53 |
| Control - parking brake | 2 | 0 | 49 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| Eyesight | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - clutch | 0 | 0 | 48 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 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.