Rothesay Practical Driving Test Centre

Listed as active

Information checked 13 July 2026

Centre details

Run by
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

Before you travel

Listed in the official practical test-centre dataset at the snapshot time. This directory status is not real-time opening-hours confirmation. Check the official office page for same-day changes before travelling.

Tests available

Practical test

Available here

You can take your practical test at this location.

Test types: car

Practical test · Official requirements

Rothesay driving test centre guide

Rothesay follows the standard DVSA car-test format. Build reliable observation, speed, positioning, and independent-driving habits across a varied road mix instead of trying to predict the route.

Before test day

Plan the arrival before test day

The published address is C/O Dept. of Employment, 9 King Street, Rothesay, PA20 0DG. Check the map, your booking confirmation, and any reporting instructions before you travel; this listing does not assume that candidate parking is available.

Local access, parking, and reception arrangements can change. Follow current signs and official appointment instructions when you arrive.

Useful skills and road types to practise

Treat these as preparation themes, not published test routes. Change the direction, timing, and traffic conditions with your instructor so you practise reading the road.

Vehicle control

Make moving off, stopping, steering, speed changes, and safe clearance feel routine enough that your attention stays on the road around you.

Junction observations

Vary the junctions and roundabouts you practise. Look early, judge gaps without pressure, and choose the correct lane before the decision becomes rushed.

Independent decisions

Follow signs or sat-nav directions while continuing safely. If you miss a turn, respond to the road in front of you instead of making a sudden correction.

A complete road mix

Practise residential, urban, rural, and higher-speed roads that are appropriate locally. The aim is adaptable driving, not predicting a route.

What happens on the day

  1. 01

    Eyesight and safety question

    Read a number plate from 20 metres away (or 20.5 metres for an old-style plate), then answer a “tell me” vehicle-safety question before driving.

  2. 02

    Around 35 minutes of driving

    GOV.UK says the driving portion lasts around 35 minutes. You drive in varied road and traffic conditions while the examiner assesses observation, control, and safe decisions.

  3. 03

    Independent driving

    Follow a sat nav, traffic signs, or both for 20 to 35 minutes. A wrong turn is not a fault if you continue safely.

  4. 04

    Reversing and vehicle safety

    Complete one reversing exercise and answer a “show me” question while driving. You might also be asked for an emergency stop.

Routes change. Good decisions travel.

DVSA does not publish real driving-test routes. If you take a wrong turn during independent driving, the examiner helps you get back on route; the turn itself is not marked as a fault. Use local practice to build adaptable habits, not to learn a script.

Test-day checklist

  • Bring your physical UK driving licence and your theory test pass certificate if you have it.

  • Use a suitable car—most learners use their instructor’s—and check the DVSA rules if you bring your own.

  • Recheck the appointment time, published address, route to the centre, and any instructions in your confirmation.

  • Allow for normal travel disruption while following any centre-specific arrival time in your booking confirmation.

Official guidance: what happens during the car test, what to take to a car test, book or manage a practical test and driving-test faults and results. Always recheck the official requirements before the appointment.

Pass rate at this centre

DVSA recorded 125 car driving tests at Rothesay in 2025/26, of which 65 passed — a 52.0% pass rate, 2 points above the 50.0% national average. That is 159th of 317 car test centres in Great Britain.

Pass rate

52.0%

+2vs national

Tests conducted

125

Tests passed

65

National rank

159th

of 317

Among the 6 nearest driving test centres with published figures, Dunoon has the highest pass rate at 71.5% and Greenock the lowest at 41.7%. 4 of those 6 pass more candidates than Rothesay.

Source: DVSA table DRT122A, financial year 2025/26. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Waiting time and appointment availability

DVSA reports a median wait of 13.4 weeks for a car driving test at Rothesay, 9 weeks longer than a year earlier. 0 of 60 appointment slots in the current booking window are still open. Figures are for June 2026.

Median wait

13.4 wks

+9 wksvs last year

Slots still open

0

0% of capacity

Booked slots

60

First availability

24 wks

until 10% free

12-month waiting-time trend

July 2025 to June 2026

Median wait in weeks

Latest
13.4 wks

Jun

Peak
22.8 wks

Oct

Lowest
6.9 wks

Aug

Ranged from 6.9 to 22.8 weeks over the period. Each point is the DVSA-published monthly median, not a live appointment quote.

The longest wait for a driving test at Rothesay in this period was 22.8 weeks in October 2025, and the shortest was 6.9 weeks in August 2025. DVSA measures this as the median wait across appointments booked at the test centre, so it moves as examiner capacity and demand change.

Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published 2026-07-08.

Accessibility and arrival information

Before you arrive

You can access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.

Where you take the theory test

Rothesay does not run that test. The nearest theory test centre is a separate site of the same name, 0.2 miles away.

Rothesay

0.2 miles away

Other theory test centres nearby

Nearest alternative practical test centres

The closest is Dunoon, 9.6 miles from Rothesay; the furthest listed here is 22.4 miles. 1 of the 6 is within 10 miles.

Distances are straight-line from each centre’s published coordinates.

Common questions about this centre

What is the pass rate at Rothesay?
DVSA figures show 52.0% of car driving tests taken at Rothesay were passed — 65 passes from 125 tests. That is 2 percentage points above the 50.0% national average, ranking it 159th of 317 car test centres in Great Britain.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Rothesay?
DVSA reports a median wait of 13.4 weeks, compared with 4.4 weeks a year earlier. 0 of 60 appointment slots in the current booking window remain open.
Does DVSA publish the Rothesay driving test routes?
No. DVSA does not publish routes used for real driving tests at Rothesay or any other test centre. Practise a varied mix of suitable roads and junctions rather than memorising an unofficial route.
How long does the car driving test at Rothesay take?
GOV.UK says you drive for around 35 minutes. The test also includes an eyesight check, two vehicle-safety questions, independent driving, and one reversing exercise.
What should I bring to my Rothesay driving test?
Bring your UK driving licence, your theory test pass certificate if you have it, and a suitable car. If you use your own car, it must meet the DVSA rules for driving tests.
What tests can I take at Rothesay?
You can take practical driving tests at Rothesay.
Who runs Rothesay?
Rothesay is run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). DVSA publishes the pass-rate and waiting-time figures shown on this page.
Where do I take the theory test if I use Rothesay?
Rothesay does not run the theory test. The nearest theory test centre is a separate site of the same name, 0.2 miles away.
Which other practical test centres are near Rothesay?
The closest are Dunoon (9.6 miles), Greenock (13.7 miles), Brodick (Isle of Arran) (18.3 miles). 6 of the 6 nearest are within 25 miles.
How do I get into Rothesay?
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes this note for Rothesay: You can access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.