Stranraer Driving Test Centre
The Stranraer driving test centre is located in Stranraer, Scotland (DG9 7RT). 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
2.7K passed, 1.6K failed, 4.3K total
How Stranraer compares
Stranraer 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 Stranraer 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 Stranraer have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Stranraer typically wait around 5 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 Stranraer
- 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 DG9 8EH, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across Scotland, Stranraer is the one covering Stranraer, Dumfries and Galloway and the surrounding DG9 7RT area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Volume here sits at 4.3K 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 Stranraer is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 67.6% is 18.9 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #15 out of 323. 65.1% of first-timers pass at Stranraer, 16.1 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 Stranraer
- Stranraer 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.
- 65.1% of first-timers pass at Stranraer. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, that figure is a fair guide, the centre isn't the variable, your preparation is.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Stranraer will have a working knowledge of which routes Stranraer uses.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Stranraer, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Stranraer
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Stranraer, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode DG9 7RT) shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 5 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 Girvan is fully booked, Stranraer is the next closest centre, roughly 24 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 Stranraer. 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 67.6% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Stranraer?
Is Stranraer an easy or hard test centre?
How does Stranraer compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Stranraer each year?
Which driving test centres are near Stranraer?
When is the best time to book a test at Stranraer?
How do I book a test at Stranraer and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Stranraer?
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.