Guidance

Approved driving instructor (ADI) standards check: indicators and triggers

Updated 17 May 2023

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

1. What DVSA monitors

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) monitors 4 indicators about approved driving instructors (ADIs).

The indicators use data from the driving tests your pupils have taken in the last 12 months on a rolling basis.

The data is for pupils you brought for a car driving test where your ADI badge (certificate) was in the windscreen. It will include every driving test centre you’ve used.

DVSA records your ADI number from your badge at the start of the driving test. This links the test to you.

There are trigger points for each of the 4 indicators. If you reach the trigger point for 3 or more of the indicators, DVSA will write to ask you to book a standards check.

Find out about taking the ADI standards check.

There are different rules for motorcycle trainer standards checks.

2. What the indicators are

DVSA looks at this data for the rolling 12-month period:

• the average number of driving faults per test
• the average number of serious faults per test
• the percentage of tests where the driving examiner had to take physical action in the interests of public safety
• overall pass rate

3. What the trigger points are

Each of the 4 indicators has a trigger point.

Indicator	Trigger
Average number of driving faults per test	6 or greater
Average number of serious faults per test	0.55 or greater
Percentage of driving tests where the driving examiner had to take physical action	10% or higher
Driving test pass rate	55% or lower

If you reach the trigger point for 3 or more of the indicators, DVSA will write to ask you to book a standards check.

If you reach the trigger point for fewer than 3 of the indicators, you’re less likely to be asked to take a standards check. However, you might still be asked to book a standards check during each 4-year registration period.

You can request a report from DVSA that shows your data.

If you bring fewer than 5 pupils for driving tests or you do not teach learners

The indicators are used if you bring 5 or more pupils for driving tests in a 12-month period.

If you bring fewer than 5 pupils, or you do not teach learners, you will have to take one standards check once during each 4-year period you’re registered as an ADI.

Examples of how the indicators work

Example: no triggers met (standards check is not triggered)

You took your pupils for 30 tests throughout the last 12 months.

Across all 30 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 135 driving faults. This is an average of 4.5 per test (135 ÷ 30).

Across all 30 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 13 serious faults. This is an average of 0.43 per test (13 ÷ 30).

Across all 30 tests, driving examiners had to take physical action in 2 tests. This is 6.67% of tests (2 ÷ 30, multiplied by 100).

In total, 17 of the 30 tests were passes and 13 were fails. This is a pass rate of 56.67% (17 ÷ 30, multiplied by 100).

You will not need to take a standards check because none of the 4 triggers have been met.

Example: 1 trigger met (standards check is not triggered)

You took your pupils for 30 tests throughout the last 12 months.

Across all 30 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 130 driving faults. This is an average of 4.83 per test (130 ÷ 30).

Across all 30 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 14 serious driving faults. This is an average of 0.47 per test (14 ÷ 30).

Across all 30 tests, driving examiners had to take physical action in 3 tests. This is 10% of tests (3 ÷ 30, multiplied by 100).

In total, 18 of the 30 tests were passes and 12 were fails. This is a pass rate of 60% (18 ÷ 30, multiplied by 100).

You will not need to take a standards check because only 1 of the 4 triggers has been met.

Example: 2 triggers met (standards check is not triggered)

You took your pupils for 20 tests throughout the last 12 months.

Across all 20 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 95 driving faults. This is an average of 4.75 per test (95 ÷ 20).

Across all 20 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 12 serious driving faults. This is an average of 0.6 per test (12 ÷ 20).

Across all 20 tests, a driving examiner had to take physical action in one test. This is 5% of tests (1 ÷ 20, multiplied by 100).

In total, 8 of the 20 tests were passes and 12 were fails. This is a pass rate of 40% (8 ÷ 20, multiplied by 100).

You will not need to take a standards check because only 2 of the 4 triggers have been met.

Example: 3 triggers met (standards check is triggered)

You took your pupils for 30 tests throughout the last 12 months.

Across all 30 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 255 driving faults. This is an average of 8.5 per test (255 ÷ 30).

Across all 30 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 17 serious driving faults. This is an average of 0.57 per test (17 ÷ 30).

Across all 30 tests, driving examiners had to take physical action in 3 tests. This is 10% of tests (3 ÷ 30, multiplied by 100).

In total, 18 of the 30 tests were passes and 12 were fails. This is a pass rate of 60% (18 ÷ 30, multiplied by 100).

You will need to take a standards check because 3 of the 4 triggers have been met.

Example: 4 triggers met (standards check is triggered)

You took your pupils for 20 tests throughout the last 12 months.

Across all 20 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 120 driving faults. This is an average of 6 per test (120 ÷ 20).

Across all 20 tests, your pupils made a combined total of 12 serious driving faults. This is an average of 0.6 per test (12 ÷ 20).

Across all 20 tests, driving examiners had to take physical action in 4 tests. This is 20% of tests (4 ÷ 20, multiplied by 100).

In total, 8 of the 20 tests were passes and 12 were fails. This is a pass rate of 40% (8 ÷ 20, multiplied by 100).

You will need to take a standards check because all 4 of the triggers have been met.