Peterhead Driving Test Centre
Peterhead in Peterhead, Scotland has a current pass rate of 57.8%, 9.1 points above the UK average of 48.7%. This page breaks down the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, the waiting time and how it compares with the rest of the UK, all from the DVSA quarterly data.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Peterhead sits in the top quarter of car pass rates nationally (Top 23%, rank #75 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Fraserburgh, about 15.4 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 11.4K passed, 7.7K failed, 19.1K total
How Peterhead compares
The 9.1-point advantage at Peterhead (ranked 75 of 323 in its category) is worth having but not decisive; a well-prepared candidate passes at either kind of centre.
Where Peterhead ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Peterhead has given up 3.2 points since 2017-18 (61% then, 57.8% now); the low water mark was 57.8% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Peterhead
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 17.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Peterhead in May 2026 had waited 4.4 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
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Peterhead
- 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 AB42 3AW, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Peterhead sits in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, just inside the AB42 1ZP 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 Peterhead tend to know already. Peterhead sees moderate volume: 19.1K 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.
57.8% at Peterhead, against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre 9.1 points clear of the national figure and ranks it #75 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. 58.7% of first-timers pass at Peterhead, 9.7 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 Peterhead
- Above-average pass rate at Peterhead 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.
- 58.7% of first-timers pass at Peterhead, 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Peterhead area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- 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 Peterhead
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Peterhead, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode AB42 1ZP) shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 5 to 9 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 Fraserburgh is fully booked, Peterhead is the next closest centre, roughly 15 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 Peterhead. 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 57.8% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Peterhead?
Is Peterhead an easy or hard test centre?
How does Peterhead compare to the UK average?
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How long is the wait for a driving test at Peterhead?
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.