Islay Island

Learners in Islay need not worry about having to head to the mainland for their practical. There’s a local test centre situated right in Bowmore! Islay Island test centre shares space with the Argyll and Bute Council Offices and can be found on Jamieson Street. Before you head out for your test here, though, you’ll want to give our comprehensive test centre guide a read.

To give you a chance to get ahead of the competition, we’ve carefully compiled all the information you need to know before taking the test, including contact details, pass rates and more!


Address

Argyll And Bute Council Offices, Jamieson Street Bowmore Isle Of Islay Argyll and Bute PA43 7HL

Tests Offered at Islay Island

  • Car

Parking

This is only a meeting place for your test, there are no facilities available

Toilets

Disabled Access

Check the book your driving test service for availability.

How To Get There

If you’ve decided to jump the gun by looking around Islay Island test centre before you start your lessons (whilst being supervised, of course!), you’ll want to use these directions to avoid taking a wrong turn.

A Bit More About Islay Island

Islay Island test centre is perfectly located for the driving test. Why? It gives the examiner plenty of choice when it comes to your test route. They might take you down the A846, towards Port Ellen, which would take you past the bustling Islay Airport. Or, they could use the same A road to guide you up towards Bridgen, near Islay House. The world really is their oyster when it comes to driving test routes!

Trust us, though: this would be no different if you were to take your test anywhere else. The examiner just wants to make sure that you are confident with tackling a wide range of road types and traffic conditions.

Looking for more general information about Islay? Check out these resources:

Islay Island Test Pass Rates

Wondering what your chances of passing the driving test are like? Well, we can’t look into our crystal ball to see whether you’ll pass, but we can do the next best thing: look at driving test pass rates!

Learners in the UK currently have a 45.9% chance of passing their driving test. This isn’t a static figure, though. It fluctuates depending on factors like age, transmission type and county. And that’s not all! Your choice of test centre can also play a role. As you can see in the table below, however, learners heading to Islay Island test centre tend to fare much better than the national average!

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
62.9% - 71.4% 75.5% 74.6%

What If I Can't Go To Islay Island? 

If your mind isn’t completely made up, and you’re still shaky about taking your practical at Islay Island, there’s nothing stopping you from heading further afield. As long as you don’t mind taking the ferry, you could head to:

What To Expect On The Day

It’s finally time for you to see if the blood, sweat and tears you’ve shed throughout your course have actually amounted to anything. Though it might seem intimidating, just think of the driving test as one of your lessons. The only difference is that it will be shorter than your standard lessons (clocking in at around 40 minutes) and your instructor won’t be allowed to give you any help. Piece of cake!

To avoid showing up late and missing your appointment, you’ll need to get to Islay Island test centre 10 minutes early. Your examiner will then check your provisional and get you to sign a form.

Your driving test will then proceed with:

  • An eyesight test, where you’ll need to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres
  • Two “show me, tell me” questions covering vehicle safety and maintenance
  • Twenty minutes of general driving, where you’ll be guided by the examiner, and will also need to perform one of the following manoeuvres:
  • Twenty minutes of independent driving, during which you’ll either follow sat nav directions or sign posts to reach a set destination

Improve Your Chances With PassMeFast

If you’re keen on getting your pink licence in Islay, PassMeFast can help you do it. We’ve got a fleet of DVSA-approved instructors who are ready to help you get test-ready on the roads around Islay Island test centre. Whether you’re a complete beginner, or have already taken the test and failed, we’ve got something to suit everyone.

Your PassMeFast journey will start with us getting an idea of when you’d ideally like to pass your test by, how free your schedule is and how intensively you’d like to learn. Once we’ve gotten this information from you, we’ll match you up with one of our grade A or B instructors in the local area. You’ll fit your lessons (in two to five hour blocks) around your schedule, and even get the option of home or workplace pickups! If that wasn’t enough, we’ll even fast-track your test at Islay Island so that you have a date to work towards!

Don’t settle for anything less than the best. Pick out your ideal PassMeFast course on our course prices page and book in over the phone on 0333 123 4949. If you’d prefer to bypass the talking entirely, you can book online instead!

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