Busiest Driving Test Centres in the UK
The more tests a centre runs, the more in demand it is — and the harder it usually is to get an early slot. This page ranks every UK centre by the number of car practical tests it conducted in April 2025 to March 2026, using official DVSA data, so you can see which centres are busiest before you check live availability.
Quick answer: Birmingham (Garretts Green) is the busiest UK test centre, conducting 22,480 car tests in April 2025 to March 2026 (about 1.1% of all listed tests). The quietest is Isles of Scilly with 8. The typical (median) centre runs 5,955 tests a year.
Test volume vs. live waiting times
The DVSA pass-rate table (DRT122A) does not include a waiting time in days or weeks, so we do not show one — that would be a guess. What it does show is how many tests each centre conducts, which is a reliable proxy for demand: the busiest centres are generally the hardest to book early. For the live or average wait at a specific centre, use the official DVSA lookup.
DVSA driving test waiting times (gov.uk) →The 30 busiest UK test centres
The centres conducting the most car practical tests in April 2025 to March 2026. These are the most in-demand locations in the country — popular with learners but typically the slowest to get an early slot. Each links to its full pass-rate breakdown.
| # | Test centre | Tests / year | Pass rate | Volume rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Birmingham (Garretts Green) | 22,480 | 44.4% | 1 / 317 |
| 2 | Goodmayes (London) | 21,374 | 43.7% | 2 / 317 |
| 3 | Leicester (Wigston) | 18,868 | 51.2% | 3 / 317 |
| 4 | West Didsbury (Manchester) | 17,806 | 47.7% | 4 / 317 |
| 5 | Cardiff (Llanishen) | 16,401 | 46.5% | 5 / 317 |
| 6 | Birmingham (Kingstanding) | 16,133 | 48.5% | 6 / 317 |
| 7 | Chadderton | 15,988 | 46.8% | 7 / 317 |
| 8 | Morden (London) | 15,770 | 51.0% | 8 / 317 |
| 9 | Nottingham (Colwick) | 15,150 | 46.4% | 9 / 317 |
| 10 | Warwick (Wedgenock House) | 15,070 | 48.5% | 10 / 317 |
| 11 | Mitcham (London) | 15,046 | 47.0% | 11 / 317 |
| 12 | Gillingham | 14,886 | 56.4% | 12 / 317 |
| 13 | Bristol (Kingswood) | 14,863 | 51.9% | 13 / 317 |
| 14 | Birmingham (South Yardley) | 14,471 | 42.8% | 14 / 317 |
| 15 | Pinner (London) | 14,367 | 49.7% | 15 / 317 |
| 16 | Sidcup (London) | 14,318 | 58.7% | 16 / 317 |
| 17 | Leicester (Cannock Street) | 14,198 | 40.2% | 17 / 317 |
| 18 | St Helens (Liverpool) | 14,174 | 40.9% | 18 / 317 |
| 19 | Coventry | 13,771 | 40.0% | 19 / 317 |
| 20 | Dudley | 13,721 | 45.2% | 20 / 317 |
| 21 | Cambridge (Brookmount Court) | 13,689 | 53.8% | 21 / 317 |
| 22 | Northampton | 13,539 | 52.1% | 22 / 317 |
| 23 | Portsmouth | 13,518 | 52.8% | 23 / 317 |
| 24 | Norris Green (Liverpool) | 13,472 | 37.8% | 24 / 317 |
| 25 | Bromley (London) | 13,228 | 52.9% | 25 / 317 |
| 26 | Featherstone | 13,193 | 36.4% | 26 / 317 |
| 27 | Chingford (London) | 13,120 | 39.9% | 27 / 317 |
| 28 | Atherton (Manchester) | 13,035 | 44.3% | 28 / 317 |
| 29 | Watford | 12,939 | 46.2% | 29 / 317 |
| 30 | Swindon | 12,857 | 51.1% | 30 / 317 |
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The 25 quietest UK test centres
The centres conducting the fewest tests in April 2025 to March 2026 — almost all small rural and island locations. They can have shorter waits but limited examiner availability, and their pass rates move on a small number of tests, so treat those figures with caution.
| # | Test centre | Tests / year | Pass rate | Volume rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isles of Scilly | 8 | 75.0% | 317 / 317 |
| 2 | Isle of Mull | 42 | 73.8% | 316 / 317 |
| 3 | Carlisle LGV (Cars) | 47 | 44.7% | 315 / 317 |
| 4 | Ullapool | 49 | 61.2% | 314 / 317 |
| 5 | Gairloch | 49 | 73.5% | 313 / 317 |
| 6 | Mallaig | 53 | 64.2% | 312 / 317 |
| 7 | Brodick (Isle of Arran) | 55 | 67.3% | 311 / 317 |
| 8 | Kingussie | 93 | 59.1% | 310 / 317 |
| 9 | Golspie | 93 | 71.0% | 309 / 317 |
| 10 | Benbecula Island | 107 | 72.9% | 308 / 317 |
| 11 | Campbeltown | 109 | 71.6% | 307 / 317 |
| 12 | Inveraray | 124 | 69.4% | 306 / 317 |
| 13 | Rothesay | 125 | 52.0% | 305 / 317 |
| 14 | Isle of Skye (Portree) | 128 | 57.0% | 304 / 317 |
| 15 | Kyle of Lochalsh | 136 | 57.4% | 303 / 317 |
| 16 | Grantown-On-Spey | 137 | 56.9% | 302 / 317 |
| 17 | Lochgilphead | 140 | 56.4% | 301 / 317 |
| 18 | Pitlochry | 146 | 73.3% | 300 / 317 |
| 19 | Aberfeldy | 149 | 68.5% | 299 / 317 |
| 20 | Beverley LGV | 159 | 54.1% | 298 / 317 |
| 21 | Thurso | 162 | 63.0% | 297 / 317 |
| 22 | Duns | 171 | 70.2% | 296 / 317 |
| 23 | Dunoon | 193 | 71.5% | 295 / 317 |
| 24 | Stranraer | 215 | 71.2% | 294 / 317 |
| 25 | Newton Stewart | 225 | 65.8% | 293 / 317 |
Busiest centre in each UK region
The highest-volume centre in every UK nation and region. Tap through for the full best-to-worst pass-rate ranking in that area.
Scotland
74 centresBusiest: Glasgow (Baillieston) (10,428 tests)
Wales
21 centresBusiest: Cardiff (Llanishen) (16,401 tests)
North East England
11 centresBusiest: Darlington (12,183 tests)
North West England
31 centresBusiest: West Didsbury (Manchester) (17,806 tests)
Yorkshire and the Humber
31 centresBusiest: Featherstone (13,193 tests)
East Midlands
20 centresBusiest: Leicester (Wigston) (18,868 tests)
West Midlands
25 centresBusiest: Birmingham (Garretts Green) (22,480 tests)
East of England
21 centresBusiest: Cambridge (Brookmount Court) (13,689 tests)
London
31 centresBusiest: Goodmayes (London) (21,374 tests)
South East England
30 centresBusiest: Gillingham (14,886 tests)
South West England
22 centresBusiest: Bristol (Kingswood) (14,863 tests)
Frequently asked questions
What is the busiest driving test centre in the UK?
Birmingham (Garretts Green) conducted the most car practical driving tests of any UK centre — 22,480 in April 2025 to March 2026 (DVSA table DRT122A). That is the single highest test volume in the dataset and about 1.1% of all tests across the 317 listed centres. High-volume centres are the most in demand, which generally means they are the hardest to get an early slot at.
Does a busy test centre mean a longer waiting time?
Generally, yes — the more tests a centre runs, the higher the demand on its slots, so the busiest centres usually have the longest waits. But the DVSA does not publish a live waiting time in table DRT122A, so this page shows annual test volume as a demand proxy rather than a number of weeks. For the live wait at a specific centre, use the official DVSA waiting-time lookup on gov.uk.
How can I find the actual waiting time for a test centre?
The DVSA publishes live and average waiting times separately from the pass-rate data. Check the official "DVSA driving test and theory test waiting times" guidance on gov.uk, or search for a slot in the DVSA booking service. This page ranks centres by how many tests they conduct a year so you can see which are most in demand before you check live availability.
What is the quietest UK driving test centre?
Isles of Scilly conducted the fewest car practical tests of any listed centre — 8 in April 2025 to March 2026. The quietest centres are almost all small rural and island locations; they can have shorter waits but limited examiner availability, and their pass rates swing on a small number of tests.
How many tests does a typical UK centre conduct?
Across the 317 listed centres, the typical (median) centre conducted 5,955 car practical tests in April 2025 to March 2026; the mean is 6,304. The mean is higher because a handful of very large urban centres pull the average up. Both figures are GeraRide calculations from DVSA table DRT122A.
Should I book a quieter centre to get an earlier test?
Booking a less busy nearby centre can shorten your wait, but check it is somewhere you can practise around regularly — local roads matter far more to your result than the centre's volume. Every examiner marks to the same national standard, so a quieter centre is not an easier exam. Compare each centre's pass rate alongside its volume below.
Source: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), table DRT122A — Driving test and theory test data (cars). Reporting period April 2025 to March 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-25. “Busiest” ranks centres by the number of car practical tests conducted — a demand proxy, not a published waiting time. Median and mean test counts are GeraRide calculations over the 317 listed centres. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.