Ashfield driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Ashfield's pass rate rose from 51% to 57% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Ground Floor, Sherwood House, Off Coxmoor Road, NG17 5LA. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 57% overall (manual 60%, automatic 50%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 50 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? Chesterfield is the closest, 26 minutes away. Its pass rate is 56% and its typical wait about 2 months. Nottingham Chilwell, 29 minutes away, has a shorter wait, about 1 month, and a pass rate of 50%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3 months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Ashfield | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 3 months | 2½ months |
2019 starts in May and 2026 runs to September.
See how waits have changed across Britain in our report on driving test waiting times.
Other test centres nearby
There are two other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Nottingham Chilwell has the shortest wait, about 1 month, and Chesterfield the highest pass rate, 56%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Chesterfield 14 miles by road | 26 minutes | 56.2% | 58.9% | 48.0% | 2 months |
| Nottingham (Chilwell) 21 miles by road | 29 minutes | 49.9% | 52.2% | 43.4% | 1 month |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Ashfield's pass rate was 57%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate every year since 2009, the first year DVSA has figures for it.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 50%, compared with 60%. That gap is about the same as at most centres, but only 64 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a higher automatic pass rate. 25% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 58%, compared with 56%. That's a similar gap to Great Britain's, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 8,144 | 57.3% | 59.8% | 49.6% | 51st of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 9,507 | 51.2% | 53.4% | 43.2% | 102nd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 10,894 | 51.0% | 52.4% | 43.9% | 106th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 8,327 | 57.3% | 58.3% | 50.7% | 43rd of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 6,319 | 59.1% | 59.6% | 54.7% | 41st of 280 |
Each year runs from April to March.
Compare every centre in our report on driving test pass rates.
Before your test
In the weeks before your test, ask your instructor to take you round the roads near the centre, and practise the faults learners make most often. If you're still looking for an instructor, see who teaches in Sutton-in-Ashfield.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Ashfield?
50% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Ashfield?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Nottingham Chilwell, 29 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1 month.
How busy is Ashfield test centre?
It ran 8,144 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. That's around the middle for Britain's test centres.
Can I move my test from Ashfield to another centre?
Yes. You can move it to any centre with a free date, on gov.uk. Before you do, check your instructor can take you there, and bear in mind it's harder to pass on roads you don't know. The closest other centre is Chesterfield, about 26 minutes away by road.
Figures from DVSA: pass rates for the 12 months to March 2026, waits for September 2026, published 14 October 2026. Driving times by road, from OpenRouteService. How we worked these out.