Stranraer driving test centre
Northwest Castle Hotel, Wigtownshire, Stranraer, DG9 8EH
Drive the 5 routes around Stranraer before test day →
Key facts
- Stranraer's pass rate was 71.2% in 2025/26 from 215 tests, 21.2 points above the national average of 50.0%.
- That puts it 6 of 67 centres in Scotland (Scotland average 49.3%), one of the higher pass rates in the region, 21.9 points above it.
- The rate has been stable since 2021/22, moving between 63.3% (2023/24) and 73.4% (2024/25).
- On waiting times, learners who took a test in August 2026 had waited a median of 19.2 weeks since booking (longer than the national median of 11.9 weeks); the first week with 10% or more of slots still free was 17 weeks ahead.
- A year earlier (August 2025) the median wait was 14.6 weeks, so waits have grown by about 4.6 weeks.
- 32% 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.
Stranraer passes 71.2 per cent, sixth of the 302 centres ranked and 21.9 points above the Scottish average, and it has held that level for four years. The roads are busier than the pass rate suggests. There are 33 give-way junctions and 19 pieces of traffic calming across 44.4 kilometres, with eight named roundabouts and five mini-roundabouts, and one 8.3 kilometre loop that asks for 18 left turns. Seventy-nine per cent of the distance is at 30 mph and 14 per cent at 20. The wait is 19.2 weeks, up six on a year ago, and there is no quicker centre nearby — the nearest are both about 35 kilometres away and waiting just as long.
Drive the Stranraer test routes before test day
5 loops from the centre, 44 km in all, with 17 roundabouts and 107 marked turns. Generated from the road network within 2.5 km of Stranraer; not DVSA’s own routes, but the same roads.
Drive it before test day
Drive all 5 loops around Stranraer from your phone before you ever sit in the car: every roundabout, every junction, in the order you will meet them.
- 5 routes · 44 km · 107 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 Cairnryan Road8.3 km loop with 4 roundabouts, 8 right turns, 18 left turns and a stretch of Sheuchan Street.8.3 km · 30 turns · 4 roundabouts
- Route 2 · via Sheuchan Street9.0 km loop with 3 roundabouts, 8 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Commerce Road.9.0 km · 19 turns · 3 roundabouts
- Route 3 · via Fountain Way6.8 km loop with 1 roundabout, 10 right turns, 10 left turns and a stretch of Victoria Place.6.8 km · 21 turns · 1 roundabout
- Route 4 · via Cairnryan Road11.8 km loop with 6 roundabouts, 6 right turns, 9 left turns and a stretch of Sheuchan Street.11.8 km · 21 turns · 6 roundabouts
- Route 5 · via Ochtrelure Way8.5 km loop with 3 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 6 left turns and a stretch of London Road.8.5 km · 16 turns · 3 roundabouts
The same access also opens the four test manoeuvres and eight roundabout scenarios: the two things a route drive cannot teach you.
Thirty-three give-way junctions in 44.4 kilometres is a dense set for a town this size, and it is the first thing to know about driving here. Against them there is a single set of traffic signals on the whole set, so almost every priority decision is yours to make and remake.
Roundabouts do the rest of the joining, and there are more than the town looks like it needs: eight named — Charlotte Street, Lewis Street, Port Rodie, Harbour Street, Market Street, Stoneykirk Road, Dalrymple Street and Ochtrelure Way — with five mini-roundabouts besides. One 11.8 kilometre loop takes in six of them.
The turning is lopsided in a way worth practising. An 8.3 kilometre loop asks for eight right turns and eighteen left — more left turns than most loops of twice the length — while a 6.8 kilometre loop splits them ten and ten. A run of left turns sounds easy and is where people get careless: cutting the corner, and not looking properly for a cyclist coming up the inside.
Nineteen pieces of traffic calming sit across the loops, more than most sets carry, alongside three zebra crossings and three signalled crossings with 6 schools in the area.
Port Rodie, Lewis Street, George Street, Dalrymple Street, Stoneykirk Road, Belmont Road, Agnew Crescent, Stair Drive and Culhorn Road carry most of the driving, with the A77 and A718. Seventy-nine per cent of the distance is at 30 mph, 14 per cent at 20 and 7 per cent at 60.
Waiting time for a test at Stranraer
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 | 19.2 | 17 | 16 | 32% |
| Jul 2026 | 19.2 | 17.8 | 0 | 33.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 20.1 | 21.2 | 5 | 40.9% |
| May 2026 | 17.4 | 24 | 5 | 40% |
| Apr 2026 | 14.4 | 23.8 | 15 | 35% |
| Mar 2026 | 21.4 | 23.8 | 11 | 50% |
Pass rate at Stranraer, 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 | 215 | 71.2% | 72.5% | 69.8% |
| 2024/25 | 214 | 73.4% | 74.4% | 72.6% |
| 2023/24 | 294 | 63.3% | 59.7% | 66.5% |
| 2022/23 | 316 | 67.7% | 66.2% | 68.9% |
| 2021/22 | 225 | 72.9% | 74.1% | 72.5% |
| 2020/21 | 80 | 67.5% | 72.2% | 63.6% |
| 2019/20 | 278 | 63.3% | 61.9% | 65.3% |
| 2018/19 | 290 | 60.3% | 57.8% | 62.3% |
Scotland average 49.3% · GB 50%
Tell me when the wait at Stranraer drops
One email when DVSA’s monthly figure falls, or goes under the number of weeks you choose. No newsletter.
Test day at Stranraer
The centre operates from the Northwest Castle Hotel, DG9 8EH, on the seafront. Reporting to a hotel rather than a DVSA building surprises people the first time, but it is a normal arrangement at smaller Scottish centres.
Car tests are conducted here, along with motorcycle module 2 on-road. DVSA will make arrangements for you at this test centre if you have a disability — tell them when you book.
Stranraer station is 0.5 kilometres away, close enough to walk, which makes this one of the few centres you can reach by train.
Parking is not published for this site. A hotel car park belongs to the hotel and its guests; leave the car on a nearby street rather than assuming a space, and allow a few minutes to walk.
The wait was a median of 19.2 weeks for tests taken in July 2026, well above the national 11.9, and it has grown from 13 a year earlier. The first week with a tenth of its slots still free was 17.8 weeks ahead, so there is only a little room below the median.
The alternatives are no better. Newton Stewart is 34.9 kilometres away, passes 65.8 per cent and was waiting 19.6 weeks; Girvan, 38.8 kilometres, passes 72 per cent at 19.9 weeks. Booking and cancelling is on GOV.UK only.
What DVSA publishes about Stranraer
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 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 Stranraer
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 Stranraer
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 Stranraer.
- 1Junctions - observation
- 2Mirrors - change direction
- 3Junctions - turning right
- 4Response to signs - traffic lights
- 5Control - steering
- 6Move off - safely
Getting there
Northwest Castle Hotel, WigtownshireStranraer DG9 8EH
Directions in Google Maps · Check centre notes on GOV.UK
Nearby centres
- Newton StewartDG8 6JW · 35 km65.8%+15.8 vs GB19.6 wkswait
- GirvanKA26 9AL · 39 km72.0%+22.0 vs GB19.9 wkswait
Questions learners ask about Stranraer
- Is Stranraer an easy test centre?
- By the numbers, yes: 71.2% 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 Stranraer?
- In August 2026 the median gap between booking and sitting a test at Stranraer was 19.2 weeks, and you had to look about 17 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 Stranraer driving test centre?
- Stranraer test centre is at Northwest Castle Hotel, Wigtownshire, Stranraer, DG9 8EH. 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 Stranraer do a year?
- 215 car tests were conducted at Stranraer in 2025/26, of which 153 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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