Rothesay Driving Test Centre
The Rothesay driving test centre is located in Rothesay, Scotland (PA20 2AA). 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
888 passed, 553 failed, 1.4K total
How Rothesay compares
Rothesay 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 Rothesay 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 Rothesay have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Rothesay typically wait around 6 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 Rothesay
- 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 PA20 0DG, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
If you've got a test booked at PA20 2AA, that's Rothesay in Rothesay, Argyll and Bute. Examiners use a small set of fixed routes built around the roads immediately surrounding the centre. 1.4K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. Rothesay runs at a slower cadence than the major metro centres, which means the data on this page rewards looking at the long-run trend rather than any single quarter.
Rank: #46 of 323. Pass rate: 61.6%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a top quartile centre by the DVSA's own published figures. 62.3% of first-timers pass at Rothesay, 13.3 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 Rothesay
- Rothesay passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- First-time pass rate of 62.3% at Rothesay is on the forgiving side. A well-prepared first booking has a reasonable shot; don't over-correct by booking a "practice" test you don't actually need.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Rothesay will have a working knowledge of which routes Rothesay uses.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Rothesay. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Rothesay
Ten minutes early is the right target at Rothesay. Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder (postcode PA20 2AA) the day before. Demand sits at low with a modelled wait of about 6 weeks, which generally leaves more room to choose a date. Bring the provisional photocard licence, the examiner checks for it first, and make sure your car is roadworthy with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Dunoon is fully booked, Rothesay is the next closest centre, roughly 9 miles away.
Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a pair of vehicle-safety questions, one show-me, one tell-me, then the examiner joins you for the road section. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around a third of candidates get 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.
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; 61.6% of candidates at Rothesay currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Rothesay?
Is Rothesay an easy or hard test centre?
How does Rothesay compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Rothesay each year?
Which driving test centres are near Rothesay?
When is the best time to book a test at Rothesay?
How do I book a test at Rothesay and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Rothesay?
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.