Car Test Centre, Scotland

Buckie Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BBuckieAB56 1AHModerate

Buckie in Buckie currently passes 49% of tests, in line with the UK average of 48.7%. The sections below cover the year-by-year trend, who passes most often, how long learners wait, and how it stacks up against neighbouring centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
49%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
894
2022-23 to 2024-25 (3yr avg, low volume)
National rank
#199
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
47.7%
below UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Buckie sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 39%, rank #199 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Ballater, about 43.4 miles away.

BallaterBest nearby
43.4 mi away
70.8%
+21.8 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

49%passed
failed51%

All-time 2.2K passed, 1.9K failed, 4.0K total

How Buckie compares

Buckie
49%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+0.3 pp

Buckie sits within a percentage point of the UK figure and is ranked 199 of 323 in its category: the venue itself is unlikely to move your odds either way.

Where Buckie ranks among 323 centres

Bottom 39%
Buckie sits in the bottom half of car pass rates
Rank
#199
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

Year-to-year volatility is the story at Buckie: 15 points separate 2019-20 (59.7%) from 2023-24 (44.7%), even though the endpoints nearly match.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 4.0 pp
Male55.8%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female51.8%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults1.7%
30 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
4 to 8 weeks
Lower demand
Weekly capacity
~10
estimated test slots per week
Demand
Lower
quieter than average

Booking is comparatively quick: on this estimate, learners booking at Buckie would typically wait around 4 to 8 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
when UK waits tend to be longest
Best to book
November, December, January, February
when UK waits tend to be shortest

These figures are an estimate, not live data. We model them from published demand reports and this centre's test volume; the method is on our methodology page. Check the DVSA booking service for current slots.

Centre details

Address

The Fire Station
East Cathcart Street
Buckie
AB56 1QJ
Scotland

Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.

Tests offered at Buckie

  • car

Accessibility & facilities

Not wheelchair accessible per DVSA

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 AB56 1QJ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

If you've got a test booked at AB56 1AH, that's Buckie in Buckie, Moray. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. Across 2017-18-2024-25 the centre handled 4.0K tests, a modest sample. The aggregated multi-year figure on this page is the most reliable read; quarterly swings deserve more skepticism here than at a high-volume centre.

Rank: #199 of 323. Pass rate: 49%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a lower half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. The first-time pass figure here is 47.7%, 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.

Country
Scotland
Test category
Car

What learners should know about Buckie

  • Centre difficulty is roughly average at Buckie. The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
  • Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Buckie will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
  • Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Buckie. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at Buckie

Plan to arrive at Buckie about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder (postcode AB56 1AH) a day or two ahead. Demand here is low with waits around 4 to 8 weeks, so there is usually a little more slot choice than at the busiest urban centres. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Huntly is fully booked, Buckie is the next closest centre, roughly 17 miles away.

Expect about 40 minutes once you set off, to the same national DVSA script. It opens with an eyesight check at 20 metres and one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive and asks one show-me question on the move. Around 20 minutes of that is independent driving, guided either by a sat nav the examiner provides or by road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and a one-in-seven chance of 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.

The result is given immediately when you get back. Whatever the outcome, the examiner reads through the marked faults and prints your DL25 feedback form; pass and they take the provisional licence to trigger your full one by post. The threshold is the national one, 15 driving faults at most and zero serious or dangerous, which 49% of Buckie's candidates reach right now.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Buckie?
The current pass rate at Buckie driving test centre is 49%, calculated from 894 tests in 2022-23 to 2024-25 (3yr avg, low volume). The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 47.7%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 53.8% (from 4.0K tests).
Is Buckie an easy or hard test centre?
Buckie is ranked #199 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 49% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Centres with calmer suburban or rural routes tend to sit higher, while busy urban sites with tight junctions and multi-lane roundabouts usually sit lower.
How does Buckie compare to the UK average?
Buckie's pass rate is 0.3 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. Buckie sits within a percentage point of the UK figure and is ranked 199 of 323 in its category: the venue itself is unlikely to move your odds either way.
How many driving tests does Buckie record?
Buckie has recorded 4.0K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 2.2K passed and 1.9K failed. See the yearly trend chart above to track how test volume and pass rate have shifted over recent reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Buckie?
The closest DVSA test centres to Buckie are Huntly (62.1%), Elgin (44.5%), Banff (53.9%) and Ballater (70.8%). Of these, Huntly, Banff, Ballater have higher current pass rates than Buckie's 49%. Elgin sits lower. You can compare every nearby centre in the "Other test centres nearby" section above, or see them all on the interactive PassRates map.
When is the best time to book a test at Buckie?
Buckie currently sees low demand with an estimated wait of about 4 to 8 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. A flexible test date helps: booking into a quieter month often shortens the wait and opens up more available slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Buckie and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Buckie as your centre. You will need your provisional licence number and your theory test pass certificate number. To pass, you must finish with no more than 15 driving (minor) faults and zero serious or dangerous faults. Our guides cover how to book step by step and how faults are marked.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Buckie?
The estimated wait at Buckie is about 4 to 8 weeks (low demand). That range is modelled from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times, the DVSA Despatch blog updates, and this centre's test volume of 4.0K lifetime tests, so treat it as an estimate rather than a live figure. Across the UK, waits peak in June and July and ease in November and December. For live availability, check the official DVSA booking service.
Source

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.