Alness driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Alness's pass rate has been above Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Unit 22 Fyrish Way, Teaninich Industrial Estate, Alness, IV17 0PJ. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 63%, compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3 months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 14 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? Inverness Longman Drive is the closest, 25 minutes away. Its pass rate is 46% and its typical wait about 1½ months.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3½ months, up from about 2½ months in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 2 months.
| Year | Alness | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 3 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
2019 starts in May and 2026 runs to September.
See how waits have changed across Britain in our report on driving test waiting times.
Other test centres nearby
Inverness Longman Drive is the only other centre within half an hour's drive. Its pass rate is lower than Alness's, and its wait shorter.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Inverness (Longman Drive) 20 miles by road | 25 minutes | 45.8% | 47.2% | 39.7% | 1½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Alness's pass rate was 63%, compared with 50% across Great Britain.
13% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain. That's 98 automatic tests, too few to give a reliable automatic pass rate.
Women had a higher pass rate than men here: 64%, compared with 63%. Across Great Britain it was the other way round: men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 783 | 63.1% | - | - | 15th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 865 | 63.0% | - | - | 13th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 877 | 61.6% | 63.5% | 50.0% | 11th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 898 | 62.0% | - | - | 9th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 1,008 | 61.4% | - | - | 24th of 280 |
Each year runs from April to March.
Compare every centre in our report on driving test pass rates.
Before your test
In the weeks before your test, ask your instructor to take you round the roads near the centre, and practise the faults learners make most often.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Alness?
There were only 98 tests in automatic cars here in the 12 months to March 2026: too few for the pass rate to mean much.
How can I get a test sooner at Alness?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Inverness Longman Drive, 25 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1½ months.
How busy is Alness test centre?
It ran 783 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 51 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Alness to another centre?
Yes. You can move it to any centre with a free date, on gov.uk. Before you do, check your instructor can take you there, and bear in mind it's harder to pass on roads you don't know. The closest other centre is Inverness Longman Drive, about 25 minutes away by road.
Figures from DVSA: pass rates for the 12 months to March 2026, waits for September 2026, published 14 October 2026. Driving times by road, from OpenRouteService. How we worked these out.