Birmingham (Garretts Green) Driving Test Centre
Birmingham (Garretts Green) in Birmingham records a 42% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 3.6 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Birmingham (Garretts Green) sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 9%, rank #295 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Birmingham (Shirley), about 5.2 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 72.0K passed, 107.2K failed, 179.2K total
How Birmingham (Garretts Green) compares
At 6.7 points below the UK figure (ranked 295 of 323 in its category), Birmingham (Garretts Green) is on the harder side without being extreme; familiarity with the local junctions closes much of the gap.
Where Birmingham (Garretts Green) ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Stability is the story at Birmingham (Garretts Green): 40.1% in 2017-18, 42% now, and every year in between inside a 6.2-point band.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Birmingham (Garretts Green)
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Birmingham (Garretts Green) in May 2026 had waited 3.6 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, May 2026. The median is the time between booking and taking the test; for live availability use the DVSA booking service.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Birmingham (Garretts Green)
- car
Accessibility & facilities
Parking and toilet details aren't included in DVSA's published feed. For the current on-site facilities, check the DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode B44 9UL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Birmingham (Garretts Green) is in Birmingham, West Midlands and runs DVSA car tests for learners across the local area. Your examiner picks the route on the day without telling you which, and the DVSA does not publish them. Volume is not the issue at Birmingham (Garretts Green). 179.2K tests sit on the record across 2017-18-2024-25, so the trend line below reflects real movement, not sample noise.
Out of 323 UK car test centres, Birmingham (Garretts Green) ranks 295, which lands it in the bottom quarter nationally. The 42% pass rate is 6.7 points below the UK figure of 48.7%. Birmingham (Garretts Green) is one of the tougher venues for a first attempt. The DVSA reports 39.9% first-time pass against a UK average of 49%, 9.1 points down on the national figure.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Birmingham (Garretts Green)
- A lower pass rate at Birmingham (Garretts Green) usually means specific local junctions or road types that catch out candidates trained elsewhere. Book local-area familiarisation lessons with an instructor who works this centre, not one who covers a different patch.
- First-time pass rate at Birmingham (Garretts Green) is 39.9%, low enough that a meaningful share of candidates retake. If this is your first booking, take a mock around the centre's local roads before the date.
- Volume at Birmingham (Garretts Green) is among the highest in the network. Don't take the first available date on faith, refreshing the DVSA booking page across a few days regularly turns up cancellations.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Birmingham (Garretts Green) area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Birmingham (Garretts Green). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Birmingham (Garretts Green)
Plan to arrive at Birmingham (Garretts Green) about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder a day or two ahead. With demand running very high here and waits near 18 to 22 weeks, it is worth holding any earlier cancellation slot you are offered. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Birmingham (South Yardley) is fully booked, Birmingham (Garretts Green) is the next closest centre, roughly 2 miles away.
The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in seven tests includes an emergency stop, a frequency the DVSA reduced in late 2025. The drive works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Birmingham (Garretts Green). The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 42% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Birmingham (Garretts Green)?
Is Birmingham (Garretts Green) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Birmingham (Garretts Green) compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Birmingham (Garretts Green) record?
Which driving test centres are near Birmingham (Garretts Green)?
When is the best time to book a test at Birmingham (Garretts Green)?
How do I book a test at Birmingham (Garretts Green) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Birmingham (Garretts Green)?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.