Atherton driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Atherton's pass rate is the lowest it has been since 2013, the first year DVSA has figures for it.
Quick answers
- Where is it? 5 Gibfield Park Avenue, Atherton, Manchester, M46 0SU. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 44% overall (manual 47%, automatic 38%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 2½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Harder than most. Only 38 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a lower pass rate.
- What's nearby? Bolton is the closest, 15 minutes away. Its pass rate is 52% and its typical wait about 3 months. Chorley, 21 minutes away, has a shorter wait, about 1 month, and a pass rate of 53%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 2½ months, up from about 2 months in the 12 months before. Waits here have been rising, so yours could be longer.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Atherton | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 2½ 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 12 other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Chorley has the shortest wait, about 1 month, and Bredbury the highest pass rate, 56%. The table shows the closest eight.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Bolton (Manchester) 7 miles by road | 15 minutes | 51.8% | 54.7% | 46.7% | 3 months |
| Chorley 14 miles by road | 21 minutes | 52.8% | 54.4% | 46.2% | 1 month |
| Chadderton 18 miles by road | 21 minutes | 46.8% | 49.6% | 40.7% | 3½ months |
| Bury (Manchester) 17 miles by road | 21 minutes | 46.3% | 48.9% | 38.9% | 1½ months |
| Cheetham Hill (Manchester) 15 miles by road | 25 minutes | 44.7% | 47.5% | 41.5% | 2½ months |
| Warrington 11 miles by road | 25 minutes | 55.5% | 58.1% | 48.6% | 4 months |
| Sale (Manchester) 19 miles by road | 26 minutes | 51.4% | 54.6% | 45.1% | 4 months |
| Blackburn with Darwen 23 miles by road | 27 minutes | 46.6% | 46.9% | 45.7% | 3 months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Atherton's pass rate was 44%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been below Britain's pass rate for the last four years. It wasn't always that way: in the 12 months to March 2014, the first year DVSA has figures for it, it was 50%, above Britain's pass rate of 47%.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 38%, compared with 47%. That gap is about the same as at most centres, but only 40 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a lower automatic pass rate. 30% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 46%, compared with 42%. That's a wider gap than across Great Britain, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 13,035 | 44.3% | 47.1% | 37.9% | 238th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 7,690 | 44.4% | 45.9% | 39.4% | 228th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 6,918 | 44.3% | 45.6% | 37.9% | 212th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 7,030 | 47.2% | 48.4% | 38.4% | 167th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 5,654 | 49.9% | 50.2% | 47.6% | 147th 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 Manchester.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Atherton?
38% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Atherton?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Chorley, 21 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1 month.
How busy is Atherton test centre?
It ran 13,035 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 27 of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Atherton 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 Bolton, about 15 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.