Turn evidence into useful practice

Look at the skills behind the faults.

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.

Understand the count

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.

Keep the dates visible

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.

Practise the full syllabus

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.

Reset

313 unambiguously matched statistical centres. The source contains 314 named centre records; unmatched names remain in the downloadable data.

Oxford (Cowley): January 2026 and February 2026

Sorted by serious-fault count, then dangerous-fault count. The driving-fault column is a separate severity category.

Published fault categorySeriousDangerousDriving faults
Junctions - observation679133
Mirrors - change direction5921154
Response to signs - road markings420108
Response to signs - traffic lights38558
Reverse park - Control341155
Positioning - lane discipline32384
Maintain progress - undue hesitation280220
Control - steering233223
Following distance23049
Response to signs - traffic signs21116
Clearance / obstructions18371
Use of speed18088
Junctions - turning right17059
Move off - control151150
Positioning - normal driving13099
Judgement - crossing12210
Awareness/planning111157
Mirrors - change speed110123
Move off - safely110167
Maintain progess - speed100292
Reverse right - Observation8024
Position - normal stops7085
Reverse park - Observatons7060
Taxi/Forward Park cont7065
Judgement - meeting5143
Judgement - overtaking5014
Reverse right - Control5025
Vehicle checks50103
Response to signs - other road users4214
Pedestrian crossing3110
Control Stop - Promptness3012
Signals - correctly30133
Signals - necessary3079
Signals - timed2068
Taxi/Forward Park obs2015
Junctions - approach speed1141
Ancillary controls1021
Control - clutch1015
Eyesight100
Junctions - cutting corners101
Junctions - turning left1022
Response to signs - traffic controllers102
Control - accelerator005
Control - balance000
Control - Footbrake0081
Control - gears0060
Control - parking brake006
Controlled stop - Control000
ECO Driving000
Highway Code000
Mirrors - signalling0049
Precautions004
Reverse left - Control000
Reverse left - Observation000
Turn in road - Control000
Turn in road - Observations000

Source and reproducible data

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.