Islay Island driving test centre
Argyll and Bute Council Offices Jamieson Street, Bowmore, Isle of Islay, PA43 7HL
Drive the 5 routes around Islay Island before test day →
Key facts
- Islay Island's pass rate was 70% in 2022/23 from 40 tests, 20 points above the national average of 50.0%.
- On waiting times, the first week with 10% or more of slots still free was 24 weeks ahead.
- 87.5% of the standard slots in the booking window were still unbooked in August 2026, which usually means a cancellation or new date is realistic here.
Islay's last published pass rate is 70 per cent, from 40 tests in 2022/23 — 20 points above the national average of 50, but old enough and small enough that it is a rough guide rather than a current figure, and too small for a national ranking. What has not changed is the driving. Ninety-nine per cent of the distance on the practice loops on this page is at 30 mph, on the A846, A847, B8016 and B8017 running out from Bowmore. Four give-way junctions in 47.5 kilometres, no traffic signals, no roundabouts and no crossings of any kind. The wait is the current problem: a median of 22 weeks, against a national 11.9.
Drive the Islay Island test routes before test day
5 loops from the centre, 48 km in all, with 0 roundabouts and 60 marked turns. Generated from the road network within 2.5 km of Islay Island; not DVSA’s own routes, but the same roads.
Drive it before test day
Drive all 5 loops around Islay Island from your phone before you ever sit in the car: every roundabout, every junction, in the order you will meet them.
- 5 routes · 48 km · 60 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 Shore Street12.1 km loop with 5 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Low Road.12.1 km · 13 turns
- Route 2 · via Shore Street7.4 km loop with 6 right turns, 6 left turns and a stretch of Flora Street.7.4 km · 12 turns
- Route 3 · via Low Road8.2 km loop with 5 right turns, 5 left turns and a stretch of Shore Street.8.2 km · 10 turns
- Route 4 · via Low Road7.6 km loop with 7 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Shore Street.7.6 km · 15 turns
- Route 5 · via Shore Street12.2 km loop with 5 right turns, 5 left turns and a stretch of Low Road.12.2 km · 10 turns
The same access also opens the four test manoeuvres and eight roundabout scenarios: the two things a route drive cannot teach you.
Ninety-nine per cent of the distance is at 30 mph, with the remaining fraction slower still around the shore. There is no 60 mph section anywhere on the set, so nothing here asks you to build and hold speed on an open road. The test is instead about steadiness: keeping to 30 without drifting over it on the long straight sections out of Bowmore, and without dropping well under it when the road narrows.
The A846, A847, B8016 and B8017 carry the driving, and they behave nothing like A-roads on the mainland. Bends arrive continuously, the surface changes where the road runs close to the shore or over peat, and the view opens and closes with the ground rather than with the layout.
There is very little road furniture to work with. Four give-way junctions across 47.5 kilometres and that is the whole list — no traffic signals, no roundabouts, no mini-roundabouts, no zebra or signalled crossings, no traffic calming and no level crossings. Every priority is judged from what you can see.
The turning is light. A 12.1 kilometre loop asks for five right turns and eight left, a 7.6 kilometre loop asks for seven and eight, and the rest sit at five or six of each. Main Street, Jamieson Street, Shore Street, School Street, School Lane, Flora Street, Hawthorn Lane, Low Road, Moss Road and The Glebe carry most of the driving. There are 3 schools in the area and no dual carriageway.
Waiting time for a test at Islay Island
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | – | 24 | 13 | 87.5% |
| May 2026 | 22 | 23.3 | 0 | 80% |
| Apr 2026 | – | 24 | – | – |
| Mar 2026 | 16.3 | 24 | 13 | 37.5% |
| Feb 2026 | – | 24 | – | – |
| Jan 2026 | – | 24 | – | – |
Pass rate at Islay Island, 2007/08 to 2022/23
Share of car tests passed each April-to-March year. Dashed line: Great Britain average for 2025/26.
Month by month, 2022/23
By year and gender
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 40 | 70.0% | 82.4% | 60.9% |
| 2021/22 | 50 | 72.0% | 82.6% | 63.0% |
| 2019/20 | 59 | 74.6% | 76.0% | 73.5% |
| 2018/19 | 49 | 75.5% | 86.4% | 66.7% |
| 2017/18 | 49 | 71.4% | 76.2% | 67.9% |
| 2015/16 | 62 | 62.9% | 73.1% | 55.6% |
| 2013/14 | 57 | 64.9% | 72.0% | 59.4% |
| 2009/10 | 44 | 50.0% | 57.7% | 38.9% |
Scotland average 49.3% · GB 50%
Tell me when the wait at Islay Island drops
One email when DVSA’s monthly figure falls, or goes under the number of weeks you choose. No newsletter.
Test day at Islay Island
Tests are conducted from the Argyll and Bute Council offices on Jamieson Street in Bowmore, PA43 7HL. Car tests only. GOV.UK does not publish a wheelchair access note for this site, so ring DVSA and ask if that matters to you before you book.
There is no railway station on the island and parking is not published for the centre. Jamieson Street is in the middle of Bowmore, where the on-street bays are shared with everyone using the shops and the council offices, so give yourself ten minutes in hand rather than counting on a space outside.
Both waiting figures say the same thing here, which at least makes planning simple. Learners tested in May 2026 had waited a median of 22 weeks, well beyond the national median of 11.9, and the first week with a tenth of its slots still free was 23.3 weeks ahead. The diary really is that full. Book as far ahead as you can and treat a cancellation as the only way of moving forward.
There is no other test centre within reach — the nearest means a ferry and most of a day. That makes the date you are given more valuable than it would be on the mainland, so think carefully before giving one up. Booking, moving and cancelling is on GOV.UK only.
What DVSA publishes about Islay Island
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. Ring DVSA before the day rather than assuming.
Learner reports from Islay Island
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 Islay Island.
- 1Junctions - observation
- 2Mirrors - change direction
- 3Junctions - turning right
- 4Response to signs - traffic lights
- 5Control - steering
- 6Move off - safely
Getting there
Argyll and Bute Council Offices Jamieson Street, BowmoreIsle of Islay PA43 7HL
Questions learners ask about Islay Island
- Is Islay Island an easy test centre?
- By the numbers, yes: 70% of car tests were passed there in 2022/23, 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.
- Where is Islay Island driving test centre?
- Islay Island test centre is at Argyll and Bute Council Offices Jamieson Street, Bowmore, Isle of Islay, PA43 7HL. 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 Islay Island do a year?
- 40 car tests were conducted at Islay Island in 2022/23, of which 28 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.
Drive Islay Island’s 5 test routes in 3D3 days free, then £9.99/month · or £14.99 once for 90 days
Try free