Aberdeen South (Cove) Driving Test Centre
The Aberdeen South (Cove) driving test centre is located in The Old Town, England (YO11 1BP). Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
5.6K passed, 2.0K failed, 7.6K total
How Aberdeen South (Cove) compares
Aberdeen South (Cove) performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Aberdeen South (Cove) ranks among 194 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Aberdeen South (Cove) have been gradually shortening as DVSA recovers post-pandemic capacity. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Aberdeen South (Cove) typically wait around 11 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Aberdeen South (Cove)
- car
- motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- ADI part 3
Accessibility & facilities
Parking and toilet details aren't included in DVSA's published feed. For the current on-site facilities, check the DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode AB12 3GQ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Aberdeen South (Cove) is in The Old Town, York and North Yorkshire (YO11 1BP) and runs DVSA motorcycle module 2 tests for learners across the local area. The routes are the same fixed set every day; your examiner picks one without telling you which. Over 2017-18-2024-25, 7.6K candidates sat tests here. The figures are statistically usable for centre-to-centre comparisons, which is most of what people land on this page wanting to do.
Out of 194 UK motorcycle module 2 test centres, Aberdeen South (Cove) ranks 85, which lands it in the upper half nationally. The 73.6% pass rate is 24.9 points clear of the UK figure of 48.7%. DVSA doesn't break out first-attempt figures for Aberdeen South (Cove) in DRT122C, so the split between first-time and retake pass rates isn't published for this centre.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Aberdeen South (Cove)
- Above-average pass rate at Aberdeen South (Cove) doesn't mean above-average ease. The fundamentals examiners mark are the same nationally: junctions, mirrors, observation, signal timing. A 65%+ pass rate means more candidates clear those, not that the bar is lower.
- Ask any instructor working Aberdeen South (Cove) about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Aberdeen South (Cove). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Aberdeen South (Cove)
Ten minutes early is the right target at Aberdeen South (Cove). Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder (postcode YO11 1BP) the day before. Demand sits at moderate with a modelled wait of about 11 weeks, which generally leaves more room to choose a date. Bring the provisional photocard licence, the examiner checks for it first, and make sure your car is roadworthy with L plates and a working interior mirror.
Once underway the test takes around 40 minutes and is the same wherever you sit it. The examiner verifies your eyesight at 20 metres, puts one show-me and one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in three. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 73.6% of candidates at Aberdeen South (Cove) meet under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Aberdeen South (Cove)?
Is Aberdeen South (Cove) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Aberdeen South (Cove) compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Aberdeen South (Cove) each year?
Which driving test centres are near Aberdeen South (Cove)?
When is the best time to book a test at Aberdeen South (Cove)?
How do I book a test at Aberdeen South (Cove) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Aberdeen South (Cove)?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.