Coventry driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Coventry's pass rate has been below Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Bayton Road Industrial Estate, 42 Bayton Road, Coventry, CV7 9EJ. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 40% overall (manual 42%, automatic 36%), 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 ten of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a lower pass rate.
- What's nearby? Nuneaton is the closest, 14 minutes away. Its pass rate is 53% and its typical wait about 2 months.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
The wait here has been shorter than Britain's typical wait in six of the last eight years.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here was about the same.
| Year | Coventry | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 1½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 1½ 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, Nuneaton has the shortest wait, about 2 months, and Birmingham Shirley the highest pass rate, 57%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Nuneaton 7 miles by road | 14 minutes | 53.2% | 57.5% | 45.5% | 2 months |
| Hinckley 12 miles by road | 17 minutes | 46.4% | 48.5% | 37.5% | 2 months |
| Rugby 17 miles by road | 25 minutes | 51.4% | 54.7% | 43.7% | 2½ months |
| Birmingham (Garretts Green) 16 miles by road | 26 minutes | 44.4% | 46.0% | 41.0% | 2½ months |
| Birmingham (South Yardley) 18 miles by road | 27 minutes | 42.8% | 45.0% | 37.8% | 2½ months |
| Warwick (Wedgenock House) 20 miles by road | 28 minutes | 48.5% | 50.7% | 43.8% | 2½ months |
| Birmingham (Shirley) 21 miles by road | 28 minutes | 56.6% | 60.4% | 49.8% | 4½ months |
| Birmingham (Kingstanding) 22 miles by road | 30 minutes | 48.5% | 50.5% | 45.3% | 3½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Coventry's pass rate was 40%, compared with 50% across Great Britain.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 36%, compared with 42%. That gap is about the same as at most centres, but only 22 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a lower automatic pass rate. 32% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 41%, compared with 38%. 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 | 13,771 | 40.0% | 42.1% | 35.6% | 266th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 9,102 | 42.3% | 44.2% | 37.6% | 243rd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 9,272 | 41.6% | 43.3% | 36.6% | 243rd of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 7,292 | 43.3% | 44.4% | 38.8% | 223rd of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 5,705 | 42.4% | 44.0% | 35.4% | 243rd 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 Coventry.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Coventry?
36% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Coventry?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Coventry test centre?
It ran 13,771 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 18 of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Coventry 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 Nuneaton, about 14 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.