Almost 84,000 vehicle tests were conducted across Northern Ireland centres last month, according to figures just published by the Department for Infrastructure (DfI).

In December 2024, the DVA conducted 83,849 vehicle tests of which 70,561 (84.2 per cent) were full tests and 13,288 (15.8 per cent) were retests.

The December 2024 figure is an increase of 6,097 (7.8 per cent) vehicle tests compared with the total number conducted in December 2023 and represents the highest number of vehicle tests conducted in a December period since the series began.

For this financial year to date 2024/25 (April to December), DVA delivered 854,941 vehicle tests, 732,530 (85.7 per cent) full tests and 122,411 (14.3 per cent) retests respectively.

Driver and Vehicle Agency test centre, Lisburn. (Pic: Google).

placeholder image — Driver and Vehicle Agency test centre, Lisburn. (Pic: Google).

It received 62,956 applications for a full vehicle test during December 2024, relative to 73,036 for the same month in 2023.

The agency conducted 4,577 practical driver tests in December 2024, 9.8 per cent (408) higher relative to the same month in 2023 (4,169).

Biennial MOTs mooted for Northern Ireland with potential to remove 0.25m vehicle...

From April to December 2024/25, DVA delivered 52,652 driver tests, compared to 47,865 for the same period in 2023/24, an increase of 10 per cent (4,787) so far this year.

In December 2024 DVA received 4,205 applications for a driving test, just three fewer than for the same month in 2023 (4,208).

Last month, the DVA delivered 6,568 driver theory tests, 10.2 per cent (607) above the equivalent figure for the same month in 2023 (5,961).

Year to date, April to December 2024/25, the DVA conducted 67,492 theory tests, compared with and slightly above the 67,086 conducted in the same period the previous year 2023/24.

Furthermore, the DVA received 6,352 applications for a driver theory test during December 2024, 265 more than for the same month in 2023 (6,087).

The December break down of vehicle and driver tests per centre was as follows:

Armagh: 3,474 and 120;
Ballymena: 5,188 and 194;
Belfast (Balmoral): 6,843 and 637;
Coleraine: 4,448 and 301;
Cookstown: 4,475 and 321;
Craigavon: 4,390 and 420;
Downpatrick: 2,908 and 194;
Enniskillen: 2,954 and 136;
Larne: 3,458 and 413;
Lisburn: 5,441 and 216;
Mallusk: 5,146 and 36;
Londonderry (Newbuildings): 6,468 and 87;
Newry: 4,073 and 239;
Newtownards: 8,979 and 361;
Omagh: 2,315 and 174.

Over the month of December, a total of 339 driver tests were also conducted at Londonderry (Altnagelvin); 382 at Hydebank, and seven at Belfast (Dill Road).