Buxton Driving Test Centre
The Buxton driving test centre is located in Buxton, England (SK17 6BZ). Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
39.2K passed, 34.3K failed, 73.4K total
How Buxton compares
Buxton performs notably better than the UK average. This often correlates with rural or suburban routes that have fewer multi-lane roundabouts and complex urban scenarios.
Where Buxton ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Buxton have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Buxton typically wait around 16 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Buxton
- 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 SK17 9DS, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Buxton is the one covering Buxton, East Midlands and the surrounding SK17 6BZ area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 73.4K tests over 2017-18-2024-25 is large enough that any rounding you see between sites is just rounding, not disagreement on the underlying data.
If you've been told Buxton is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 57% is 8.3 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #84 out of 323. The DVSA's first-attempt figure for Buxton sits at 58%, 9 points clear of the 49% UK average. The gap is wide enough to matter when you're deciding which local centre to book.
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 Buxton
- Buxton passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- 58% of first-timers pass at Buxton. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, that figure is a fair guide, the centre isn't the variable, your preparation is.
- Volume at Buxton 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.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Buxton will have a working knowledge of which routes Buxton uses.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Buxton, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Buxton
Arrive at Buxton with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode SK17 6BZ) maps the centre and its surroundings. With high demand and waits near 16 weeks, take any earlier slot the booking service offers rather than holding out. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Macclesfield is fully booked, Buxton is the next closest centre, roughly 9 miles away.
Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a pair of vehicle-safety questions, one show-me, one tell-me, then the examiner joins you for the road section. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around a third of candidates get an emergency stop. 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You find out there and then, back at Buxton. The examiner runs through the faults on the DL25 feedback form and, on a pass, keeps your provisional licence so a full licence follows in the post. Clearing the test means staying under 16 driving faults, that is 15 or fewer, with no serious or dangerous fault; 57% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Buxton?
Is Buxton an easy or hard test centre?
How does Buxton compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Buxton each year?
Which driving test centres are near Buxton?
When is the best time to book a test at Buxton?
How do I book a test at Buxton and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Buxton?
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.