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 | 166 | 36 | 464 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 123 | 22 | 358 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 66 | 2 | 98 |
| Junctions - turning right | 61 | 1 | 99 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 60 | 4 | 493 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 54 | 2 | 41 |
| Move off - safely | 51 | 1 | 608 |
| Following distance | 50 | 1 | 233 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 46 | 1 | 628 |
| Reverse park - Control | 44 | 4 | 283 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 43 | 2 | 173 |
| Use of speed | 40 | 1 | 413 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 34 | 3 | 56 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 34 | 2 | 421 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 32 | 4 | 48 |
| Control - steering | 30 | 5 | 687 |
| Move off - control | 22 | 2 | 480 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 21 | 4 | 236 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 21 | 0 | 303 |
| Judgement - meeting | 19 | 3 | 145 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 19 | 0 | 92 |
| Signals - correctly | 17 | 1 | 438 |
| Awareness/planning | 16 | 2 | 228 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 15 | 0 | 438 |
| Signals - timed | 14 | 0 | 290 |
| Control - gears | 13 | 0 | 284 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 9 | 2 | 17 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 7 | 0 | 37 |
| Judgement - crossing | 6 | 3 | 15 |
| Junctions - turning left | 6 | 0 | 35 |
| Reverse right - Control | 6 | 0 | 47 |
| Vehicle checks | 5 | 1 | 216 |
| Signals - necessary | 5 | 0 | 141 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 4 | 3 | 85 |
| Position - normal stops | 4 | 0 | 168 |
| Control - Footbrake | 3 | 4 | 97 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 3 | 0 | 44 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 2 | 3 | 53 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 2 | 0 | 376 |
| Control - parking brake | 1 | 0 | 46 |
| Ancillary controls | 0 | 2 | 66 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - clutch | 0 | 0 | 41 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eyesight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reverse left - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reverse left - Observation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| 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.