Driving test waiting times by test centre
How long learners wait for a test at every centre in Britain, and where a shorter wait is half an hour away.
Megan Watkins, Drivepal Founder·Updated 12 October 2026
If you're learning to drive, you'll probably wait a while for your test. In August, 39% of learners waited seven weeks or less between booking and taking their test, which is how long DVSA wants the wait to be, and 32% waited more than 21 weeks. In August 2019, only 1% waited that long.
How long you wait depends a lot on where you book. Some test centres are almost full for the next six months. Others, sometimes only a few miles away, have tests bookable in about nine weeks.
A shorter wait down the road
Say you live in Uxbridge. In August, almost every test there for the next 24 weeks was already booked. That's as far ahead as DVSA lets anyone book, so the real wait could be longer.
High Wycombe is 12 miles away by road, about 17 minutes in the car. There, tests were bookable in about nine weeks. 55% of its learners waited seven weeks or less. At Uxbridge it was 32%.
Uxbridge isn't the only one. The table below lists 16 test centres with another centre within half an hour's drive where you could book at least ten weeks sooner.
We've only listed a centre when two things are true: tests are bookable sooner at the nearby centre, and more of its learners actually waited seven weeks or less. The second matters because cancellations mean some fully booked centres still test people quickly.
| Test centre | Bookable in | Waited 7 weeks or less | Nearby centre | Bookable in | Waited 7 weeks or less | Distance by road | Driving time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uxbridge (London) | More than 24 weeks | 32.2% | High Wycombe | 9 weeks | 55.3% | 12 miles | 17 minutes |
| Slough (London) | More than 24 weeks | 26.0% | High Wycombe | 9 weeks | 55.3% | 15 miles | 20 minutes |
| Southall (London) | More than 24 weeks | 44.4% | High Wycombe | 9 weeks | 55.3% | 17 miles | 24 minutes |
| Greenford (Horsenden Lane) | More than 24 weeks | 33.1% | High Wycombe | 9 weeks | 55.3% | 18 miles | 25 minutes |
| Watford | More than 24 weeks | 27.0% | High Wycombe | 9 weeks | 55.3% | 23 miles | 28 minutes |
| Pinner (London) | More than 24 weeks | 15.7% | High Wycombe | 9 weeks | 55.3% | 19 miles | 29 minutes |
| Leeds (Fearnville) | 23 weeks | 41.0% | Bradford (Thornbury) | 11 weeks | 53.5% | 10 miles | 27 minutes |
| Norris Green (Liverpool) | More than 24 weeks | 35.2% | St Helens (Liverpool) | 13 weeks | 48.1% | 11 miles | 21 minutes |
| Paisley | More than 24 weeks | 27.2% | Dumbarton | 13 weeks | 52.8% | 14 miles | 24 minutes |
| Atherton (Manchester) | More than 24 weeks | 34.9% | St Helens (Liverpool) | 13 weeks | 48.1% | 14 miles | 27 minutes |
| Glasgow (Anniesland) | More than 24 weeks | 17.9% | Dumbarton | 13 weeks | 52.8% | 13 miles | 28 minutes |
| Glasgow (Shieldhall) | More than 24 weeks | 24.6% | Dumbarton | 13 weeks | 52.8% | 17 miles | 28 minutes |
| Farnborough | More than 24 weeks | 24.8% | Basingstoke | 13 weeks | 31.0% | 22 miles | 28 minutes |
| York | 19 weeks | 26.1% | Malton | 8 weeks | 38.1% | 16 miles | 27 minutes |
| Chertsey (London) | More than 24 weeks | 27.1% | Guildford | 14 weeks | 45.9% | 16 miles | 26 minutes |
| Tolworth (London) | More than 24 weeks | 39.4% | Guildford | 14 weeks | 45.9% | 19 miles | 29 minutes |
"Bookable in" is the general wait: you may find a test sooner through a cancellation. DVSA figures for August 2026, published 9 September 2026. Distances and driving times are by road. We've left out small centres (fewer than 250 tests on offer) and centres you'd need a ferry to reach.
A test centre half an hour away can mean taking your test months sooner.
Before you move your test
- Check your instructor can take you there. Most learners take their test in their instructor's car, and many instructors only teach around one or two centres. Ask them first.
- The roads will be new to you. You've practised around your own centre. A different centre means different junctions, and time spent learning them can eat into the weeks you save.
- Your own centre might come good. Tests get cancelled and rebooked all the time, and DVSA says many people get a test sooner than its booking figures suggest. The table above shows how many learners at each centre actually waited seven weeks or less.
- You can only change your test so many times. DVSA sets the limit. Check the rules before you use a change up.
Where learners wait longest
The centres where the most learners waited more than 21 weeks between booking and taking their test, in August. Only centres with at least 250 tests on offer.
| Test centre | Waited more than 21 weeks | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|
| Haddington | 68.6% | 23 weeks |
| Pinner (London) | 66.4% | 23 weeks |
| Grangemouth | 61.3% | 23 weeks |
| Glasgow (Anniesland) | 59.3% | 21 weeks |
| Wellingborough | 58.9% | 21 weeks |
| Hornchurch (London) | 57.3% | 23 weeks |
| Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) | 56.6% | 17 weeks |
| Edinburgh (Currie) | 53.3% | 23 weeks |
| Cambridge (Brookmount Court) | 52.1% | 20 weeks |
| West Didsbury (Manchester) | 50.5% | 23 weeks |
Where learners get a test soonest
The centres where the most learners waited seven weeks or less between booking and taking their test, in August. Only centres with at least 250 tests on offer.
| Test centre | Waited 7 weeks or less | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|
| Redditch | 69.9% | 4 weeks |
| Chichester | 69.3% | 5 weeks |
| Camborne | 69.2% | 6 weeks |
| Monmouth | 67.3% | 12 weeks |
| Hereford | 65.9% | 6 weeks |
| Weston-super-Mare | 65.2% | 5 weeks |
| Llanelli | 63.7% | 5 weeks |
| Boston | 62.8% | 5 weeks |
| Rhyl | 62.4% | 6 weeks |
| Pembroke Dock | 61.0% | 14 weeks |
How the wait has changed since 2019
In August 2019, 1% of learners waited more than 21 weeks between booking and taking their test. In August 2026, 32% did.
Short waits haven't changed as much. In August 2019, 49% of learners waited seven weeks or less. In August 2026, 39% did.
| August | Waited 7 weeks or less | Waited more than 21 weeks | Typical wait |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 48.9% | 1.1% | 7 weeks |
| 2020 | 14.3% | 81.2% | 24 weeks |
| 2021 | 30.3% | 31.8% | 14 weeks |
| 2022 | 39.7% | 25.6% | 11 weeks |
| 2023 | 41.1% | 26.1% | 11 weeks |
| 2024 | 41.5% | 19.6% | 10 weeks |
| 2025 | 38.0% | 29.1% | 13 weeks |
| 2026 | 39.1% | 31.8% | 12 weeks |
Driving tests were stopped for parts of 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic, which is why those years look so different.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the wait for a driving test?
It depends a lot on where you book. In August 2026, 39% of learners waited seven weeks or less between booking and taking their test, and 32% waited more than 21 weeks. At a typical test centre, half of learners waited more than 12 weeks and half waited less. The tables on this page show each centre.
What does "bookable in" mean?
It's the general wait to book a test at that centre: how far ahead you'd have to look to find a week where at least one test in ten is still free. You may find a single test sooner through a cancellation. DVSA only lets anyone book 24 weeks ahead, so when a centre is almost full for all of that time, we say "more than 24 weeks".
Why do some full centres still test people quickly?
Tests get cancelled and rebooked all the time, and those dates go to whoever is looking when they come up. DVSA says many people book and take their test sooner than its booking figures suggest. That's why we also show how many learners at each centre actually waited seven weeks or less.
Can I move my test to a different centre?
Yes. You can change the centre as well as the date and time. DVSA sets how many changes you get and how much notice you need, and you make the change on gov.uk/change-driving-test.
How we worked this out
Everything here comes from DVSA's table of car test waiting times by test centre (DRT122F), for August 2026, published on 9 September 2026. DVSA calls these figures provisional, so they may change slightly.
"Waited 7 weeks or less" and "waited more than 21 weeks" are DVSA's figures for the time between booking and taking the test, for the tests each centre carried out that month. DVSA doesn't say how many tests each figure covers, so for the national figures we weighted each centre by the number of tests booked there.
"Bookable in" is DVSA's count of weeks until at least one test in ten is still free to book. It stops at 24 because that's as far ahead as DVSA releases tests. "Typical wait" is DVSA's median: half of that month's learners waited longer than this between booking and taking their test, and half waited less.
Nearby centres are within 30 minutes' drive. Road distances and driving times between test centres come from OpenRouteService, using OpenStreetMap, and don't allow for traffic. The rankings leave out centres with fewer than 250 tests on offer, and the nearby table leaves out centres you'd need a ferry to reach. Lorry test centres that also run car tests are left out everywhere.
Source: DVSA: Car driving test data by test centre. Released under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions or corrections? info@usedrivepal.com
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