Dorchester driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Dorchester is one of Britain's 10 easiest driving test centres.
Quick answers
- Where is it? 66 Peverell Avenue West, Poundbury, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 3SU. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 69% overall (manual 73%, automatic 59%), 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? Easier than most. Only three of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Poole, about a 34 minute drive away.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 2½ months, down from about 4 months in the 12 months before. Waits here have been falling, so yours could be shorter.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Dorchester | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 3½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 3½ 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
No other test centre is within half an hour's drive of Dorchester. The nearest is Poole, about a 34 minute drive away. Its pass rate is 53% and its typical wait about 2 months.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Poole 26 miles by road | 34 minutes | 53.4% | 55.4% | 45.1% | 2 months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Dorchester's pass rate was 69%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above 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: 59%, compared with 73%. That gap is wider than at most centres. Only three of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a higher automatic pass rate. 31% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Women had a higher pass rate than men here: 70%, compared with 68%. Across Great Britain it was the other way round: men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 4,353 | 69.0% | 73.3% | 59.3% | 4th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 4,561 | 66.7% | 68.7% | 60.3% | 3rd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 5,689 | 63.5% | 65.3% | 56.1% | 8th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 5,202 | 62.0% | 63.0% | 55.7% | 10th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 5,999 | 64.7% | 65.3% | 60.2% | 9th 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 Dorchester.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Dorchester?
59% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Dorchester?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Dorchester test centre?
It ran 4,353 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 Dorchester 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 nearest other centre is Poole, about a 34 minute drive away.
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.