Here’s the official line, and I’ll try to make it stick in your brain: you can have up to 15 minors and still pass. That’s fifteen little oopsies before the examiner starts raising an eyebrow. But—and this is a giant, flaming but—if you get the same minor three times in a row, it gets upgraded to a “serious” fault. So, three repeated mirror checks that were a tad late? That’s a fail.
It’s not about the quantity of minors; it’s about the pattern. Examiners are trained to spot habitual mistakes. One dodgy gear change is a minor; ten dodgy gear changes scream, “I cannot actually control this car.” The magic number, 15, is surprisingly generous, but rarely does anyone actually hit it without also triggering a serious fault from the repetition.
What Actually Counts as a Minor?
Minors are basically small, isolated mistakes that don’t affect anyone else. Think of them as the driver’s version of tripping over your own feet on a quiet street. Common examples include: a slightly-clumsy gear change, failing to check your blind spot once (but doing it perfectly the rest of the time), or stalling the car at a quiet junction (as long as you restart quickly and safely).
But here’s the ironic twist: zero minors is also a pass. It’s just a rarer, shinier pass that your instructor will brag about to other instructors. Most people leave with a few minors—it’s totally normal. The real goal is to avoid serious or dangerous faults like the plague.
List Of Serious, Major & Minor Driving Test Faults - UK List & How To Avoid
