Does car stall result in a fail?

If you're driving a manual transmission car, then you need to have good control of the clutch so that the car does not stall. You don't have this problem with automatic transmission though.

Usually when a learner stalls the car, it does not lead to an automatic fail. The driving examiner could record it a a minor fault depending on the circumstances at the time it happened. You should not panic and try to get going as soon as you can and remember safety is a priority.

If you were waiting at a junction before being able to turn right and just as you were able to, you stalled, then this could create a dangerous situations for other road users and in this scenario, you would fail because it would much likely be marked down as a serious fault. Remember only 1 serious or dangerous fault is enough to fail the driving test although you're allowed upto 15 minors.

You can stop the car from stalling when moving off like this :

• The clutch must be fully depressed when you select the first gear
• Give your car enough gas by pressing the accelerator slowly
• Once you've got the clutch biting point, you can release the handbrake and the car should either stay stationary (in which case, you need a little more gas) or move forward

You're on your driving test because you're ready and you've done this many times, so try to get rid of your anxiety and concentrate on driving safely and that's going to make you pass.

Sarah,

Normally stalling the car would not result in an immediate fail. Say for example, you are at the traffic lights and your car is at a total stop. You are now waiting for the green signal to go but when you are about to move on, you stall the car. This will normally be recorded as a minor driving fault. However if you are travelling at 40mph on a dual carriageway and while changing gears, for some reason you stall the car, then this could result in a dangerous driving fault as it could potentially lead to a very serious accident.