Stranraer driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Stranraer's pass rate has been above Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
Quick answers
- Where is it? North West Castle Hotel, Stranraer, DG9 8EH. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 71%, compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 4½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Hard to say: it ran 215 tests in the 12 months to March 2026, just under the 500 a centre needs to be in our ranking.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Newton Stewart, about a 30 minute drive away.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 4 months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
The wait here has been longer than Britain's typical wait in six of the last eight years.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 2½ months.
| Year | Stranraer | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 4 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 3 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 4 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 4½ 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
No other test centre is within half an hour's drive of Stranraer. The nearest is Newton Stewart, about a 30 minute drive away. Its pass rate is 66% and its typical wait about 4 months.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Newton Stewart 24 miles by road | 30 minutes | 65.8% | - | - | 4 months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Stranraer's pass rate was 71%, compared with 50% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 73%, compared with 70%. That's a similar gap to Great Britain's, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | 215 | 71.2% | 50.0% |
| 2024 to 2025 | 214 | 73.4% | 48.7% |
| 2023 to 2024 | 294 | 63.3% | 47.9% |
| 2022 to 2023 | 316 | 67.7% | 48.3% |
| 2021 to 2022 | 225 | 72.9% | 48.9% |
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
How can I get a test sooner at Stranraer?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Stranraer test centre?
It ran 215 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 21 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Stranraer 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 nearest other centre is Newton Stewart, about a 30 minute drive away.
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.