Stornoway driving test centre
Fishermans Mission, 1 Quay Street, Stornaway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2XX
Drive the 5 routes around Stornoway before test day →
Key facts
- Stornoway's pass rate was 66.6% in 2025/26 from 344 tests, 16.6 points above the national average of 50.0%.
- That puts it 14 of 67 centres in Scotland (Scotland average 49.3%), one of the higher pass rates in the region, 17.3 points above it.
- Since 2021/22 the pass rate has risen by 6.8 points, from 59.8% to 66.6%.
- On waiting times, learners who took a test in August 2026 had waited a median of 8.1 weeks since booking (shorter than the national median of 11.9 weeks); the first week with 10% or more of slots still free was 15 weeks ahead.
- A year earlier (August 2025) the median wait was 16.6 weeks, so waits have shortened by about 8.5 weeks.
One 12.5 kilometre loop here asks for 21 right turns and 21 left. That is the densest turning on any practice set we have, and it is the whole character of a Stornoway test: 82 per cent of the distance at 30 mph, 15 give-way junctions, one set of traffic signals, and a junction every few hundred metres. Stornoway passes 66.6 per cent, 18th of the 302 centres ranked and 17.3 points above the Scottish average, and it has risen 6.8 points since 2021/22. It is also quick to book — a median wait of 8.1 weeks, with slots genuinely free 3.5 weeks out.
Drive the Stornoway test routes before test day
5 loops from the centre, 53 km in all, with 13 roundabouts and 156 marked turns. Generated from the road network within 2.5 km of Stornoway; not DVSA’s own routes, but the same roads.
Drive it before test day
Drive all 5 loops around Stornoway from your phone before you ever sit in the car: every roundabout, every junction, in the order you will meet them.
- 5 routes · 53 km · 156 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 Rathad MhicMhathain12.6 km loop with 3 roundabouts, 23 right turns, 23 left turns and a stretch of Ceann a' Bhàigh.12.6 km · 49 turns · 3 roundabouts
- Route 2 · via Rathad MhicMhathain11.4 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 13 right turns, 19 left turns and a stretch of Ceann a' Bhàigh.11.4 km · 34 turns · 2 roundabouts
- Route 3 · via Rathad MhicMhathain9.4 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 15 right turns, 17 left turns and a stretch of Ceann a' Bhàigh.9.4 km · 34 turns · 2 roundabouts
- Route 4 · via Ceann a' Bhàigh7.7 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 10 right turns, 9 left turns and a stretch of Sràid Einicleit.7.7 km · 21 turns · 2 roundabouts
- Route 5 · via Rathad a' Ghlinne12.2 km loop with 4 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 7 left turns and a stretch of Ceann a' Bhàigh.12.2 km · 18 turns · 4 roundabouts
The same access also opens the four test manoeuvres and eight roundabout scenarios: the two things a route drive cannot teach you.
The turning here is relentless. One 12.5 kilometre loop asks for 21 right turns and 21 left; a 9.5 kilometre loop asks for 16 and 13; a 9.8 kilometre loop for 14 and 12. Across five loops and 55.1 kilometres, you are almost never more than a few hundred metres from the next junction, and 82 per cent of the distance is at 30 mph, so there is no fast stretch to recover on.
That is what makes the observation routine matter more than usual. Fifteen give-way junctions, four mini-roundabouts and one set of traffic signals in the whole set means the decision is yours nearly every time: mirror, position, gap. Doing that forty times in a row without your standard slipping is the actual test.
Ceann a' Bhàigh carries the named stretch on four of the five loops, with Rathad MhicAmhlaidh, Rathad MhicMhathain and Rathad Pheirseabhail holding the named roundabouts. Rathad a' Ghlinne, Sràid a' Chaisteil, Sràid a' Chidhe, Sràid Sheumais, Rathad nam Buailtean and Rathad an Eilein fill in the rest, with the A857, A859 and A866 leading out of town.
Twelve per cent of the distance is at 40 mph and there is a little at 10 and 20 around the quay. Six signalled crossings and six pieces of traffic calming sit on the set, there are 3 schools in the area, and there are no level crossings and no dual carriageway.
Pass rate at Stornoway, 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 | 344 | 66.6% | 66.2% | 67.1% |
| 2024/25 | 374 | 56.1% | 58.5% | 53.4% |
| 2023/24 | 356 | 58.1% | 61.9% | 54.4% |
| 2022/23 | 341 | 58.9% | 58.2% | 59.6% |
| 2021/22 | 393 | 59.8% | 64.3% | 56.4% |
| 2020/21 | 93 | 65.6% | 73.3% | 58.3% |
| 2019/20 | 347 | 56.5% | 61.2% | 53.4% |
| 2018/19 | 378 | 55.3% | 62.4% | 50.7% |
Scotland average 49.3% · GB 50%
Waiting time for a test at Stornoway
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 | 8.1 | 15 | 73 | 0% |
| Jul 2026 | 8.1 | 3.5 | 36 | 0% |
| Jun 2026 | 7.1 | 20.6 | 46 | 0% |
| May 2026 | 8.6 | 24 | 36 | 0% |
| Apr 2026 | 10.1 | 24 | 26 | 0% |
| Mar 2026 | 16.6 | 21 | 13 | 0% |
Tell me when the wait at Stornoway drops
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Test day at Stornoway
The centre is at the Fishermen's Mission, 1 Quay Street, HS1 2XX, on the harbour front in Stornoway. Car tests are conducted here, along with motorcycle module 1 off-road and module 2 on-road. DVSA will make arrangements for you at this test centre if you have a disability, which means telling them when you book.
There is no railway on Lewis, so everyone arrives by car or with an instructor. Parking is not published; Quay Street is a working harbour street, so read the signs, keep clear of the commercial traffic and allow a few minutes.
The wait was a median of 8.1 weeks for tests taken in July 2026, shorter than the national 11.9, and the first week with a tenth of its slots still free was only 3.5 weeks ahead. It has improved from 10.3 weeks a year earlier. Booking here is easier than at almost any centre on the mainland.
The monthly figures rest on about forty tests each, so they swing: June returned 70 per cent and March 44.2. There is no alternative centre within reach — the next one is a ferry away — so the comparison most candidates make is between dates rather than between places. Booking, moving and cancelling is on GOV.UK only.
What DVSA publishes about Stornoway
Taken from the GOV.UK test centre finder, checked 3 September 2026. Where DVSA says nothing, this site says nothing.
- Tests conducted here
- carmotorcycle module 1 (off-road)motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- 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.
Other tests at Stornoway
This centre is not car only. DVSA publishes results for these categories separately, and they are taken by different candidates on different vehicles, so the rates are not comparable with the car figure above.
Learner reports from Stornoway
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 Stornoway.
- 1Junctions - observation
- 2Mirrors - change direction
- 3Junctions - turning right
- 4Response to signs - traffic lights
- 5Control - steering
- 6Move off - safely
Getting there
Fishermans Mission, 1 Quay Street, StornawayIsle of Lewis HS1 2XX
Questions learners ask about Stornoway
- Is Stornoway an easy test centre?
- By the numbers, yes: 66.6% 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 Stornoway?
- In August 2026 the median gap between booking and sitting a test at Stornoway was 8.1 weeks, and you had to look about 15 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 Stornoway driving test centre?
- Stornoway test centre is at Fishermans Mission, 1 Quay Street, Stornaway, Isle of Lewis, HS1 2XX. 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 Stornoway do a year?
- 344 car tests were conducted at Stornoway in 2025/26, of which 229 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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