Stirling Driving Test Centre
Stirling in Stirling records a 38.7% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 19.6 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Stirling sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 3%, rank #313 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Crieff, about 18.0 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 26.1K passed, 33.0K failed, 59.1K total
How Stirling compares
A 10-point shortfall against the UK figure puts Stirling ranked 313 of 323 in its category. Expect the local routes, not the examiners, to be the reason: the marking standard is national.
Where Stirling ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Stirling has given up 4.5 points since 2017-18 (43.2% then, 38.7% now); the low water mark was 38.7% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Stirling
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 13.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Stirling in May 2026 had waited 19.6 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 Stirling
- 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 FK8 2HF, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Stirling is one of the DVSA's car test sites in Scotland, located in Stirling at FK8 2DD. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 59.1K tests over 2017-18-2024-25 is large enough that any rounding you see between sites is just rounding, not disagreement on the underlying data.
Stirling is not where the easier car tests happen. The 38.7% pass rate sits 10 points below the UK average of 48.7%, putting the centre #313 of 323 nationally. First-attempt figure: 37.8%. UK first-attempt average: 49%. Stirling runs 11.2 points behind, candidates who succeed here on the first try are usually the ones who've practised the local road mix.
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 Stirling
- A lower pass rate at Stirling usually means specific local junctions or road types that catch out candidates trained elsewhere. Book local-area familiarisation lessons with an instructor who works this centre, not one who covers a different patch.
- 37.8% first-time pass at Stirling means roughly 6 in ten first-timers fail and rebook. Plan for that possibility: keep your insurance going, don't return the L-plates after the test.
- Stirling is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- Ask any instructor working Stirling 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 Stirling, 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 Stirling
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Stirling, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode FK8 2DD) shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 10 to 14 weeks at moderate 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 Grangemouth is fully booked, Stirling is the next closest centre, roughly 11 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 works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. 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 38.7% of candidates at Stirling meet under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Stirling?
Is Stirling an easy or hard test centre?
How does Stirling compare to the UK average?
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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.