Car Test Centre, Scotland

Forfar Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BForfarHigh pass rate

Forfar in Forfar currently passes 70.8% of tests, 22.1 points above 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)
70.8%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
1.4K
2022-23 to 2024-25 (3yr avg)
National rank
#6
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
69.1%
above UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Forfar sits in the top 10% of UK car pass rates nationally (Top 2%, rank #6 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Arbroath, about 13.1 miles away.

ArbroathBest nearby
13.1 mi away
72.6%
+1.8 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

70.8%passed
failed29.2%

All-time 6.0K passed, 3.7K failed, 9.7K total

How Forfar compares

Forfar
70.8%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+22.1 pp

Forfar clears the UK average by 22.1 points and sits ranked 6 of 323 in its category. That margin says more about its route mix than about marking, the DVSA standard is identical everywhere.

Where Forfar ranks among 323 centres

Top 2%
Forfar ranks higher than 98% of UK car test centres
Rank
#6
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

Forfar ends the series about where it started, yet the spread between 2022-23 (73.6%) and 2018-19 (65.2%) runs to 8.4 points; read a single year here with caution.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 5.7 pp
Male64.7%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female59.0%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults3.8%
288 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Forfar

Median wait, booking to test
22 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
24 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
0%
Share of the 24-week window still open

The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Forfar in May 2026 had waited 22 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

Forfar
Angus
Scotland

Tests offered at Forfar

  • Car

For other test types at this location, search the DVSA centre finder.

Accessibility & facilities

Parking, toilets, and disabled-access details vary by centre. Check the official DVSA find a driving test centre tool, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Forfar is one of the DVSA's car test sites in Scotland, located in Forfar, Angus. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. Forfar sees moderate volume: 9.7K practical tests through 2017-18-2024-25. Year-on-year percentages here are meaningful, but watch the trend line rather than fixating on any single period.

Forfar passes higher than most. At 70.8% versus a UK average of 48.7%, it ranks #6 of 323 car centres, the top ten percent of the network. Across 903 first-attempt tests, Forfar passes 69.1% of candidates, against 49% nationally. The centre is a relatively forgiving venue for a first booking, by the DVSA's own data.

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 Forfar

  • Above-average pass rate at Forfar 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.
  • 69.1% of first-timers pass at Forfar, so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
  • Ask any instructor working Forfar 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.
  • If you missed the earlier slots at Forfar, cancellations appear on the official DVSA booking service throughout the day. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for the best chance of catching one.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at Forfar

Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Forfar, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 6 to 10 weeks at low demand, which tends to mean less competition for a date that suits you. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner. If Dundee is fully booked, Forfar is the next closest centre, roughly 13 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.

Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 70.8% of candidates at Forfar meet under current DVSA marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Forfar?
The current pass rate at Forfar driving test centre is 70.8%, calculated from 1.4K tests in 2022-23 to 2024-25 (3yr avg). The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 69.1%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 61.7% (from 9.7K tests).
Is Forfar an easy or hard test centre?
Forfar is ranked #6 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the top 10% of UK car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 70.8% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Much of the spread comes down to route geography: lighter traffic and simpler junctions lift a centre, dense city driving and complex roundabouts pull it down.
How does Forfar compare to the UK average?
Forfar's pass rate is 22.1 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. Forfar clears the UK average by 22.1 points and sits ranked 6 of 323 in its category. That margin says more about its route mix than about marking, the DVSA standard is identical everywhere.
How many driving tests does Forfar record?
Forfar has recorded 9.7K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 6.0K passed and 3.7K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Forfar?
The closest DVSA test centres to Forfar are Dundee (60.3%), Arbroath (72.6%), Montrose (68.1%) and Ballater (70.8%). Of these, Arbroath has a higher current pass rate than Forfar's 70.8%. Dundee, Montrose sit 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 Forfar?
Forfar currently sees low demand with an estimated wait of about 6 to 10 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. If your test date is flexible, aiming for a quieter month can mean a shorter wait and more slot choice. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Forfar and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Forfar 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 Forfar?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Forfar had waited about 22 weeks between booking and test day. DVSA's older measure, the number of weeks until at least 10% of slots are free, was 24 weeks. About 0% of appointments in the 24-week booking window were still available. 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.