Alness Driving Test Centre
The Alness driving test centre is located in Unit 22, Scotland (IV17 0PJ). 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
8.4K passed, 6.0K failed, 14.4K total
How Alness compares
Alness 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 Alness ranks among 323 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 Alness have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Alness typically wait around 10 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 Alness
- car
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 IV17 0PJ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Alness: a DVSA car test centre in Unit 22, Highland. Local routes, local traffic patterns, no national standard for what "harder" or "easier" looks like beyond what the numbers below show. Across 2017-18-2024-25 the DVSA recorded 14.4K tests at Alness. A solid mid-range sample, the data is reliable enough that the rank position below isn't an artefact of small numbers.
The top quarter of the UK by pass rate: Alness ranks #39 of 323 car centres at 62.2%, 13.5 points clear of the national figure of 48.7%. First-attempt pass rate at Alness: 63.1%, against 49% nationally. That's a 14.1-point lead. Well-prepared candidates with no prior test attempts pass here at a noticeably higher rate than the UK average.
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 Alness
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Alness's rate reflects route geography more than examiner discretion, DVSA marking is centrally trained. Prepare for the same fault categories you'd prepare for anywhere.
- 63.1% of first-timers pass at Alness. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, that figure is a fair guide, the centre isn't the variable, your preparation is.
- Ask any instructor working Alness 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.
- The only legitimate booking route is gov.uk. Anything calling itself a "test booking concierge" is reselling the same slots at a markup, the slots aren't theirs to control.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Alness
Turn up at Alness ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder (postcode IV17 0PJ). At moderate demand and roughly 10 weeks' wait, getting a date that works for you is usually straightforward. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror. If Inverness (Seafield Road) is fully booked, Alness is the next closest centre, roughly 14 miles away.
Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a pair of vehicle-safety questions, one show-me, one tell-me, then the examiner joins you for the road section. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around a third of candidates get an emergency stop. 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.
You find out there and then, back at Alness. The examiner runs through the faults on the DL25 feedback form and, on a pass, keeps your provisional licence so a full licence follows in the post. Clearing the test means staying under 16 driving faults, that is 15 or fewer, with no serious or dangerous fault; 62.2% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Alness?
Is Alness an easy or hard test centre?
How does Alness compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Alness each year?
Which driving test centres are near Alness?
When is the best time to book a test at Alness?
How do I book a test at Alness and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Alness?
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.