Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test in Great Britain

hanlonlamb
Dec 29, 2025
3 min read

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/top-10-reasons-for-failing-the-driving-test/top-10-reasons-for-failing-the-driving-test-in-great-britain In the next few blogs, we will explore the Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test in Great Britain. The contents of which can be found directly from the link above on the Gov.UK website, details of which are also reposted below for your ease of reading. Introduction

This guide:

explains the top 10 reasons people fail the car driving test in Great Britain
gives examples of the types of mistakes that count for each reason

These were the top 10 reasons between April 2024 and March 2025.

How to use this guide

You need to be a good driver to pass the driving test. If you regularly make any of the mistakes explained in this guide during your driving lessons or private practice, you’re not ready to take your driving test.

Use the examples with your driving instructor and supervising driver to help identify any areas where you still need to develop your knowledge, skills and understanding.

There are 27 skills in total that you need to learn to become a safe driver and pass your driving test. These 27 skills have been posted in our earlier blogs for your ease of reading.

1. Not making effective observations at junctions

What you must be able to do

You must always:

make effective observations before moving into a new road
make sure it is safe before proceeding

Any mistakes you make in this area will be counted under the ‘Junctions - Observations’ fault on your driving test result.

These are some examples of mistakes that would count towards this fault.

Failing to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle

When you turn either left or right from a minor road, you make observations but fail to judge the speed of the approaching vehicle. You move off, forcing the vehicle to slow significantly.

Entering a roundabout with a vehicle approaching from the right

When you approach a roundabout, there’s a vehicle approaching from the right. You still enter the roundabout, causing the vehicle approaching to slow down.

Making no effective observations at all

When you emerge from a junction, you make no effective observations at all. This causes:

a vehicle approaching from either the left or right to do an emergency stop to avoid hitting you
the driving examiner to use the dual controls to brake

Making no observations when joining a dual carriageway from a slip road

When you’re on a slip road to join a dual carriageway, you enter the dual carriageway without making any observations, or you do not give way to the traffic on the main carriageway.

Going straight ahead at a crossroads

When you approach a crossroads, you do not recognise that it’s a junction. You emerge and cross the crossroads without making any observations to the right or left.

Looking too late

When you emerge from a junction, you look too late (either left or right) for the observations to be effective, as you’re already partly into the next road.

Repeatedly not looking left when turning left

Throughout the test, when you turn left from a minor road into a busier road, you do not make any effective observations to the left. This means you’re unaware of any parked vehicles, obstructions or other possible hazards.