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 | 212 | 31 | 452 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 158 | 18 | 375 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 137 | 0 | 1,451 |
| Use of speed | 132 | 1 | 347 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 129 | 2 | 165 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 122 | 4 | 105 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 114 | 3 | 370 |
| Move off - safely | 112 | 6 | 851 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 111 | 3 | 895 |
| Junctions - turning right | 107 | 1 | 331 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 93 | 1 | 100 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 84 | 0 | 1,127 |
| Control - steering | 71 | 6 | 910 |
| Move off - control | 68 | 0 | 591 |
| Control - gears | 66 | 0 | 439 |
| Reverse park - Control | 65 | 2 | 379 |
| Judgement - meeting | 63 | 12 | 487 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 59 | 2 | 97 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 53 | 0 | 170 |
| Awareness/planning | 40 | 4 | 294 |
| Judgement - crossing | 35 | 10 | 37 |
| Signals - correctly | 30 | 0 | 294 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 26 | 2 | 155 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 22 | 0 | 311 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 21 | 4 | 103 |
| Following distance | 18 | 0 | 139 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 15 | 2 | 16 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 15 | 0 | 54 |
| Reverse right - Control | 15 | 0 | 64 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 15 | 0 | 33 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 13 | 0 | 429 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 11 | 1 | 174 |
| Vehicle checks | 9 | 1 | 343 |
| Position - normal stops | 9 | 0 | 299 |
| Control - Footbrake | 8 | 1 | 109 |
| Junctions - turning left | 8 | 0 | 54 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 7 | 1 | 25 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Signals - timed | 5 | 0 | 221 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 4 | 0 | 31 |
| Control - parking brake | 3 | 1 | 40 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 0 | 44 |
| Signals - necessary | 1 | 0 | 188 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - clutch | 0 | 0 | 58 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eyesight | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Response to signs - traffic controllers | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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.