Banff Driving Test Centre
At Banff, 53.9% of candidates pass, one of the 323 test centres we rank from the DVSA data. Below you will find the full pass-rate history, the demographic split, the official DVSA waiting time and a comparison with the nearest centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Banff sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 35%, rank #113 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Fraserburgh, about 19.2 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 2.1K passed, 1.6K failed, 3.7K total
How Banff compares
Banff runs 5.2 points ahead of the national average, ranked 113 of 323 in its category. Margins in this range usually track route difficulty: fewer multi-lane roundabouts and less dense traffic.
Where Banff ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Banff has given up 6.6 points since 2017-18 (57.2% then, 50.6% now); the low water mark was 50.6% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Banff
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 18.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Banff in May 2026 had waited 10 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 Banff
- 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 AB45 1DL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Drivers booked at Banff report to a DVSA centre in Banff, Aberdeenshire, postcode AB45 1AY. 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. 3.7K tests across 2017-18-2024-25, a workable sample but on the lighter side. Single-period swings can look dramatic without actually meaning much, the multi-year aggregate is the more honest number.
By raw pass rate Banff sits at 53.9%, with the DVSA's national car average over the same window running at 48.7%. The gap (5.2 points clear of the UK figure) places the centre at rank #113 of 323, inside the upper half of the country's car test centres. The first-time pass figure here is 50.1%, which lines up almost exactly with the UK average of 49%. If you're a first-timer, the centre is neither lucky nor unlucky ground, it's 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 Banff
- Above-average pass rate at Banff 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Banff area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- 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 Banff
Ten minutes early is the right target at Banff. Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder (postcode AB45 1AY) the day before. Demand sits at low with a modelled wait of about 4 to 8 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. If Huntly is fully booked, Banff is the next closest centre, roughly 18 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 tell-me vehicle-safety question, then the examiner joins you for the road section, with one show-me question while you drive. 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 one in seven candidates get 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.
There is no wait for the verdict, the examiner delivers it at the centre. They go over each fault recorded, hand you the DL25 feedback form, and on a pass retain your provisional licence so the full version arrives by post. To pass you need no more than 15 driving faults and not a single serious or dangerous one; 53.9% of candidates at Banff currently clear that. First-time candidates pass less often than the headline suggests, 50.1% versus 53.9% overall, so a first booking is worth preparing thoroughly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Banff?
Is Banff an easy or hard test centre?
How does Banff compare to the UK average?
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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.