Kelso Driving Test Centre
Kelso posts a 64.5% pass rate, with Duns the nearest alternative about 13 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Kelso sits in the top 10% of UK car pass rates nationally (Top 8%, rank #25 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Hawick, about 18.4 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 2.4K passed, 1.5K failed, 3.9K total
How Kelso compares
A 15.8-point lead over the national figure puts Kelso ranked 25 of 323 in its category. Gaps this large usually come from the roads, not the examiners: fewer complex junctions and lighter traffic on the local routes.
Where Kelso ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The headline barely moved (56% in 2017-18, 57% now) but the ride was not smooth: Kelso has swung 18.9 points between its best year (74.5%, 2022-23) and its worst (55.6%, 2018-19).
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Booking is comparatively quick: on this estimate, learners booking at Kelso would typically wait around 4 to 8 weeks from booking to test day.
This wait is an estimate modelled from regional demand and this centre's test volume, not a live booking figure. See how it is worked out on our methodology page, and check the 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 Kelso
- car
- ADI part 3
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 TD5 8DW, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across Scotland, Kelso is the one covering Kelso, Scottish Borders and the surrounding TD5 7HG area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Volume here sits at 3.9K over 2017-18-2024-25. That's the territory where a noisy quarter can shift the rate by two or three percentage points, so read the trend chart in context rather than reacting to any single bar.
If you've been told Kelso is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 64.5% is 15.8 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #25 out of 323. First-time pass rate: 69.1%. UK average: 49%. Kelso is 20.1 points to the good on first attempts, a meaningful gap, not a rounding artefact.
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 Kelso
- Above-average pass rate at Kelso 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 Kelso, 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 Kelso 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 Kelso, 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 Kelso
Arrive at Kelso 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 TD5 7HG) maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 4 to 8 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 Duns is fully booked, Kelso is the next closest centre, roughly 13 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 you a tell-me safety question, then sits in for the drive, with one show-me question while you are driving. 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 seven 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 DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Kelso. 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 64.5% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking. Candidates on their first attempt clear that bar more often here, 69.1% against the 64.5% overall figure.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Kelso?
Is Kelso an easy or hard test centre?
How does Kelso compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Kelso record?
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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.