Bury (Manchester) Driving Test Centre
At Bury (Manchester), 40.3% of candidates pass, one of the 323 test centres we rank from the DVSA data. Below you will find the full pass-rate history, the demographic split, the official DVSA waiting time and a comparison with the nearest centres.
DVSA data last updated August 2026
Bury (Manchester) sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 6%, rank #305 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Ipswich, about 22.7 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 26.4K passed, 41.4K failed, 67.8K total
How Bury (Manchester) compares
At 8.4 points below the UK figure (ranked 305 of 323 in its category), Bury (Manchester) is on the harder side without being extreme; familiarity with the local junctions closes much of the gap.
Where Bury (Manchester) ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Bury (Manchester) has held a narrow 5.7-point range across the whole series (34.6% at the low in 2018-19, 40.3% at the high in 2024-25); what you see is what you get.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Bury (Manchester)
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 23.5 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Bury (Manchester) in May 2026 had waited 5 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 Bury (Manchester)
- car
- ADI part 3
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 BL9 6HH, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Drivers booked at Bury (Manchester) report to a DVSA centre in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The car routes used here are drawn from the streets the centre's examiners drive every week, so the test reflects local conditions rather than a generic syllabus. Volume is not the issue at Bury (Manchester). 67.8K tests sit on the record across 2017-18-2024-25, so the trend line below reflects real movement, not sample noise.
By raw pass rate Bury (Manchester) sits at 40.3%, with the DVSA's national car average over the same window running at 48.7%. The gap (8.4 points below the UK figure) places the centre at rank #305 of 323, inside the bottom quarter of the country's car test centres. 38.8% of first-timers pass at Bury (Manchester), 10.2 points below the UK figure of 49%. If your booking is your first attempt, factor in a few lessons on the local test-area roads.
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 Bury (Manchester)
- Bury (Manchester) is in the lower tier of pass rates nationally. That isn't an indictment of the examiners, it reflects road layout, traffic density, and route mix. Prepare specifically for the centre, not generically.
- First-time pass rate at Bury (Manchester) is 38.8%, 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.
- 67.8K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page often.
- Ask any instructor working Bury (Manchester) about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the official DVSA booking service is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Bury (Manchester)
Ten minutes early is the right target at Bury (Manchester). Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder the day before. This centre sees very high demand, modelled at roughly 18 to 22 weeks to a slot; booking well ahead and watching for cancellations both help. Bring the provisional photocard licence, the examiner checks for it first, and make sure your car is roadworthy with L plates and a working interior mirror. If West Wickham (London) is fully booked, Bury (Manchester) is the next closest centre, roughly 18 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 Bury (Manchester). 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 40.3% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Bury (Manchester)?
Is Bury (Manchester) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Bury (Manchester) compare to the UK average?
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Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
DVSA data period: 2024-25.