Car Test Centre, Scotland

East Kilbride Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BEast KilbrideG74 1LJModerate

East Kilbride in East Kilbride records a 46.4% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 21.6 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
46.4%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
2.5K
2024-25
National rank
#248
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
47.8%
below UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

East Kilbride sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 24%, rank #248 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Bishopbriggs, about 10.1 miles away.

BishopbriggsBest nearby
10.1 mi away
50.5%
+4.1 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

46.4%passed
failed53.6%

All-time 9.0K passed, 10.8K failed, 19.7K total

How East Kilbride compares

East Kilbride
46.4%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-2.3 pp

East Kilbride is 2.3 points behind the national figure and ranked 248 of 323 in its category, a difference most candidates will not feel on the day.

Where East Kilbride ranks among 323 centres

Bottom 24%
East Kilbride sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#248
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

Year-to-year volatility is the story at East Kilbride: 8.4 points separate 2019-20 (47.1%) from 2020-21 (38.7%), even though the endpoints nearly match.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 2.2 pp
Male46.6%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female44.4%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults0.9%
85 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at East Kilbride

Median wait, booking to test
21.6 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
24 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
0.7%
Share of the 24-week window still open

The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at East Kilbride in May 2026 had waited 21.6 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

John Wright Sports Centre
Calderwood Road
East Kilbride
G74 3EU
Scotland

Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.

Tests offered at East Kilbride

  • car

Accessibility & facilities

Wheelchair accessible per DVSA

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 G74 3EU, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

East Kilbride sits in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, just inside the G74 1LJ postcode. It's a DVSA-run car test centre, and the routes from here work outward into the streets and arterial roads that learners from East Kilbride tend to know already. East Kilbride sees moderate volume: 19.7K practical tests through 2017-18-2024-25. Year-on-year percentages here are meaningful, but watch the trend line rather than fixating on any single period.

46.4% at East Kilbride, against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre 2.3 points below the national figure and ranks it #248 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. First-attempt pass rate: 47.8%, against the UK figure of 49%. Effectively level, the gap between candidates who pass first time at East Kilbride and those who pass first time nationally is preparation, not the centre.

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 East Kilbride

  • East Kilbride doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
  • Ask any instructor working East Kilbride 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.
  • The only legitimate booking route is gov.uk. Anything calling itself a "test booking concierge" is reselling the same slots at a markup, the slots aren't theirs to control.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at East Kilbride

Arrive at East Kilbride 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 G74 1LJ) maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 6 to 10 weeks at low demand, so you can usually pick a date without a long wait. 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 Glasgow (Baillieston) is fully booked, East Kilbride is the next closest centre, roughly 7 miles away.

Expect about 40 minutes once you set off, to the same national DVSA script. It opens with an eyesight check at 20 metres and one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive and asks one show-me question on the move. Around 20 minutes of that is independent driving, guided either by a sat nav the examiner provides or by road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and a one-in-seven chance of an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.

Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 46.4% of candidates at East Kilbride meet under current DVSA marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at East Kilbride?
The current pass rate at East Kilbride driving test centre is 46.4%, calculated from 2.5K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 47.8%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 45.4% (from 19.7K tests).
Is East Kilbride an easy or hard test centre?
East Kilbride is ranked #248 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 46.4% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Higher pass rates often correlate with quieter rural or suburban routes; lower rates with dense urban centres featuring complex junctions and multi-lane roundabouts.
How does East Kilbride compare to the UK average?
East Kilbride's pass rate is 2.3 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. East Kilbride is 2.3 points behind the national figure and ranked 248 of 323 in its category, a difference most candidates will not feel on the day.
How many driving tests does East Kilbride record?
East Kilbride has recorded 19.7K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 9.0K passed and 10.8K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near East Kilbride?
The closest DVSA test centres to East Kilbride are Glasgow (Baillieston) (44.4%), Hamilton (39.5%), Bishopbriggs (50.5%) and Glasgow (Shieldhall) (37.7%). Of these, Bishopbriggs has a higher current pass rate than East Kilbride's 46.4%. Glasgow (Baillieston), Hamilton, Glasgow (Shieldhall) sit lower. You can compare every nearby centre in the "Other test centres nearby" section above, or see them all on the interactive PassRates map.
When is the best time to book a test at East Kilbride?
East Kilbride currently sees low demand with an estimated wait of about 6 to 10 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. Where you can be flexible on dates, targeting one of the quieter months tends to bring a shorter wait and a wider choice of slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at East Kilbride and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose East Kilbride as your centre. You will need your provisional licence number and your theory test pass certificate number. To pass, you must finish with no more than 15 driving (minor) faults and zero serious or dangerous faults. Our guides cover how to book step by step and how faults are marked.
How long is the wait for a driving test at East Kilbride?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at East Kilbride had waited about 21.6 weeks between booking and test day. DVSA's older measure, the number of weeks until at least 10% of slots are free, was 24 weeks. About 0.7% of appointments in the 24-week booking window were still available. For live availability, check the official DVSA booking service.
Source

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.