Nottingham Chilwell driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Nottingham Chilwell's pass rate rose from 44% to 50% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Unit 24, Eldon Business Park, Eldon Road, Beeston, Nottingham, NG9 6DZ. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 50% overall (manual 52%, automatic 43%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 1 month. 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? Derby Alvaston is the closest, 17 minutes away. Its pass rate is 52% and its typical wait about 3 months.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3 months, up from about 2½ months in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1 month.
| Year | Nottingham Chilwell | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 month | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 4½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 1½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 3 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
There are four other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Loughborough has the shortest wait, about 2½ months, and Ashfield the highest pass rate, 57%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Derby (Alvaston) 11 miles by road | 17 minutes | 51.8% | 54.5% | 46.3% | 3 months |
| Loughborough 19 miles by road | 29 minutes | 42.3% | 44.6% | 33.2% | 2½ months |
| Nottingham (Colwick) 10 miles by road | 29 minutes | 46.4% | 48.6% | 42.4% | 3 months |
| Ashfield 21 miles by road | 29 minutes | 57.3% | 59.8% | 49.6% | 3½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Nottingham Chilwell's pass rate was 50%, the same as across Great Britain.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 43%, compared with 52%. That gap is about the same as at most centres. Its automatic pass rate is around the middle of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests. 27% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 51%, compared with 49%. 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 | 9,415 | 49.9% | 52.2% | 43.4% | 168th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 10,561 | 43.9% | 45.6% | 38.7% | 232nd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 9,016 | 39.3% | 40.5% | 34.8% | 261st of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 7,589 | 42.5% | 43.1% | 40.1% | 233rd of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 6,008 | 48.9% | 50.2% | 43.2% | 159th 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 Nottingham.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Nottingham Chilwell?
43% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Nottingham Chilwell?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Nottingham Chilwell test centre?
It ran 9,415 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 76 of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Nottingham Chilwell 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 Derby Alvaston, about 17 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.