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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use of speed | 224 | 9 | 646 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 212 | 14 | 319 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 209 | 75 | 350 |
| Junctions - observation | 191 | 64 | 361 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 157 | 7 | 152 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 141 | 2 | 876 |
| Junctions - turning right | 137 | 7 | 205 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 128 | 3 | 96 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 107 | 1 | 801 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 91 | 9 | 68 |
| Move off - control | 69 | 10 | 527 |
| Move off - safely | 68 | 22 | 527 |
| Reverse park - Control | 67 | 10 | 339 |
| Control - steering | 65 | 15 | 1,015 |
| Following distance | 55 | 4 | 248 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 53 | 10 | 275 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 49 | 21 | 312 |
| Position - normal stops | 45 | 1 | 221 |
| Awareness/planning | 44 | 7 | 333 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 37 | 1 | 149 |
| Signals - correctly | 34 | 2 | 313 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 34 | 1 | 83 |
| Judgement - crossing | 33 | 30 | 37 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 33 | 12 | 174 |
| Control - gears | 30 | 2 | 312 |
| Judgement - meeting | 26 | 15 | 158 |
| Reverse right - Control | 23 | 0 | 47 |
| Junctions - turning left | 22 | 1 | 93 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 21 | 7 | 237 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 17 | 6 | 96 |
| Signals - necessary | 13 | 0 | 179 |
| Control - Footbrake | 12 | 1 | 250 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 11 | 0 | 36 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 10 | 7 | 19 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 8 | 1 | 52 |
| Vehicle checks | 8 | 1 | 351 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 8 | 0 | 365 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 7 | 1 | 10 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 7 | 0 | 52 |
| Signals - timed | 4 | 0 | 299 |
| Ancillary controls | 3 | 0 | 23 |
| Control - parking brake | 3 | 0 | 55 |
| Control - accelerator | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Control - clutch | 1 | 0 | 79 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eyesight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 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.