🚦 It’s Not Just About You — It’s About Us Too
When you book your driving test, it feels like it’s your big day — and it is.
But if you’re using your instructor’s car, it’s our big day too.
Most learners don’t realise that driving instructors are monitored by the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency)based on how our pupils perform on test.
This isn’t just about the odd pass or fail — it’s a tracked record with real consequences for us.
📋 The Four Ways We’re Judged
The DVSA monitors us on four key stats:
- Average Driving Faults per Test — Too many faults? Not a good look.
- Average Serious Faults per Test — Serious mistakes stack up fast.
- Percentage of Tests Needing Examiner Intervention — If the examiner has to step in, it’s a major issue.
- Overall Pass Rate — If too many pupils fail, we’re on the radar.
If we hit too many of these trigger points, we’re called in for a standards check — where an examiner watches us teach.
Fail that, and we could lose our licence.
🛑 Why We Might Say No
So when we say:
“I don’t think you’re ready yet, I’m not comfortable taking you to test,”
it’s not us being harsh — it’s because your result affects our career.
And here’s the honest bit:
- If you’re ready, we’ll back you all the way.
- If we believe you’re not ready and likely to fail, we won’t risk it.
- You’re always free to take your own car or hire one — but your result won’t reflect on us.
🎯 The “If I Fail, I’ll Just Try Again” Mentality
For most learners, failing feels like a setback — but it’s often shrugged off with,
“It’s fine, I’ll just book another one.”
And that’s true — for you.
But for us, every test you take in our car (with our badge) sticks to our record.
While you’re thinking, “Nothing to lose,”
we’re thinking, “Actually, we’ve got a lot to lose.”
That’s why we don’t take the decision lightly. It’s not about holding you back — it’s about giving you the best shot at passing, and protecting our professional standing.
⚖️ How One Test Can Affect Our Career
A lot of learners think a failed test is “no big deal” — maybe just bad luck or nerves on the day.
And that’s fair… for you.
You can rebook, try again, and move on.
But for us, every single test taken in our car goes on our official DVSA record.
If you:
- Pick up a lot of faults
- Make a serious mistake
- Need the examiner to intervene
- Or simply don’t pass…
…it chips away at our professional record — even if it was just nerves.
It only takes a few bad results to trigger a standards check, putting our career, our reputation, and our livelihood on the line.
People often ask us, “What’s your pass rate?” — and that number matters.
It affects how we’re viewed by potential learners, the DVSA, and even how we feel about the job we do.
We’ve worked hard to build our reputation.
So when we say no, it’s not us being awkward — it’s because we can’t risk everything we’ve built on a test we know you’re not ready for.
📝 How We Decide You’re Test-Ready
We don’t base this on a hunch — we assess you exactly like an examiner would.
That’s why we run mock tests before the real thing.
During these, we’re looking for:
- Consistent safe driving with minimal faults
- No serious or dangerous mistakes
- The ability to drive independently without prompts
- Confidence handling tricky situations
If you pass a mock test under real conditions, we’ll back you for the actual test.
If you’re still making serious mistakes or needing help, we’ll tell you — straight up.
It might not be what you want to hear, but it’s the honest way to protect both your chances… and our badge.
✅ We’re On Your Side
We want you to pass first time — that’s a win for you and for us.
So when we say yes, it’s because we genuinely believe you’re ready.
And when we say no, it’s because we care enough to wait until you are.
If you’ve got questions or want to know more about how we decide you’re ready, just ask. We’re here to help — and we’re always on your side.
The DVSA are trying to send the same message we are, you can read the official DVSA “Ready to Pass? page here
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