Chingford driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Chingford is one of Britain's 10 hardest driving test centres.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Doric House, 128 Station Road, Chingford, E4 6AD. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 40% overall (manual 41%, automatic 38%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3 months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Harder than most. Only eight of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a lower pass rate.
- What's nearby? Loughton is the closest, 8 minutes away. Its pass rate is 47% and its typical wait about 5 months. Enfield Innova Business Park, 15 minutes away, has a shorter wait, less than a month, and a pass rate of 54%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here was about the same.
| Year | Chingford | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 1 month | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 1 month | 2 months |
| 2025 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 2 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 eight other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Enfield Innova Business Park has the shortest wait, less than a month, and the highest pass rate too, 54%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Loughton (London) 3 miles by road | 8 minutes | 47.0% | 48.3% | 45.3% | 5 months |
| Enfield (Brancroft Way) 3 miles by road | 10 minutes | 46.1% | 43.7% | 50.0% | Less than a month |
| Enfield (Innova Business Park) 5 miles by road | 15 minutes | 53.9% | 56.7% | 50.0% | Less than a month |
| Wanstead (London) 5 miles by road | 15 minutes | 44.4% | 46.3% | 42.1% | 3 months |
| Tottenham 6 miles by road | 20 minutes | 48.9% | 49.6% | 48.0% | 1½ months |
| Wood Green (London) 7 miles by road | 24 minutes | 46.8% | 47.6% | 45.8% | 2½ months |
| Barking (Tanner Street) 10 miles by road | 27 minutes | 36.3% | 38.8% | 33.4% | - |
| Goodmayes (London) 10 miles by road | 27 minutes | 43.7% | 46.3% | 41.5% | 2½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Chingford's pass rate was 40%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been below Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 38%, compared with 41%. That gap is narrower than at most centres. Only 42 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a lower automatic pass rate. 45% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 42%, compared with 37%. 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 | 13,120 | 39.9% | 41.2% | 38.3% | 268th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 13,235 | 36.5% | 37.8% | 34.6% | 272nd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 15,601 | 36.1% | 38.0% | 33.6% | 273rd of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 13,973 | 40.3% | 42.3% | 37.1% | 250th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 12,203 | 40.6% | 42.9% | 35.9% | 253rd 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 Chingford.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Chingford?
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 Chingford?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Enfield Innova Business Park, 15 minutes away, had a typical wait of less than a month.
How busy is Chingford test centre?
It ran 13,120 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 26 of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Chingford 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 Loughton, about 8 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.