Scotland · DVSA car test centre
Lerwick driving test centre
Isleburgh House, King Harald Street, Lerwick, ZE1 0DJ · wheelchair accessible
Tests here: car, motorcycle module 1 (off-road), motorcycle module 2 (on-road), lorry and bus.
Waiting times to September 2026 and pass rates for 2025–26, from DVSA statistics published .
Median wait, September 2026
14.4 weeks
+0.5 wk on a year ago
Pass rate, 2025–26
67.8%
+17.8 pts vs GB 50.0%
Wait rank in Great Britain
189 of 314
1 = shortest wait; 26th of 74 Scotland
Weeks to 10% of slots free
–
GB 19.7 weeks
People who took a car test at Lerwick in September 2026 had booked it a median of 14.4 weeks earlier: 2.8 weeks longer than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 0.7 weeks shorter than the Scotland figure (15.1 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 13.9 weeks, so the wait has grown by 0.5 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 8 weeks to 23 weeks.
Waiting time over the last two years
Median weeks between booking a test and taking it, for tests taken each month.
- Lerwick
- Scotland
- Great Britain
Show these figures as a table
| Month | Lerwick | Scotland | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 14.4 | 15.1 | 11.6 |
| August 2026 | 9.1 | 16.0 | 11.1 |
| July 2026 | 9.1 | 15.6 | 11.1 |
| June 2026 | 14.1 | 14.4 | 10.7 |
| May 2026 | 8.0 | 13.6 | 9.7 |
| April 2026 | 13.2 | 13.0 | 9.1 |
| March 2026 | 14.4 | 14.7 | 9.0 |
| February 2026 | 12.8 | 14.9 | 10.4 |
| January 2026 | 23.0 | 15.0 | 10.1 |
| December 2025 | 10.7 | 13.3 | 10.1 |
| November 2025 | – | 13.7 | 10.4 |
| October 2025 | 13.7 | 14.4 | 11.6 |
| September 2025 | 13.9 | 15.0 | 12.4 |
| August 2025 | 13.4 | 13.7 | 11.7 |
| July 2025 | 12.7 | 13.6 | 12.0 |
| June 2025 | 11.6 | 12.9 | 11.0 |
| May 2025 | 13.8 | 13.1 | 11.3 |
| April 2025 | 14.0 | 11.9 | 10.6 |
| March 2025 | 13.6 | 11.3 | 10.4 |
| February 2025 | 14.4 | 12.0 | 11.4 |
| January 2025 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 11.0 |
| December 2024 | 10.6 | 10.0 | 10.4 |
| November 2024 | 7.0 | 9.6 | 9.9 |
| October 2024 | 5.4 | 8.9 | 9.7 |
How far ahead people booked
Of tests taken at Lerwick in September 2026, 18.5% had been booked within 7 weeks and 0.0% more than 21 weeks before.
- Within 7 weeks
- 7 to 14 weeks
- 14 to 21 weeks
- Over 21 weeks
At Lerwick, 18.5% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 0.0% 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lerwick | 18.5% | 29.6% | 51.9% | 0.0% |
| 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 Lerwick, those three are below. Of the three, Orkney (11 weeks) and Wick (13.1 weeks) had median waits at least a week shorter than Lerwick in September 2026.
| Centre | Driving distance (DVSA) | Median wait | vs Lerwick | Pass rate 2025–26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orkneyabout 122 miles by road | about 122 mi | 11 weeks | −3.4 wk | 55.9% |
| Thursoabout 172 miles by road | about 172 mi | 14.5 weeks | +0.1 wk | 63.0% |
| Wickabout 173 miles by road | about 173 mi | 13.1 weeks | −1.3 wk | 59.4% |
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
In 2025–26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 379 car tests were taken here and 67.8% passed, 17.8 points above the Great Britain rate (50.0%). That's close to the year before (67.8%). First attempts did better: 70.3% of 239 first-time candidates passed, and 6.3% did it with no faults at all.
- Lerwick
- Great Britain average
-
All tests67.8%17.8 points above Great Britain (50.0%)
-
First attempts70.3%19.8 points above Great Britain (50.5%)
-
First attempt with zero faults6.3%3.4 points above Great Britain (2.9%)
-
Men66.5%15.7 points above Great Britain (50.8%)
-
Women69.6%20.5 points above Great Britain (49.1%)
-
17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres75.5%11.9 points above Great Britain (63.6%)
-
Automatic cars16% of tests here were in automatics62.7%18.1 points above Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
| Measure | Lerwick | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| All tests | 67.8% | 50.0% |
| First attempts | 70.3% | 50.5% |
| First attempt with zero faults | 6.3% | 2.9% |
| Men | 66.5% | 50.8% |
| Women | 69.6% | 49.1% |
| 17-year-olds | 75.5% | 63.6% |
| Automatic cars | 62.7% | 44.6% |
Pass rate by year
- Lerwick
- Great Britain
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Lerwick | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | 64.9% | 45.9% |
| 2020–21 | 80.3% | 49.8% |
| 2021–22 | 73.3% | 48.9% |
| 2022–23 | 67.9% | 48.4% |
| 2023–24 | 66.4% | 47.9% |
| 2024–25 | 67.8% | 48.7% |
| 2025–26 | 67.8% | 50.0% |
Years run April to March; ’20 is 2020–21.
By age, 17 to 25 (2025–26)
Candidates aged 17 did best here, at 75.5%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.
Tests cancelled by DVSA
In 2024–25 DVSA cancelled 23 tests at Lerwick, about 53.2 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was weather and other acts of nature (21). 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 Lerwick (First Floor, Shetland Arts Development Agency – Mareel, Gutters Gaet, ZE1 0WQ), 0.5 mi away. In 2025–26, 52.0% of its 485 car theory tests were passes, 7.2 points above the Great Britain rate (44.8%). You can sit the theory test at any centre.
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 left out the median wait for 1 of the last 24 months at this centre (gaps in the chart), usually because too few tests were taken or the centre was closed.
- With 379 tests in a year, a handful of results moves the pass rate by several points. Treat small differences with caution.
- 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.