Marked on faults, not points
Learners often think the driving test is scored like an exam, but it works differently: the examiner records faults, and your result depends on how many, and of what kind. This article summarises GOV.UK guidance on the car driving test run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in Great Britain. Northern Ireland’s tests are run by a different agency and are not covered here.
The three types of fault
GOV.UK says there are three types of fault. A dangerous fault involves actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property. A serious fault is something potentially dangerous. A driving fault is not potentially dangerous, but if you keep making the same fault it could become a serious fault. Driving faults are sometimes called minors, and serious and dangerous faults are sometimes called majors.
The pass mark
You pass if you make no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults. The rule is therefore two-part. Fifteen minors is not a target and it does not mean any pattern is acceptable, because repeating the same minor can be upgraded to a serious fault, according to the guidance. A single serious or dangerous fault is enough to fail, even if you have no minors at all.
The guidance on what happens during the test adds context. You can carry on if you make a mistake, and it might not affect your result if it is not serious. The examiner will only stop your test if they think your driving is a danger to other road users. The one part of the test that ends it immediately is the eyesight check: you fail the test if you fail the check, and the test ends. The examiner will not give you a fault for taking a wrong turning during independent driving, and will help you get back on the route.
If you pass
When you pass, the examiner tells you what faults you made, if any, and gives you a pass certificate. They will also ask whether you want your full licence sent to you automatically, in which case you hand over your provisional licence. If you prefer not to, you must apply for your full driving licence within two years of passing. You can start driving straight away and do not need to wait for the full licence to arrive, although you should contact DVLA if the licence has not arrived three weeks after you applied.
GOV.UK separately notes that you must have an insurance policy that allows you to drive without supervision from the moment you pass.
If you do not pass
The examiner will tell you what faults you made. You have to book another test and pay again, and you have to choose a date at least 10 working days away. There is no minimum number of lessons you must have done before booking, and GOV.UK says to take the test only when you can do everything in the national standard without instruction. Feedback on the faults is the most useful thing to take away, and you can ask your instructor to plan lessons around each type of fault recorded.
Appealing a result
Appeals are narrower than many learners expect. GOV.UK says you can appeal your driving test if you can prove that your examiner did not follow the law. You can complain to DVSA, and if DVSA agrees with your complaint, your test result cannot be changed but you might get a refund or a free retest. If DVSA does not agree, you may be able to appeal to a court instead.
There are two warnings. First, a successful appeal does not change the result, only potentially the money or retest. Second, you might have to pay significant legal costs if your court appeal is unsuccessful. The time limits differ by nation: you need to appeal within six months of your driving test in England and Wales, or within 21 days of your test in Scotland. A disagreement with the examiner’s judgment about how you drove is not, on its face, the same as proving they did not follow the law.
How to use this in lessons
Ask your instructor how they categorise mistakes during lessons, and whether they record repeated minors, since repetition is the route by which a minor can become a serious fault. Use mock tests to look at patterns rather than just the total. And remember that eyesight, the show me, tell me questions, general driving, and reversing are all part of the same result: the pass mark applies to the whole test.
Costs, waiting times and booking rules are covered in our other guides, and GOV.UK’s figures for fees change, so check the current page rather than relying on any number quoted in an old article.
The bottom line
In Great Britain you pass the car driving test with no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults, and repeating a minor can turn it into a serious fault. If you fail, you rebook at least 10 working days ahead. Appeals require proof that the examiner did not follow the law, do not change the result, and carry time limits of six months in England and Wales and 21 days in Scotland.
Sources
- GOV.UK (DVSA), “Driving test: cars, Driving test faults and your result”
- GOV.UK (DVSA), “Driving test: cars, What happens during the test”
- GOV.UK (DVSA), “Driving test: cars, Booking your test”