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 | 281 | 44 | 244 |
| Junctions - observation | 166 | 10 | 361 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 150 | 5 | 268 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 113 | 3 | 504 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 110 | 0 | 223 |
| Junctions - turning right | 109 | 5 | 215 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 104 | 4 | 191 |
| Use of speed | 99 | 0 | 520 |
| Control - steering | 90 | 9 | 985 |
| Move off - safely | 75 | 3 | 635 |
| Reverse park - Control | 75 | 0 | 398 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 63 | 12 | 481 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 61 | 0 | 1,058 |
| Move off - control | 52 | 2 | 610 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 34 | 0 | 157 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 33 | 0 | 607 |
| Judgement - meeting | 32 | 2 | 172 |
| Following distance | 31 | 0 | 401 |
| Awareness/planning | 29 | 2 | 225 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 25 | 1 | 295 |
| Control - gears | 22 | 0 | 274 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 21 | 6 | 148 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 21 | 0 | 60 |
| Judgement - crossing | 18 | 3 | 19 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 17 | 2 | 154 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 16 | 0 | 70 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 13 | 0 | 55 |
| Signals - correctly | 13 | 0 | 414 |
| Vehicle checks | 12 | 1 | 331 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 10 | 0 | 327 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 10 | 0 | 36 |
| Reverse right - Control | 9 | 0 | 106 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 7 | 0 | 15 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 6 | 0 | 24 |
| Control - Footbrake | 5 | 0 | 158 |
| Control - parking brake | 4 | 0 | 38 |
| Eyesight | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 2 | 0 | 117 |
| Position - normal stops | 2 | 0 | 283 |
| Signals - necessary | 2 | 0 | 197 |
| Junctions - turning left | 1 | 1 | 30 |
| Ancillary controls | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - clutch | 0 | 0 | 80 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reverse left - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Reverse left - Observation | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Signals - timed | 0 | 0 | 212 |
| 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.