Birmingham Shirley driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Quick answers
- Where is it? 401 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4AA. 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 4½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 57 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? Birmingham Kings Heath is the closest, 10 minutes away. Its pass rate is 47% and its typical wait about 2½ months. Redditch, 24 minutes away, has a shorter wait, about 1 month, and a pass rate of 51%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3 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 | Birmingham Shirley | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 4 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 1½ 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 six other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Redditch has the shortest wait, about 1 month, and the highest pass rate too, 51%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Birmingham (Kings Heath) 3 miles by road | 10 minutes | 46.8% | 47.9% | 44.7% | 2½ months |
| Birmingham (South Yardley) 5 miles by road | 13 minutes | 42.8% | 45.0% | 37.8% | 2½ months |
| Birmingham (Garretts Green) 7 miles by road | 19 minutes | 44.4% | 46.0% | 41.0% | 2½ months |
| Redditch 13 miles by road | 24 minutes | 51.4% | 51.5% | 50.8% | 1 month |
| Warwick (Wedgenock House) 18 miles by road | 26 minutes | 48.5% | 50.7% | 43.8% | 2½ months |
| Coventry 22 miles by road | 28 minutes | 40.0% | 42.1% | 35.6% | 2½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Birmingham Shirley's pass rate was 57%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate for the last six years. It wasn't always that way: when DVSA's figures began, in the 12 months to March 2008, it was 44%, below Britain's pass rate of 44%.
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 61 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a higher automatic pass rate. 36% 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 55%. 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 | 9,385 | 56.6% | 60.4% | 49.8% | 58th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 9,582 | 58.1% | 60.1% | 53.4% | 35th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 7,960 | 53.2% | 55.5% | 47.4% | 74th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 4,856 | 50.0% | 52.0% | 43.1% | 126th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 3,621 | 49.0% | 50.5% | 39.2% | 158th 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 Birmingham.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Birmingham Shirley?
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 Birmingham Shirley?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Redditch, 24 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1 month.
How busy is Birmingham Shirley test centre?
It ran 9,385 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 Birmingham Shirley 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 Birmingham Kings Heath, about 10 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.