Scotland · DVSA car test centre
Ballater driving test centre
The Lecture Room, Ballater Fire Station, Anderson Road, Ballater, AB35 5QW
Tests here: car.
Waiting times to September 2026 and pass rates for 2025–26, from DVSA statistics published .
Median wait, September 2026
20.9 weeks
no change on a year ago
Pass rate, 2025–26
–
Not published
Wait rank in Great Britain
277 of 314
1 = shortest wait; 53rd of 74 Scotland
Weeks to 10% of slots free
–
GB 19.7 weeks
People who took a car test at Ballater in September 2026 had booked it a median of 20.9 weeks earlier: 9.3 weeks longer than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 5.8 weeks longer than the Scotland figure (15.1 weeks). That's about where it was in September 2025 (20.9 weeks). Over the last 12 months it ranged from 13.6 weeks to 20.9 weeks.
Waiting time over the last two years
Median weeks between booking a test and taking it, for tests taken each month.
- Ballater
- Scotland
- Great Britain
Show these figures as a table
| Month | Ballater | Scotland | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 20.9 | 15.1 | 11.6 |
| August 2026 | 15.7 | 16.0 | 11.1 |
| July 2026 | 15.7 | 15.6 | 11.1 |
| June 2026 | 15.1 | 14.4 | 10.7 |
| May 2026 | 16.4 | 13.6 | 9.7 |
| April 2026 | 16.4 | 13.0 | 9.1 |
| March 2026 | 14.9 | 14.7 | 9.0 |
| February 2026 | 13.6 | 14.9 | 10.4 |
| January 2026 | 19.1 | 15.0 | 10.1 |
| December 2025 | 20.7 | 13.3 | 10.1 |
| November 2025 | 14.1 | 13.7 | 10.4 |
| October 2025 | 17.3 | 14.4 | 11.6 |
| September 2025 | 20.9 | 15.0 | 12.4 |
| August 2025 | 19.1 | 13.7 | 11.7 |
| July 2025 | 9.8 | 13.6 | 12.0 |
| June 2025 | 19.4 | 12.9 | 11.0 |
| May 2025 | 15.3 | 13.1 | 11.3 |
| April 2025 | 17.6 | 11.9 | 10.6 |
| March 2025 | 7.1 | 11.3 | 10.4 |
| February 2025 | 18.3 | 12.0 | 11.4 |
| January 2025 | 16.8 | 11.1 | 11.0 |
| December 2024 | 4.3 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| November 2024 | 15.0 | 9.6 | 9.9 |
| October 2024 | 17.2 | 8.9 | 9.7 |
How far ahead people booked
Of tests taken at Ballater in September 2026, 0.0% had been booked within 7 weeks and 50.0% more than 21 weeks before.
- Within 7 weeks
- 7 to 14 weeks
- 14 to 21 weeks
- Over 21 weeks
At Ballater, 0.0% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 50.0% more than 21 weeks ahead.
Show these figures as a table
| Within 7 weeks | 7 to 14 weeks | 14 to 21 weeks | Over 21 weeks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballater | 0.0% | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% |
| Scotland | 32.2% | 14.8% | 17.0% | 36.0% |
| Great Britain | 41.1% | 14.2% | 15.2% | 29.5% |
If your test is booked here
Since 9 June 2026 a car test can only be moved to one of the three centres DVSA lists as nearest by road (or back to the centre where you first booked), and you get two changes in total. For a test booked at Ballater, those three are below. Of the three, Aberdeen South (Cove) (9.1 weeks), Inverurie (12.4 weeks) and Huntly (15.6 weeks) had median waits at least a week shorter than Ballater in September 2026.
| Centre | Driving distance (DVSA) | Median wait | vs Ballater | Pass rate 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntlyabout 37 miles by road | about 37 mi | 15.6 weeks | −5.3 wk | 63.7% |
| Inverurieabout 40 miles by road | about 40 mi | 12.4 weeks | −8.5 wk | 61.9% |
| Aberdeen South (Cove)about 46 miles by road | about 46 mi | 9.1 weeks | −11.8 wk | 52.4% |
From DVSA's list of centres you can move your test to, which it says may change. The change service shows your actual options.
Pass rates
DVSA hasn't published pass rates for Ballater for 2025–26.
- Ballater
- Great Britain average
-
First attempts84.8%34.3 points above Great Britain (50.5%)
-
First attempt with zero faults3.6%about the same as Great Britain (2.9%)
-
17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres84.1%20.5 points above Great Britain (63.6%)
Show these figures as a table
| Measure | Ballater | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| First attempts | 84.8% | 50.5% |
| First attempt with zero faults | 3.6% | 2.9% |
| 17-year-olds | 84.1% | 63.6% |
Pass rate by year
- Ballater
- Great Britain
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Ballater | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | 77.4% | 45.9% |
| 2020–21 | – | 49.8% |
| 2021–22 | 84.8% | 48.9% |
| 2022–23 | 72.7% | 48.4% |
| 2023–24 | 68.3% | 47.9% |
| 2024–25 | 77.1% | 48.7% |
| 2025–26 | – | 50.0% |
Years run April to March; ’20 is 2020–21.
Tests cancelled by DVSA
In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 6 tests at Ballater (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was weather and other acts of nature (6). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.
The nearest theory test centre
The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Ballater (Beaton Craigie Room, The Victoria & Albert Halls, Station Square, AB35 5QB), 0.3 mi away. In 2025–26, 56.5% of its 46 car theory tests were passes, 11.7 points above the Great Britain rate (44.8%). You can sit the theory test at any centre.
Nearby centres
The nearest centre with a shorter wait is Grantown-On-Spey, 29 mi away, at 18.9 weeks. You can book a new test at any centre in Great Britain, but once it's booked a car test can only be moved to the three centres DVSA names for that centre. Distances here are straight-line.
| Centre | 24 months | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forfar | 28 mi | 28.2 weeks | 60.3% | |
| Grantown-On-Spey | 29 mi | 18.9 weeks | 56.9% | |
| Huntly | 29 mi | 15.6 weeks | 63.7% | |
| Inverurie | 30 mi | 12.4 weeks | 61.9% | |
| Montrose | 32 mi | 18.9 weeks | 70.0% | |
| Pitlochry | 35 mi | 19.9 weeks | 73.3% | |
| Aberdeen South (Cove) | 35 mi | 9.1 weeks | 52.4% | |
| Aberdeen North | 36 mi | 16.5 weeks | 48.2% |
- This centre
- Shorter wait
- Other nearby
Reading these figures
- The waiting time is a median for tests taken that month: half of candidates booked closer to their test date, half further ahead. It is not the earliest date you could book today, which can be sooner when tests are cancelled or extra ones are added.
- DVSA marks figures from April 2025 onwards as provisional; they can be revised at the quarterly update.
- DVSA publishes no pass rate for Ballater for 2025–26. It removes centres where only one examiner conducted tests, and new centres appear only after a full year.
- Pass rates are published once a year; the latest cover April 2025 to March 2026. Waiting times are monthly, to September 2026.
- The figures cover DVSA car tests only, not tests run by delegated examiners (such as some fleet and emergency service tests).
To book or move a test, use the official services: book your driving test or change your driving test on GOV.UK. DVSA explains when new tests are released. We have no link with DVSA and no access to its booking system.
Sources
DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: cars: tables DRT122F (waiting times), DRT121G (regional and national), DRT122A to DRT122E (pass rates), DRT122B (cancellations) and DRT112A (theory tests). Address and coordinates from GOV.UK's Find a driving test centre. Open Government Licence v3.0. Checked 3 November 2026.