Is there an easiest driving test centre?
No. Driving test pass rates by test centre differ a lot. But they change every year, and the smallest centres swing the most.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) runs car tests in England, Scotland and Wales, and it publishes the results. Between April 2025 and March 2026, 50.0% of those tests ended in a pass. That's 1,000,043 passes from 1,998,621 tests.
Among busy centres, the full-year rate ran from 34.3% in Wolverhampton to 69.7% in Melton Mowbray. You'll find both ends of that range in the tables further down. Most centres sit much closer to the middle.
This page is part of our guides for new drivers.
Where do the figures come from?
They all come from one spreadsheet. DVSA calls it table DRT122A, and it lists car driving test pass rates by gender, month and test centre. It covers two test categories, B and B1. Category B is the standard car licence, and B1 is for very light four-wheeled vehicles.
DVSA updates the file once a year. It was last updated in June 2026, and the next update is due in June 2027. Every centre figure on this page is for April 2025 to March 2026, the latest full year in the file.
The figures aren't carved in stone. DVSA says test results rely largely on manual entry, so it waits at least six weeks after a period ends before producing statistics. It also treats data as provisional until the whole financial year is published, and it can revise it until then.
Its own totals don't always match to the last test, either. A DVSA press release in May 2026 put the year at 1,998,608 tests, which is 13 fewer than the spreadsheet shows.
The biggest caution is about small centres. DVSA says low numbers must be treated with caution, and gives an example. Comparing a centre that ran fewer than 100 tests with one that ran more than 1,000 isn't statistically robust.
Northern Ireland isn't in this data. Tests there are run by the Driver and Vehicle Agency, and the Department for Infrastructure publishes its statistics separately.
Which test centres have the highest and lowest pass rates?
These tables show both ends of the range for April 2025 to March 2026. They only include centres that ran at least 1,000 car tests in the year. That's 260 of the 317 centres listed for 2025-26.
The lowest rates among those centres:
| Test centre | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolverhampton | 11,561 | 3,961 | 34.3% |
| Wednesbury | 7,508 | 2,626 | 35.0% |
| Barking (Tanner Street) | 5,543 | 2,011 | 36.3% |
| Dunfermline (Vine) | 5,529 | 2,012 | 36.4% |
| Featherstone | 13,193 | 4,807 | 36.4% |
| Gateshead | 9,512 | 3,568 | 37.5% |
The highest rates:
| Test centre | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melton Mowbray | 1,984 | 1,382 | 69.7% |
| Barrow In Furness | 1,699 | 1,183 | 69.6% |
| Dorchester | 4,353 | 3,002 | 69.0% |
| Kendal (Oxenholme Road) | 2,231 | 1,453 | 65.1% |
| Tunbridge Wells | 5,726 | 3,695 | 64.5% |
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, April 2025 to March 2026, centres with 1,000 or more tests. Barking's row has monthly figures for ten months of the year, not twelve.
Most busy centres are nowhere near either end. Of those 260 centres, 233 had a pass rate between 40% and 60%. Ten were below 40%, and 17 were at 60% or above.
I've left the tiny centres out on purpose. The Isles of Scilly shows a 75% pass rate, but that's six passes from eight tests. Nine centres ran fewer than 100 tests all year, and DVSA's own caution applies to every one of them.
Read the tables as a record of results. They don't rank how hard a centre is, and they can't tell you why its figure is what it is.
Can't find your centre in the file? DVSA leaves out any centre where only one examiner carried out that category of test. Those tests still count in the national total. Closed centres are marked with a Z.
For your own centre, open DRT122A on gov.uk's driving test data page and go to the 2025-26 sheet. DVSA's find a driving test centre service lists the centres nearest your postcode, but it doesn't show pass rates.
Why do pass rates differ between test centres?
There's no official answer. DVSA publishes the numbers, but it gives no explanation for the gap between centres. Its notes on the data carry the small-centre caution and nothing about causes.
Driving instructors and comparison sites offer plenty of explanations. The usual one is the roads: busy city traffic and complicated junctions in one place, quieter routes in another. The other is the mix of candidates, meaning how well prepared the learners at a centre tend to be.
Both are plausible, but neither comes from DVSA, so treat them as informed opinion rather than findings.
What about easier examiners? The data can't show that, and DVSA's rules point the other way. Its guidance for examiners, known as DT1, says they're trained to assess tests to a uniform standard, set by the Chief Driving Examiner. A local manager also has to carry out at least four quality control assessments a year on each permanent examiner.
A rule on paper doesn't prove that every examiner marks alike. But nothing in the published figures supports picking a centre for its examiners.
Should you choose a test centre for its pass rate?
Mostly, no. Pick the centre whose roads you can practise on.
But the choice matters more than it used to. In Great Britain you can make your first booking at any test centre.
But since 9 June 2026, a booked car test can only move to one of the three centres nearest the one you're booked at. You can also go back to the centre you first booked that test at. If you booked before 9 June 2026, the rule starts from wherever your test was booked on that date instead.
So choose once, and choose carefully. DVSA's own advice is to book only at a centre you intend to use. Our new driver rules guide explains how moves work.
I wouldn't travel far for a few extra percentage points. The tables can't measure what an unfamiliar centre costs you, such as roads you've never driven and lessons a long way from home. A centre's rate describes everyone who took a test there last year. It doesn't describe you.
A high pass rate doesn't mean a short wait, either. DVSA publishes waiting times as a separate set of figures. Our guide to driving test waiting times covers them.
Still learning? Our guide to what you can drive on a provisional licence sets out the limits. And once you've passed, the best used cars for new drivers covers the next decision.
Common questions
What is the average driving test pass rate in the UK?
For Great Britain, it was 50.0% between April 2025 and March 2026. That's 1,000,043 passes from 1,998,621 car tests, taken from DVSA's table DRT122A. DVSA's figures don't cover Northern Ireland, where tests are run by the Driver and Vehicle Agency and the figures are published separately.
Can I choose a test centre because it has a higher pass rate?
Yes, you can. Your first booking can be at any centre in Great Britain. DVSA asks you to book only at a centre you intend to use, and moving your test later is restricted. A long trip to roads you don't know can cost you more than a higher rate gives back.
Why do some test centres have much lower pass rates than others?
DVSA doesn't say. Instructors and comparison sites usually point to busier roads, and to how well prepared local candidates are. Those are reasonable guesses, but they aren't DVSA findings.
Does a higher pass rate mean the examiners are easier?
Nothing in the data shows that. DVSA's examiner guidance says examiners are trained to a uniform standard, and their marking is checked during the year. The figures record results, not the reasons behind them.
How often does DVSA update the pass rate data?
Once a year. The file was last updated in June 2026, and the next update is due in June 2027. DVSA waits at least six weeks after a period ends before it produces figures.
Can I move my test to a different centre if I don't like my current one's pass rate?
Only within limits. Since 9 June 2026 you can move a car test to one of the three centres nearest your booked one, or back to the centre you first booked it at. If you booked before 9 June 2026, that means where your test was booked on 9 June, not where you first booked. Each move uses one of your two changes. Our new driver rules guide has the detail.