Test Centre Stats

Scotland · DVSA car test centre

Orkney driving test centre

The Kirkwall Auction Mart, Hatston Industrial Estate, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1FL

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

11 weeks

+0.9 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

55.9%

+5.9 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

129 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 18th of 74 Scotland

Weeks to 10% of slots free

–

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Orkney in September 2026 had booked it a median of 11 weeks earlier: 0.6 weeks shorter than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 4.1 weeks shorter than the Scotland figure (15.1 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 10.1 weeks, so the wait has grown by 0.9 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 3.3 weeks to 19.4 weeks.

Waiting time over the last two years

Median weeks between booking a test and taking it, for tests taken each month.

  • Orkney
  • Scotland
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Orkney, October 2024 to September 2026Orkney: 11 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.0510152025Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 2611.0Weeks0510152025Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 2611.0Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Orkney, October 2024 to September 2026
MonthOrkneyScotlandGreat Britain
September 202611.015.111.6
August 20266.916.011.1
July 20266.915.611.1
June 20266.714.410.7
May 20267.613.69.7
April 20269.113.09.1
March 202619.414.79.0
February 202614.914.910.4
January 20263.315.010.1
December 20256.213.310.1
November 20256.013.710.4
October 20257.014.411.6
September 202510.115.012.4
August 20259.413.711.7
July 202510.013.612.0
June 20258.912.911.0
May 20255.913.111.3
April 20259.311.910.6
March 20258.311.310.4
February 20258.712.011.4
January 20254.611.111.0
December 202410.010.010.4
November 20247.79.69.9
October 20249.68.99.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Orkney in September 2026, 32.1% 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
Orkney
Scotland
Great Britain

At Orkney, 32.1% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 0.0% more than 21 weeks ahead.

Show these figures as a table
How far ahead tests taken in September 2026 were booked
Within 7 weeks7 to 14 weeks14 to 21 weeksOver 21 weeks
Orkney32.1%50.0%17.9%0.0%
Scotland32.2%14.8%17.0%36.0%
Great Britain41.1%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 Orkney, those three are below. All three had longer median waits than Orkney in September 2026, so moving away from here is unlikely to help.

Centres a test booked at Orkney can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs OrkneyPass rate 2025–26
Thursoabout 51 miles by roadabout 51 mi14.5 weeks+3.5 wk63.0%
Wickabout 52 miles by roadabout 52 mi13.1 weeks+2.1 wk59.4%
Golspieabout 104 miles by roadabout 104 mi18.9 weeks+7.9 wk71.0%

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), 320 car tests were taken here and 55.9% passed, 5.9 points above the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 66.0%, so the rate fell by 10.1 points. First attempts did worse: 51.3% of 197 first-time candidates passed, and 2.0% did it with no faults at all.

  • Orkney
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    55.9%5.9 points above Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    51.3%about the same as Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    2.0%about the same as Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    59.0%8.2 points above Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    52.8%3.7 points above Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    67.3%3.7 points above Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars9% of tests here were in automatics
    40.0%4.6 points below Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Orkney compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasureOrkneyGreat Britain
All tests55.9%50.0%
First attempts51.3%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults2.0%2.9%
Men59.0%50.8%
Women52.8%49.1%
17-year-olds67.3%63.6%
Automatic cars40.0%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Orkney
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Orkney by financial yearPass rate at Orkney in 2025–26: 55.9%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Orkney, 2019–20: 68.5%68Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Orkney, 2020–21: 71.6%72Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Orkney, 2021–22: 67.6%68Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Orkney, 2022–23: 60.9%61Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Orkney, 2023–24: 60.6%61Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Orkney, 2024–25: 66.0%66Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Orkney, 2025–26: 55.9%56Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Orkney, 2019–20: 68.5%68Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Orkney, 2020–21: 71.6%72Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Orkney, 2021–22: 67.6%68Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Orkney, 2022–23: 60.9%61Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Orkney, 2023–24: 60.6%61Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Orkney, 2024–25: 66.0%66Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Orkney, 2025–26: 55.9%56Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Orkney by financial year
YearOrkneyGreat Britain
2019–2068.5%45.9%
2020–2171.6%49.8%
2021–2267.6%48.9%
2022–2360.9%48.4%
2023–2460.6%47.9%
2024–2566.0%48.7%
2025–2655.9%50.0%

Years run April to March; ’20 is 2020–21.

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 31 tests at Orkney, about 96.9 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was weather and other acts of nature (20). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Weather and other acts of nature20
  • Examiner leave11

The nearest theory test centre

The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Kirkwall (The Pickaquoy Centre (Sports, Arts, Leisure, Conference Facility), Muddisdale Road, KW15 1LR), 0.6 mi away. In 2025–26, 45.7% of its 551 car theory tests were passes, close to the Great Britain rate (44.8%). You can sit the theory test at any centre.

Nearby centres

None of the 2 nearest centres had a wait at least a week shorter than Orkney in September 2026. Within the same list, Wick (38 mi) had a pass rate of 59.4%. 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.

Centres near Orkney, with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
Thurso34 mi14.5 weeks63.0%
WickHigher pass rate38 mi13.1 weeks59.4%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Thurso: 14.5 weeksWick: 13.1 weeksOrkneyOrkney

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.
  • With 320 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.