Kyle of Lochalsh driving test centre
Kyle of Lochalsh Fire Station, Stoney Road, IV40 8BP
Drive the 5 routes around Kyle of Lochalsh before test day →
Key facts
- Kyle of Lochalsh's pass rate was 57.4% in 2025/26 from 136 tests, 7.4 points above the national average of 50.0%.
- That puts it 33 of 67 centres in Scotland (Scotland average 49.3%), a mid-table pass rates in the region, 8.1 points above it.
- Since 2021/22 the pass rate has fallen by 15.1 points, from 72.5% to 57.4%.
- On waiting times, learners who took a test in August 2026 had waited a median of 14.1 weeks since booking (longer than the national median of 11.9 weeks); the first week with 10% or more of slots still free was 24 weeks ahead.
Kyle of Lochalsh passed 57.4 per cent of candidates in 2025/26, from 136 tests. That is 7.4 points above the national average and 69th of 302 centres, which sounds comfortable until you look at where it came from: 72.5 per cent in 2021/22, so 15.1 points have gone in four years. Half the distance on the practice loops on this page is at 20 mph and 38 per cent at 40, on a strip of road between the hill and the water where there is rarely a second lane to use. Eight give-way junctions and four sets of traffic signals in 52.1 kilometres. The wait is a median of 14.1 weeks, and Portree, at much the same pass rate, is waiting 8.3.
Drive the Kyle of Lochalsh test routes before test day
5 loops from the centre, 52 km in all, with 8 roundabouts and 79 marked turns. Generated from the road network within 2.5 km of Kyle of Lochalsh; not DVSA’s own routes, but the same roads.
Drive it before test day
Drive all 5 loops around Kyle of Lochalsh from your phone before you ever sit in the car: every roundabout, every junction, in the order you will meet them.
- 5 routes · 52 km · 79 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
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- Route 1 · via Kyleside11.9 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Station Road.11.9 km · 17 turns · 2 roundabouts
- Route 2 · via Station Road11.3 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 7 left turns and a stretch of Kyleside.11.3 km · 16 turns · 2 roundabouts
- Route 3 · via Kyleside10.8 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 8 right turns, 11 left turns and a stretch of Heathmount Place.10.8 km · 21 turns · 2 roundabouts
- Route 4 · via Main Street9.6 km loop with 6 right turns, 5 left turns and a stretch of Station Road.9.6 km · 11 turns
- Route 5 · via Kyleside8.5 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 4 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Heathmount Place.8.5 km · 14 turns · 2 roundabouts
The same access also opens the four test manoeuvres and eight roundabout scenarios: the two things a route drive cannot teach you.
Half the distance on these loops is at 20 mph. Another 38 per cent is at 40, 12 per cent at 60 and a fraction of it at walking pace down by the pier. That is an unusual mix, and it means the examiner sees you change limit repeatedly rather than settle into one. Holding 20 without drifting up to 25 on a downhill run is a real skill and it is the thing candidates lose marks on here.
There are eight give-way junctions and four sets of traffic signals across 52.1 kilometres, which for a village this size is a lot of deciding for yourself. Kyleside is the one named roundabout, and four of the five loops take in two roundabouts each. No zebra crossings, no traffic calming and no level crossings, but two signalled crossings.
The turning is even rather than heavy: a 10.8 kilometre loop asks for eight right turns and 11 left, the rest sit between four and eight of each. The difficulty is not the number of junctions, it is the geometry — narrow approaches, walls and banks close to the kerb, and views that open late.
Main Street, Station Road, Plock Road, Lochalsh Road, Stoney Road, Olaf Road, Church Road, Meuse Lane, Nicholson Terrace, The Obbe and Fishery Pier carry most of the driving, with Kyleside and Heathmount Place named on the loops. There are 2 schools in the area and no dual carriageway.
Pass rate at Kyle of Lochalsh, 2007/08 to 2025/26
Share of car tests passed each April-to-March year. Dashed line: Great Britain average for 2025/26.
Month by month, 2025/26
By year and gender
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 136 | 57.4% | 58.1% | 56.5% |
| 2024/25 | 142 | 58.5% | 65.8% | 50.7% |
| 2023/24 | 129 | 67.4% | 68.6% | 66.1% |
| 2022/23 | 111 | 59.5% | 61.7% | 57.8% |
| 2021/22 | 120 | 72.5% | 75.4% | 68.6% |
| 2019/20 | 106 | 67.9% | 70.6% | 65.5% |
| 2018/19 | 82 | 50.0% | 51.4% | 48.9% |
| 2017/18 | 71 | 59.2% | 55.8% | 64.3% |
Scotland average 49.3% · GB 50%
Waiting time for a test at Kyle of Lochalsh
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 | 14.1 | 24 | 31 | 0% |
| Jul 2026 | 14.1 | 24 | 14 | 0% |
| May 2026 | 9.3 | 24 | 33 | 0% |
| Apr 2026 | 5.3 | 24 | 54 | 0% |
| Mar 2026 | 14.6 | 24 | 10 | 5% |
| Feb 2026 | 4.4 | 24 | 83 | 0% |
Tell me when the wait at Kyle of Lochalsh drops
One email when DVSA’s monthly figure falls, or goes under the number of weeks you choose. No newsletter.
Test day at Kyle of Lochalsh
Tests are conducted from Kyle of Lochalsh Fire Station on Stoney Road, IV40 8BP. Car tests only. GOV.UK says DVSA will make arrangements for you at this test centre if you have a disability; ring ahead and tell them what you need.
Kyle of Lochalsh station is 0.4 kilometres away, a five minute walk, which makes arriving by train genuinely practical if your instructor can meet you at the centre.
Parking is not published for the site. It is a working fire station, so keep the appliance bay and its approach clear, leave the car on a street nearby and walk in with a few minutes to spare.
The wait was a median of 14.1 weeks for tests taken in July 2026, longer than the national median of 11.9, and the first week with a tenth of its slots still free was 24 weeks ahead. Check the diary more than once; short-notice slots come back on it.
The alternatives are all a ferry or a long drive. Isle of Skye (Broadford) is 11.3 kilometres away at 51.5 per cent. Mallaig is 31.2 kilometres at 64.2 per cent and 10.9 weeks. Isle of Skye (Portree) is 33.2 kilometres at 57 per cent and 8.3 weeks — much the same chance of passing, and nearly six weeks sooner. Booking and cancelling is on GOV.UK only.
What DVSA publishes about Kyle of Lochalsh
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 Kyle of Lochalsh
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 Kyle of Lochalsh.
- 1Junctions - observation
- 2Mirrors - change direction
- 3Junctions - turning right
- 4Response to signs - traffic lights
- 5Control - steering
- 6Move off - safely
Getting there
Kyle of Lochalsh Fire Station, Stoney RoadKyle of Lochalsh IV40 8BP
Directions in Google Maps · Check centre notes on GOV.UK
Nearby centres
- Isle of Skye (Broadford)Broadford · IV49 9AQ · 11 km51.5%+1.5 vs GB–wait
- MallaigPH41 4PX · 31 km64.2%+14.2 vs GB10.9 wkswait
- Isle of Skye (Portree)Lisigarry Place, Portree · IV51 9BD · 33 km57.0%+7.0 vs GB8.3 wkswait
Questions learners ask about Kyle of Lochalsh
- Is Kyle of Lochalsh an easy test centre?
- By the numbers, yes: 57.4% of car tests were passed there in 2025/26, 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 Kyle of Lochalsh?
- In August 2026 the median gap between booking and sitting a test at Kyle of Lochalsh was 14.1 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 Kyle of Lochalsh driving test centre?
- Kyle of Lochalsh test centre is at Kyle of Lochalsh Fire Station, Stoney Road, IV40 8BP. 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 Kyle of Lochalsh do a year?
- 136 car tests were conducted at Kyle of Lochalsh in 2025/26, of which 78 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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