Arbroath Driving Test Centre
Arbroath in Arbroath, Scotland has a current pass rate of 72.6%, 23.9 points above the UK average of 48.7%. This page breaks down the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, the waiting time and how it compares with the rest of the UK, all from the DVSA quarterly data.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Arbroath sits in the top 10% of UK car pass rates nationally (Top 1%, rank #3 of 323). No nearby car centre currently posts a higher pass rate.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 6.8K passed, 4.2K failed, 11.0K total
How Arbroath compares
Arbroath clears the UK average by 23.9 points and sits ranked 3 of 323 in its category. That margin says more about its route mix than about marking, the DVSA standard is identical everywhere.
Where Arbroath ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The direction of travel here is upward: Arbroath has added 15.1 points since 2017-18, from 63.8% to 78.9%, with its strongest year at 78.9% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Arbroath
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Arbroath in May 2026 had waited 27.3 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, May 2026. The median is the time between booking and taking the test; for live availability use the DVSA booking service.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Arbroath
- 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 DD11 2NQ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Drivers booked at Arbroath report to a DVSA centre in Arbroath, Angus, postcode DD11 1DP. The car routes used here are drawn from the streets the centre's examiners drive every week, so the test reflects local conditions rather than a generic syllabus. 11.0K tests across 2017-18-2024-25. That's a working sample, enough to take the pass rate at face value but not so large that a single quiet quarter passes unnoticed.
By raw pass rate Arbroath sits at 72.6%, with the DVSA's national car average over the same window running at 48.7%. The gap (23.9 points clear of the UK figure) places the centre at rank #3 of 323, inside the top ten percent of the country's car test centres. 72.9% of first-timers pass at Arbroath, 23.9 points above the UK figure of 49%. A prepared first attempt has a real shot here in a way it doesn't at every 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 Arbroath
- Above-average pass rate at Arbroath 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.
- First-time pass rate of 72.9% at Arbroath is on the forgiving side. A well-prepared first booking has a reasonable shot; don't over-correct by booking a "practice" test you don't actually need.
- Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Arbroath will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the official DVSA booking service is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Arbroath
Aim to be at Arbroath ten minutes early. Because parking and waiting facilities are not the same at every DVSA centre, check the approach on the DVSA centre finder (postcode DD11 1DP) before the day. At low demand and about 6 to 10 weeks' wait, securing a convenient date here is usually less of a scramble. The examiner needs to see your provisional photocard licence to begin, and the car you bring must be roadworthy, fitted with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Montrose is fully booked, Arbroath is the next closest centre, roughly 11 miles away.
The test runs for around 40 minutes and follows the same DVSA format used at every centre. The examiner checks your eyesight at 20 metres, asks you a tell-me safety question, then sits in for the drive, with one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes of it is independent driving, either following a sat nav the examiner sets up or following road signs to a named place. You will do one of four set manoeuvres, and roughly one in seven candidates is asked to perform an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You find out there and then, back at Arbroath. 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; 72.6% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Arbroath?
Is Arbroath an easy or hard test centre?
How does Arbroath compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Arbroath record?
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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.