Duns Driving Test Centre
The Duns driving test centre is located in Duns, Scotland (TD11 3BY). 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
1.3K passed, 796 failed, 2.1K total
How Duns compares
Duns 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 Duns 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 Duns have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Duns typically wait around 4 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 Duns
- 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 TD11 3AU, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across Scotland, Duns is the one covering Duns, Berwickshire and the surrounding TD11 3BY area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Across 2017-18-2024-25 the centre handled 2.1K 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.
If you've been told Duns is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 62.2% is 13.5 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #38 out of 323. 63% of first-timers pass at Duns, 14 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 Duns
- Above-average pass rate at Duns 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.
- 63% of first-timers pass at Duns. 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.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Duns will have a working knowledge of which routes Duns uses.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Duns, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Duns
Arrive at Duns with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode TD11 3BY) maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 4 weeks at low demand, so you can usually pick a date without a long wait. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Kelso is fully booked, Duns is the next closest centre, roughly 13 miles away.
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.
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; 62.2% of candidates at Duns currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Duns?
Is Duns an easy or hard test centre?
How does Duns compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Duns each year?
Which driving test centres are near Duns?
When is the best time to book a test at Duns?
How do I book a test at Duns and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Duns?
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.