Nelson driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Driver and Vehicle Srandards Agency, Driving Test Center Nelson, Ground Floor Units 103, 104, 105, Pendle Business Centre, Commercial Road, BB9 9BT. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 52% overall (manual 52%, automatic 49%), 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? About average: it's around the middle of Britain's 276 bigger test centres.
- What's nearby? Blackburn with Darwen is the closest, 20 minutes away. Its pass rate is 47% and its typical wait about 3 months. Bury, 30 minutes away, has a shorter wait, about 1½ months, and a pass rate of 46%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3½ months, up from about 3 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 2 months.
| Year | Nelson | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 4 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 four other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Bury has the shortest wait, about 1½ months, and Skipton the highest pass rate, 57%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Blackburn with Darwen 17 miles by road | 20 minutes | 46.6% | 46.9% | 45.7% | 3 months |
| Skipton 13 miles by road | 28 minutes | 57.3% | 57.5% | 55.1% | 3 months |
| Steeton 14 miles by road | 29 minutes | 52.8% | 54.0% | 47.9% | 3½ months |
| Bury (Manchester) 24 miles by road | 30 minutes | 46.3% | 48.9% | 38.9% | 1½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Nelson's pass rate was 52%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. The year before, it was below Britain's pass rate.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 49%, compared with 52%. That gap is narrower than at most centres. Only 65 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a higher automatic pass rate. 19% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 56%, compared with 47%. 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 | 5,955 | 51.7% | 52.3% | 49.4% | 133rd of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 6,366 | 47.9% | 48.3% | 45.1% | 174th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 5,845 | 49.6% | 50.1% | 44.1% | 128th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 4,833 | 54.3% | 54.3% | 54.9% | 66th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 4,485 | 56.5% | 56.6% | 54.8% | 65th 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 Nelson.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Nelson?
49% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Nelson?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Bury, 30 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1½ months.
How busy is Nelson test centre?
It ran 5,955 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 Nelson 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 Blackburn with Darwen, about 20 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.