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 | 272 | 39 | 492 |
| Mirrors - change direction | 147 | 16 | 303 |
| Response to signs - traffic lights | 129 | 14 | 127 |
| Positioning - normal driving | 115 | 2 | 279 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 108 | 1 | 156 |
| Control - steering | 91 | 23 | 875 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 89 | 0 | 194 |
| Judgement - meeting | 87 | 15 | 446 |
| Maintain progress - undue hesitation | 82 | 2 | 881 |
| Move off - safely | 76 | 7 | 744 |
| Judgement - crossing | 74 | 17 | 87 |
| Junctions - turning right | 62 | 0 | 161 |
| Maintain progess - speed | 62 | 0 | 577 |
| Awareness/planning | 52 | 8 | 279 |
| Move off - control | 52 | 8 | 600 |
| Reverse park - Control | 49 | 5 | 447 |
| Reverse park - Observatons | 40 | 0 | 176 |
| Use of speed | 40 | 0 | 263 |
| Junctions - approach speed | 39 | 3 | 274 |
| Reverse right - Observation | 33 | 0 | 114 |
| Clearance / obstructions | 26 | 8 | 372 |
| Mirrors - change speed | 22 | 2 | 251 |
| Following distance | 21 | 1 | 235 |
| Signals - correctly | 20 | 0 | 337 |
| Judgement - overtaking | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| Signals - necessary | 14 | 1 | 235 |
| Response to signs - other road users | 13 | 2 | 68 |
| Vehicle checks | 13 | 1 | 292 |
| Reverse right - Control | 13 | 0 | 53 |
| Pedestrian crossing | 11 | 0 | 24 |
| Taxi/Forward Park obs | 11 | 0 | 41 |
| Taxi/Forward Park cont | 9 | 4 | 153 |
| Control - gears | 8 | 1 | 184 |
| Position - normal stops | 8 | 0 | 241 |
| Signals - timed | 8 | 0 | 180 |
| Control Stop - Promptness | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| Control - parking brake | 5 | 0 | 34 |
| Junctions - turning left | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| Positioning - lane discipline | 5 | 0 | 98 |
| Eyesight | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Control - Footbrake | 3 | 1 | 114 |
| Mirrors - signalling | 3 | 0 | 330 |
| Ancillary controls | 1 | 0 | 27 |
| Control - clutch | 1 | 0 | 58 |
| Junctions - cutting corners | 1 | 0 | 54 |
| Control - accelerator | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Control - balance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Controlled stop - Control | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ECO Driving | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Highway Code | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Precautions | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 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.