Islay Island Driving Test Centre

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

Median wait

22 wks

10.1 wks longer than the 11.9-wk national median

Month on month

↑ 35%

Waits are getting longer at this centre

Slots still bookable

Of the tests released in the booking window

Islay Island driving test centre, in Isle of Islay, is a DVSA practical test centre in Scotland, on Argyll and Bute Council Offices Jamieson Street.

As of May 2026 the median wait here is 22 weeks, 10.1 weeks longer than the 11.9-week national median — which is why learners often look to swap a driving test in Islay Island rather than wait it out.

It is relatively isolated — the nearest alternative, Campbeltown, is 35.3 miles away, which narrows the pool of learners you can legally swap with.

Islay Island driving test waiting times, June 2023 to May 2026

Median weeks between booking and taking a driving test at Islay Island. Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published monthly. Latest month: May 2026.

Median waiting time in weeks by month at Islay Island
Month	Median wait	Still bookable
May 2026	22 wks	0%
March 2026	16.3 wks	0%
November 2025	3.7 wks	0%
July 2025	19.7 wks	0%
April 2025	18.1 wks	0%
October 2024	4.4 wks	0%
August 2024	19.6 wks	0%
June 2024	10.9 wks	38.9%
April 2024	8.5 wks	0%
October 2023	14.6 wks	0%
August 2023	17.5 wks	0%
June 2023	13 wks	0%

The 3 centres you can move this test to

Since 9 June 2026, DVSA only lets you move a car test to one of your 3 nearest test centres, or the centre you first booked at. If you are booked at Islay Island, these are those three — measured as straight-line distance from the centre itself.

1 Campbeltown 35.3 miles away 26.9 wk wait 4.9 wks longer 2 Lochgilphead 38.4 miles away 14.3 wk wait 7.7 wks sooner 3 Brodick (Isle of Arran) 46.6 miles away 19.1 wk wait 2.9 wks sooner

Lochgilphead is currently 7.7 weeks quicker than Islay Island. Moving a test there is allowed under the location rule, and it is one of the changes a learner-to-learner swap can achieve.

How to swap a driving test in Islay Island

Both of you need a spare change. Learners get 2 changes per booking, and a swap uses one each.

At least 10 full working days' notice before the earlier of the two tests.

Same test type and price band. A weekday test (£62) can only swap with another weekday test; evening, weekend and bank holiday tests (£75) swap with each other.

The location rule must work for both of you — see the three centres above.

By phone only. One of you calls DVSA, they put you on hold and call the other learner, and you both confirm. It cannot be done online, by email or over WhatsApp.

Zwitch introduces the two learners and stops there — you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for anyone else to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf. Never give another learner your driving licence number or booking reference.

Getting to the centre

Loads from OpenStreetMap

Open in OpenStreetMap ↗

Address: Argyll and Bute Council Offices Jamieson Street, Bowmore, Isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, PA43 7HL
Postcode: PA43 7HL
Coordinates: 55.75650, -6.28552
Region: Scotland
Parking: This is only a meeting place for your test, there are no facilities available

Where these numbers come from

Waiting times and availability — DVSA table DRT122F: car driving test availability by driving test centre, published monthly on the second Wednesday. Latest month in this dataset: July 2026. "Median wait" is DVSA's own measure of the middle waiting time between booking and taking a test.
Address, postcode, coordinates and facilities — the DVSA test centre list behind the GOV.UK find a driving test centre service.
Distances — great-circle distance calculated from the published coordinates. Straight-line, not driving distance.
Known limitation — the DVSA centre list lags the live GOV.UK finder, so a centre that has recently been renamed or split may appear here in its older form. Closed centres are excluded using DRT122F. Always confirm on GOV.UK before booking.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Zwitch is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Page data last updated 2026-08-18.