Barra driving test centre
The Pier, Castlebay, Isle of Barra, HS9 5XD
Drive the 5 routes around Barra before test day →
Key facts
- Barra's pass rate was 60% in 2024/25 from 10 tests, 10 points above the national average of 50.0%.
- On waiting times, learners who took a test in July 2026 had waited a median of 11.1 weeks since booking; the first week with 10% or more of slots still free was 24 weeks ahead.
- A year earlier (July 2025) the median wait was 14.3 weeks, so waits have shortened by about 3.2 weeks.
Barra passed 60 per cent of candidates in 2024/25, ten points above the national average, from ten tests in the whole year — far too few to plan around. The waiting time is the more useful figure: a median of 11.1 weeks for tests taken in July 2026, down from 14.3 a year earlier and just under the national median of 11.9. The driving is mostly at 30 mph, which covers 59 per cent of the distance on the practice loops on this page, with 36 per cent at 60 on the A888. One give-way junction, no traffic signals and no roundabouts of any kind across 39.2 kilometres.
Drive the Barra test routes before test day
5 loops from the centre, 39 km in all, with 0 roundabouts and 65 marked turns. Generated from the road network within 2.5 km of Barra; not DVSA’s own routes, but the same roads.
Drive it before test day
Drive all 5 loops around Barra from your phone before you ever sit in the car: every roundabout, every junction, in the order you will meet them.
- 5 routes · 39 km · 65 marked turns
- Examiner-style marking on signalling and observation
- Street View tour of each route
- Every roundabout and junction, in the order you'll meet them
- The four test manoeuvres and eight roundabout scenarios, included
One payment, no renewal. Or £9.99 a month with a 3-day free trial. Cancel any time.
Everything else on PassRank, every centre, its pass rate, its waiting time and the forum, is free and needs no account.
- Route 1 · via Nasg8.3 km loop with 10 right turns, 10 left turns and a stretch of An Gleann.8.3 km · 20 turns
- Route 2 · via Gearraidh Gadhal7.0 km loop with 6 right turns, 4 left turns and a stretch of The Square.7.0 km · 10 turns
- Route 3 · via Nasg8.0 km loop with 6 right turns, 5 left turns and a stretch of The Square.8.0 km · 11 turns
- Route 4 · via Rathad Naomh Bhrianan6.3 km loop with 4 right turns, 9 left turns and a stretch of Rathad na Horgh.6.3 km · 13 turns
- Route 5 · via Nasg9.6 km loop with 5 right turns, 6 left turns and a stretch of An Gleann.9.6 km · 11 turns
The same access also opens the four test manoeuvres and eight roundabout scenarios: the two things a route drive cannot teach you.
Fifty-nine per cent of the distance is at 30 mph, 36 per cent at 60 and 6 per cent at 20. The A888 carries the faster driving, running out from Castlebay and back, and the rest is the slower work through the village and the townships. So the pattern is a stretch of open coastal road, a settlement, and then open road again — with the speed change signposted rather than obvious, which is exactly where marks go.
The junction furniture is almost non-existent. One give-way junction and two pieces of traffic calming across 39.2 kilometres, and that is the lot: no traffic signals, no roundabouts, no mini-roundabouts, no zebra or signalled crossings and no level crossings. Priority is judged from what you can see, and on a road that hugs the shore, what you can see changes with every headland.
One loop stands out for turning. An 8.3 kilometre loop asks for ten right turns and ten left, twice as many as anything else on the set; a 6.3 kilometre loop asks for four right and nine left, and the remaining three sit at five or six of each.
The Square, An Gleann, Leideag, Nasg, Gearraidh Gadhal, Rathad na Horgh and Rathad Naomh Bhrianan carry the named driving. There is one school in the area and no dual carriageway.
Pass rate at Barra, 2007/08 to 2024/25
Share of car tests passed each April-to-March year. Dashed line: Great Britain average for 2025/26.
Month by month, 2024/25
By year and gender
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | 10 | 60.0% | 0.0% | 60.0% |
| 2023/24 | 20 | 90.0% | 80.0% | 100.0% |
| 2022/23 | 12 | 75.0% | 87.5% | 50.0% |
| 2016/17 | 35 | 68.6% | 80.0% | 60.0% |
| 2014/15 | 16 | 81.3% | 100.0% | 70.0% |
| 2013/14 | 9 | 77.8% | – | – |
| 2012/13 | 23 | 82.6% | 76.9% | 90.0% |
| 2008/09 | 27 | 70.4% | 88.9% | 61.1% |
Scotland average 49.3% · GB 50%
Waiting time for a test at Barra
Median weeks between booking and taking the test, for tests taken each month. Dashed line: GB median for August 2026.
| Month | Median wait | Weeks to free slots | Slots offered | Still free |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 11.1 | 24 | 33 | 0% |
| Jun 2026 | 9 | 12.2 | 33 | 0% |
| May 2026 | – | 24 | – | – |
| Apr 2026 | 7.4 | 24 | 50 | 25% |
| Mar 2026 | 18.3 | 24 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Feb 2026 | – | 24 | – | – |
Tell me when the wait at Barra drops
One email when DVSA’s monthly figure falls, or goes under the number of weeks you choose. No newsletter.
Test day at Barra
Tests are conducted from The Pier at Castlebay, HS9 5XD. Car tests only. GOV.UK says DVSA will make arrangements for you at this test centre if you have a disability, so ring ahead and tell them what you need.
There is no railway on the island and parking is not published for the centre. The pier is a working one, with ferry traffic building before a sailing and clearing afterwards, so time your arrival away from that if you can and leave the car well clear of the loading lanes.
The wait is better than it was. Learners tested in July 2026 had waited a median of 11.1 weeks, down from 14.3 a year earlier and slightly under the national median of 11.9. Against that, the first week with a tenth of its slots still free was 24 weeks ahead, so the diary in front of you now is fuller than the median suggests. Take a date when one appears rather than holding out for a better one.
South Uist is 24.6 kilometres away and its last published pass rate is 55.6 per cent, but that figure is many years old and no waiting time is published for it. For most people here the practical choice is Barra, so it is worth booking well ahead of when you expect to be ready. Booking and cancelling is on GOV.UK only.
What DVSA publishes about Barra
Taken from the GOV.UK test centre finder, checked 3 September 2026. Where DVSA says nothing, this site says nothing.
- Tests conducted here
- car
- Wheelchair access
- Not published. DVSA says it will make arrangements for candidates with a disability, which is not the same as step-free access. Ring DVSA before the day rather than assuming.
Learner reports from Barra
No reports yet for this centre. If you tested here, the first one is yours to write.
What examiners mark most often
DVSA does not publish faults by centre, but it does publish them nationally. These collected the most marks across every car test in Great Britain in 2025/26, and they are the same ones you will be marked on at Barra.
- 1Junctions - observation
- 2Mirrors - change direction
- 3Junctions - turning right
- 4Response to signs - traffic lights
- 5Control - steering
- 6Move off - safely
Getting there
The Pier, CastlebayIsle of Barra HS9 5XD
Directions in Google Maps · Check centre notes on GOV.UK
Nearby centres
- South UistHS8 5TH · 25 km55.6%+5.6 vs GB–wait
Questions learners ask about Barra
- Is Barra an easy test centre?
- By the numbers, yes: 60% of car tests were passed there in 2024/25, against 50.0% nationally. Pass rates reflect the local roads and who takes tests there as much as the examiners, so treat it as a guide, not a guarantee.
- How long is the wait for a driving test at Barra?
- In July 2026 the median gap between booking and sitting a test at Barra was 11.1 weeks, and you had to look about 24 weeks ahead to find a week with at least 10% of slots free. DVSA publishes this monthly; the figure above updates when they do.
- Where is Barra driving test centre?
- Barra test centre is at The Pier, Castlebay, Isle of Barra, HS9 5XD. Arrive at least 10 minutes early with your provisional licence; parking rules vary by centre, so check the learner reports below.
- How many driving tests does Barra do a year?
- 10 car tests were conducted at Barra in 2024/25, of which 6 were passed.
Source: DVSA tables DRT122A (pass rates by centre and month) and DRT122F (waiting times and availability), Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRank adds the comparisons and rankings.
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