UK Driving Test Faults 2026: 15-Minor Limit Explained

#How many minors can you have on a driving test?

You can have 15 driving faults (minors) at most and still pass, with zero serious and zero dangerous faults. The 16th minor is an automatic fail, and a single serious or dangerous fault ends the test on its own no matter how few minors sit alongside it. Most learners who pass record four to eight minors, not the full 15.

The DVSA marks every fault into one of three tiers, and the tier decides the result. The major fault categories examiners record on the report are:

• 1. Junctions: observation, turning right, turning left, and cutting the corner
• 2. Use of mirrors: before changing speed or direction, and before signalling
• 3. Moving off: safely (mirrors and blind spot) and under control
• 4. Response to signs and signals: stop lines, traffic lights, speed limits, road markings
• 5. Use of speed and maintaining progress: too fast for conditions, or undue hesitation
• 6. Positioning and lane discipline during normal driving
• 7. Pedestrian crossings: failing to give way to someone on the crossing
• 8. Manoeuvres: reverse bay park, parallel park, forward bay park, pull up on the right
• 9. Control: steering, clutch, gears, footbrake, and parking brake
• 10. Judgement: overtaking, meeting oncoming traffic, and crossing traffic

A serious fault in any one of those categories is an instant fail. The sections below break down each tier, what the examiner marks, the most common minors and seriouses, and where the habitual-fault rule turns a healthy sheet into a fail.

#What are the three driving test fault categories?

DVSA examiners record faults in three tiers. Each is marked on the standard test report with a clear definition. The category, not the action itself, determines the result.

#What does a driving fault (minor) look like in practice?

You can have up to 15 minors (driving faults) on a UK driving test and still pass. The 16th minor is an automatic fail. The official DVSA term is "driving fault"; "minor" is the common name learners and instructors use. Most passes use far fewer than 15: the typical learner who passes records 4 to 8 minors, not the full budget.

A driving fault is something that could become serious if repeated, but on its own does not endanger anyone or block traffic. The examiner ticks one box per fault on the test report. Twenty common minors include:

• A late mirror check before changing lane
• Slightly hesitant pulling away at a quiet junction
• A clipped kerb on a bay-park manoeuvre
• Hovering over the brake during a smooth approach
• Coasting briefly with the clutch down on a slow bend
• Drifting wide on a normal left turn
• Looking at the speedometer too long on a country road
• A small steering correction mid-lane
• Approaching a roundabout in fourth gear instead of third
• Selecting third instead of second for a slow junction
• Braking slightly later than ideal at a give-way
• Forgetting the handbrake at a long red light
• Indicating slightly late before a planned turn
• Indicating when nobody is around to see it (unnecessary signal)
• Stopping just over the white line at a stop sign
• A small misjudgement on lane discipline at a wide roundabout
• Reading a road sign late and reacting slightly slowly
• A jerky bite-point release pulling away on a flat road
• Pausing at a clear give-way longer than needed
• A minor positioning drift on a country lane with no traffic

Repeated minors of the same type can be upgraded to a single serious fault. Three or four mirror-check minors in the same test, for example, may push the examiner to mark a serious for "habitual" fault. That is why the typical pass count sits well under the 15 ceiling.

#What is a major fault and what counts as a serious fault?

A major fault and a serious fault mean the same thing on a UK driving test. The DVSA marking sheet uses the word "serious" and writes an "S" in the box. Learners and instructors often say "major". One serious fault ends the test as a fail, regardless of how few minor faults you have. Fifteen examples of typical serious faults:

• Pulling out at a junction without checking properly for oncoming traffic
• Crossing a stop line without stopping fully
• Stalling on a busy roundabout and blocking the next car
• Major lane positioning errors that force another driver to brake or swerve
• Driving through a red traffic light
• Failing to give way at a junction marked with sharks-teeth
• Mounting the kerb during a manoeuvre or normal driving
• Not responding to a no-entry sign or one-way arrow
• Driving in a bus lane during its enforcement hours
• Hesitating so long at a junction that you cause another driver to brake
• Approaching a pedestrian crossing too fast and stopping too late
• Failing to check blind spots before pulling away from the kerb
• Pulling into a parking bay with most of the car over the lines
• Reversing without an effective rear observation routine
• Driving at an unsafe speed for the road conditions, even within the limit

A serious fault does not always need examiner intervention. The examiner can mark it silently and the test continues. Many learners only know they failed when they read the debrief at the end.

#What counts as a dangerous fault?

A dangerous fault is one that actually causes danger to the examiner, you, the public, or property. It usually involves the examiner intervening with the dual controls or verbal commands. One dangerous fault is an instant fail. Ten examples that examiners regularly record as dangerous:

• Driving onto the wrong side of the road and continuing
• Pulling out into the path of an oncoming vehicle that has to brake hard
• Driving through a red light into cross traffic
• Failing to stop at a pedestrian crossing while a person is on it
• Steering into a parked car or a stationary obstacle
• Examiner using the dual brake to avoid a collision
• Examiner grabbing the steering wheel to prevent a crash
• Driving the wrong way around a roundabout
• Crossing solid white lines into oncoming traffic to overtake
• Driving into a no-entry road in the wrong direction

#What is a driving fault (minor) on the UK driving test?

A driving fault is the formal DVSA name. "Minor" is the everyday word learners and instructors use. Both refer to the same thing: a fault that is not currently dangerous, but could become so if repeated. The 15-minor ceiling is the budget; the 16th minor is a fail. Three or four minors of the same type in the same test can also push the examiner to convert them into a serious fault under the habitual rule. Drilling consistency, not perfection, is what most passes need.

#When do repeated minor faults become a serious fault?

If you make the same minor fault three or four times during the test, the examiner can upgrade it to a serious fault under the "habitual" rule. A learner with 12 separate minor faults can pass; a learner with 3 of the same minor fault may fail.

#Is the 15-fault budget on a UK driving test a myth?

Many learners believe they have a budget of 15 minors to spend. In practice, the typical pass has 4 to 8 minors. Anything above 10 suggests inconsistency, and the chance of a serious fault rises with the minor-fault count.

#How do you read your UK driving test report?

After the test, the examiner gives you the marking sheet. Driving faults appear as ticks in the relevant box, serious faults as an "S", dangerous as a "D". Each fault category corresponds to a numbered area such as "Junctions: observation" or "Use of mirrors: signal". Reading this honestly is the start of preparing for a retake.

#How many serious faults does it take to fail the test?

One. A single serious fault (what most learners and instructors call a "major fault") ends the test as a fail, regardless of how few minor faults you have recorded. There is no allowance for a partial pass. If the examiner marks an "S" on the report, the test is over for that attempt. The same applies to dangerous faults: one is an instant fail. You can accumulate 15 minors and still pass; you cannot accumulate one serious fault and pass.

#What happens immediately after you get a serious fault?

When a serious fault is recorded, the test continues in full. Examiners rarely say anything at the moment of the fault; most learners do not know they have failed until the debrief at the end. You complete the rest of the drive, return to the test centre, and only then does the examiner explain the result and hand over the marking sheet.

You receive the DL25 test report. Driving faults appear as ticks, serious faults as an "S", and dangerous faults as a "D". Each box corresponds to a DVSA fault category. The examiner walks through the main issues in a short debrief. You are entitled to keep the sheet: photograph both sides immediately because the print can fade. The driving test retake guide covers how to use the fault sheet as a revision tool before your next attempt.

#Sources and further reading

The figures, fees, and procedures referenced in this article are verifiable on the official gov.uk pages below. PassRates.uk is built on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s open data, published under the Open Government Licence.

• Driving test (gov.uk)
• If you fail your driving test (gov.uk)
• Change or cancel your driving test (gov.uk)
• Driving test manoeuvres (gov.uk)
• Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (gov.uk)
• Open Government Licence v3.0 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)