Islay Island

DVSA Driving Test Centre Islay Islands, Argyll and Bute Council Offices, Jamieson Street, Bowmore, Islay

Bowmore, PA43 7HL

Pass Rate
82.6%
Members
2

Test Statistics

DVSA recorded only 23 practical tests at Islay Island in this period — too few to draw a meaningful pass rate from.

Islay Island driving test pass rate and statistics

Pass Rate
82.6%
National: 48.6%
Total Tests
23
~0.1 per day
First Attempt Rate
60.9%
Avg 1.7 attempts
Dangerous Faults
0.00
0.0% of tests have any
Serious Faults
0.22
17.4% of tests have any
Minor Faults
4.78
100.0% of tests have any

Common faults at Islay Island

Most Common Fail Reasons

Progress - speed (too slow)8.7%
Common Scenarios:
  • Driving significantly below the speed limit on a clear road without a valid reason (especially if it impacts drivers behind or causes them to overtake).
  • Being hesitant to build speed on a sliproad so as to merge safely.
  • Slowing down excessively for minor hazards, such as slight bends.
  • Losing speed due to improper gear selection on a hill.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes that cross both 20 mph residential zones and regular 30 mph roads - learners may 'hedge' their bets by driving at 20 until they are sure the limit is 30.
  • Rural national speed limit roads.
  • Fast roads with hills and bends, requiring frequent gear changes to maintain progress.
  • Short sliproads necessitating confident acceleration.
Parallel park - control8.7%
Common Scenarios:
  • Inability to control the vehicle whilst reversing.
  • Touching the curb or driving over the pavement.
  • Needing to reposition the car and reattempt the maneuvre multiple times.
  • Finishing too far from the curb or the car in front.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes where the parallel park is performed on roads with a steep road camber, an uneven road surface or less space.
Parallel park - observation4.3%
Common Scenarios:
  • Not completing 360° observations whilst reversing.
  • Staring at mirrors and not periodically observing all around.
  • Being unaware of pedestrians and other road users.
  • Getting too close to parked cars and other obstacles when maneuvring.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes where the parallel park is performed on busier roads with more hazards.

Most Common Minor Faults

Progress - speed (too slow)0.61
Common Scenarios:
  • Driving significantly below the speed limit on a clear road without a valid reason (especially if it impacts drivers behind or causes them to overtake).
  • Being hesitant to build speed on a sliproad so as to merge safely.
  • Slowing down excessively for minor hazards, such as slight bends.
  • Losing speed due to improper gear selection on a hill.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes that cross both 20 mph residential zones and regular 30 mph roads - learners may 'hedge' their bets by driving at 20 until they are sure the limit is 30.
  • Rural national speed limit roads.
  • Fast roads with hills and bends, requiring frequent gear changes to maintain progress.
  • Short sliproads necessitating confident acceleration.
Control - steering0.52
Common Scenarios:
  • Steering too much, too little, too early or too late.
  • Mounting the curb when steering out of a junction.
  • Briefly driving on the wrong side of the road when turning through a junction.
Why More Common Here:
  • Tight junctions and narrow roads.
  • Sharp left or right turns on test routes.
Move off - safely0.35
Common Scenarios:
  • When parked on the road, moving off and causing oncoming traffic to brake or swerve.
  • Not checking mirrors and blindspots when moving off from a parked position.
  • Not completing all 360° observations when continuing after an emergency stop.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes involve stopping on busier roads.
  • Test routes involve stopping on bendy residential roads with restricted visibility.
Move off - control0.35
Common Scenarios:
  • Stalling from a parked position or in traffic.
  • Rolling back a considerable amount when moving off.
  • Attempting to move off when a gear is not selected.
Why More Common Here:
  • Hilly areas, especially around junctions.
  • Hilly roads with slow stop-start traffic, requiring consecutive hill starts.
Control - gears0.35
Common Scenarios:
  • Selecting a low gear at high speed, causing a sudden loss of speed and danger for vehicles behind.
  • Selecting a high gear at low speed, and possibly stalling.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes with numerous fast stretches of road, necessitating higher gears and more shifting.
Clearance / obstructions0.26
Common Scenarios:
  • Driving too close to a vehicle when passing, even though the road allows for more space.
  • Driving too close to parked vehicles or other fixed structures.
Why More Common Here:
  • Narrow roads with limited space for cars to give way to each other.
  • Awkwardly placed width restrictors.
  • High levels of traffic and/or bus routes on narrow roads.
Parallel park - control0.26
Common Scenarios:
  • Inability to control the vehicle whilst reversing.
  • Touching the curb or driving over the pavement.
  • Needing to reposition the car and reattempt the maneuvre multiple times.
  • Finishing too far from the curb or the car in front.
Why More Common Here:
  • Test routes where the parallel park is performed on roads with a steep road camber, an uneven road surface or less space.
Signals - correctly0.22
Common Scenarios:
  • Signalling left or right, but not turning.
  • Signalling right at a roundabout when you want to go ahead.
  • Signalling left at a roundabout when you are not intending to take the first exit.
  • Failing to cancel a signal after turning.
  • Flashing other road users to give way, contrary to the Highway Code.
Why More Common Here:
  • Main roads with many junctions and driveways with little space between them.
  • Roundabouts with more than four exits and/or confusing signs.
  • Roundabouts whose signs contradict the actual road geometry, making the 12 o'clock rule difficult to follow.
Progress - undue hesitation0.22
Common Scenarios:
  • Not emerging from a junction when it is safe to do so.
  • Waiting unnecessarily for another road user to pass who has clearly given way to you.
  • Failing to maintain momentum when joining a clear roundabout.
  • Ignoring shields and exit signals on mini-roundabouts and therefore missing many opportunities to proceed.
Why More Common Here:
  • Areas and times with fast, flowing traffic and non-obvious gaps.
  • Busy mini-roundabouts.
  • Test routes with stops along busy main roads.
Control - Footbrake0.17
Common Scenarios:
  • Pressing the footbrake too hard when unnecessary.
  • Pressing the footbrake too softly to slow down for a hazard.

Manoeuvres tested at Islay Island

Parallel parkTested 52.2% of the time
Pass Rate
75.0%
Fail Rate
16.7%
Reverse rightTested 43.5% of the time
Pass Rate
90.0%
Fail Rate
0.0%
Emergency stopTested 21.7% of the time
Pass Rate
100.0%
Fail Rate
0.0%
Reverse bay parkTested 4.3% of the time
Pass Rate
100.0%
Fail Rate
0.0%
Forward bay parkTested 0.0% of the time
Pass Rate
100.0%
Fail Rate
0.0%

Best times to book at Islay Island

Mon-Fri
08:00-09:00
Pass Rate
100.0%
~0.0 tests/day
Mon-Fri
09:00-10:00
Pass Rate
100.0%
~0.0 tests/day
Mon-Fri
15:00-16:00
Pass Rate
100.0%
~0.0 tests/day
Mon-Fri
All times
Pass Rate
82.6%
~0.1 tests/day
Mon-Fri
11:00-12:00
Pass Rate
75.0%
~0.0 tests/day
Mon-Fri
13:00-14:00
Pass Rate
75.0%
~0.0 tests/day
Mon-Fri
14:00-15:00
Pass Rate
75.0%
~0.0 tests/day
Mon-Fri
10:00-11:00
Pass Rate
66.7%
~0.0 tests/day

Community Posts

Loading posts...

Centres you can move a Islay Island test to

DVSA only lets you swap to one of your three nearest test centres. These are the ones that qualify for Islay Island.

Get browser tips, swap updates & news