Car Test Centre, Scotland

Greenock Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BGreenockPA15 1LSTougher than average

The Greenock driving test centre is located in Greenock, Scotland (PA15 1LS). 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.

By VikasReviewed by VikasMethodologySources
Pass rate (2024-25)
42.4%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
2.0K
2024-25
National rank
#291
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
40.9%
below UK avg

Pass vs fail at a glance

42.4%passed
failed54.2%

17.2K passed, 20.3K failed, 37.5K total

How Greenock compares

Greenock
42.4%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-6.3 pp

Greenock has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.

Where Greenock ranks among 323 centres

Top 11%
Greenock sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#291
BestMedianHardest

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.

  1. 1Junctions - observation10
  2. 2Mirrors - change direction9
  3. 3Move off - safely8
  4. 4Junctions - turning right7
  5. 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

Male vs female pass rate gap 2.9 pp
Male47.3%
0%UK avg 49.7%100%
Female44.4%
0%UK avg 44.0%100%
Zero faults0.6%
80 candidates passed without a single recorded fault

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
12 weeks
Moderate demand
Weekly capacity
~98
estimated test slots per week
Trend
stable
availability direction

Wait times at Greenock have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Greenock typically wait around 12 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
longest waits in Greenock
Best to book
November, December, January, February
shortest expected waits

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

19A Union Street
Greenock
PA16 8DD
Scotland

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

Tests offered at Greenock

  • car

Accessibility & facilities

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 PA16 8DD, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Greenock sits in Greenock, Inverclyde, just inside the PA15 1LS postcode. It's a DVSA-run car test centre, and the routes from here work outward into the streets and arterial roads that learners from Greenock tend to know already. Sample size: 37.5K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. Enough that comparisons hold up; small enough that a single examiner retiring or a route being temporarily diverted can show in the data.

42.4% at Greenock, against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre 6.3 points below the national figure and ranks it #291 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. Across 941 first attempts, the pass rate at Greenock is 40.9%, against 49% nationally. Booking your first test here is doable, but it's worth a few lessons on the actual test routes before the date.

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
DVSA centre ID
greenock

What learners should know about Greenock

  • A lower pass rate at Greenock usually means specific local junctions or routes that catch out candidates trained elsewhere. Book route-familiarisation lessons with an instructor who works this centre, not one who covers a different patch.
  • Ask any instructor working Greenock 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.
  • The only legitimate booking route is gov.uk. Anything calling itself a "test booking concierge" is reselling the same slots at a markup, the slots aren't theirs to control.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at Greenock

Turn up at Greenock ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder (postcode PA15 1LS). At moderate demand and roughly 12 weeks' wait, getting a date that works for you is usually straightforward. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror. If Dunoon is fully booked, Greenock is the next closest centre, roughly 7 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 one show-me and one tell-me question, then sits in for the drive. 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 three 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.

You will know the result before you leave Greenock. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 42.4% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Greenock?
The current pass rate at Greenock driving test centre is 42.4%, calculated from 2.0K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 40.9%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 45.8% (from 37.5K tests).
Is Greenock an easy or hard test centre?
Greenock is ranked #291 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 42.4% 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 Greenock compare to the UK average?
Greenock's pass rate is 6.3 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. Greenock has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.
How many tests are taken at Greenock each year?
Greenock has recorded 37.5K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 17.2K passed and 20.3K failed. The yearly trend chart on this page shows how volume and pass rate have moved across recent reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Greenock?
The closest DVSA test centres to Greenock are Dunoon (57.8%), Dumbarton (53.5%), Rothesay (61.6%) and Irvine (49.2%). Of these, Dunoon, Dumbarton, Rothesay, Irvine have higher current pass rates than Greenock's 42.4%. 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 Greenock?
Greenock currently sees moderate demand with an estimated wait of around 12 weeks. 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 Greenock and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Greenock 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 Greenock?
The estimated wait at Greenock is around 12 weeks (moderate demand). That figure 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 37.5K lifetime tests. Wait times 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.