HGV/LGV Test Centre, England

Garretts Green LGV Driving Test Centre

HGV, Cat CGarretts GreenB33 0TUTougher than average

The Garretts Green LGV driving test centre is located in Garretts Green, England (B33 0TU). 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.

By VikasReviewed by VikasMethodologySources
Pass rate (2010-11)
38.8%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
1.0K
2010-11
National rank
#151
of 152 centres
1st-time pass
N/A
DVSA omits this centre from DRT122C

Pass vs fail at a glance

38.8%passed
failed60.3%

1.8K passed, 2.8K failed, 4.6K total

How Garretts Green LGV compares

Garretts Green LGV
38.8%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-9.9 pp

Garretts Green LGV has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.

Where Garretts Green LGV ranks among 152 centres

Top 2%
Garretts Green LGV sits in the bottom quarter of hgv/lgv pass rates
Rank
#151
BestMedianHardest

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.

  1. 1Junctions - observation10
  2. 2Mirrors - change direction9
  3. 3Move off - safely8
  4. 4Junctions - turning right7
  5. 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

Male vs female pass rate gap 0.2 pp
Male39.7%
0%UK avg 49.7%100%
Female39.5%
0%UK avg 44.0%100%
Zero faults0%
0 candidates passed without a single recorded fault

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
16 weeks
High demand
Weekly capacity
~24
estimated test slots per week
Trend
improving
availability direction

Wait times at Garretts Green LGV have been gradually shortening as DVSA recovers post-pandemic capacity. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Garretts Green LGV typically wait around 16 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
longest waits in Garretts Green
Best to book
November, December, January, February
shortest expected waits

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

Garretts Green LGV
Garretts Green
West Midlands
B33 0TU
England

Tests offered at Garretts Green LGV

  • HGV/LGV

For other test types at this location, search the DVSA centre finder with postcode B33 0TU.

Accessibility & facilities

Parking, toilets, and disabled-access details vary by centre. Check the official DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode B33 0TU, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Of the DVSA hgv/lgv centres across England, Garretts Green LGV is the one covering Garretts Green, West Midlands and the surrounding B33 0TU area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Volume here sits at 4.6K over 2007-08-2010-11. That's the territory where a noisy quarter can shift the rate by two or three percentage points, so read the trend chart in context rather than reacting to any single bar.

If you've been told Garretts Green LGV is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 38.8% is 9.9 points below the UK hgv/lgv average of 48.7%, which is rank #151 out of 152. DVSA doesn't break out first-attempt figures for Garretts Green LGV in DRT122C, so the split between first-time and retake pass rates isn't published for this 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.

Country
England
Test category
HGV/LGV
DVSA centre ID
garretts-green-lgv-heavy

What learners should know about Garretts Green LGV

  • A lower pass rate at Garretts Green LGV usually means specific local junctions or routes that catch out candidates trained elsewhere. Book route-familiarisation lessons with an instructor who works this centre, not one who covers a different patch.
  • Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Garretts Green will have a working knowledge of which routes Garretts Green LGV uses.
  • If you missed the earlier slots at Garretts Green LGV, 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 Garretts Green LGV

Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Garretts Green LGV, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode B33 0TU) shows the exact location. This is a high-demand centre, modelled at roughly 16 weeks to a slot, so book as far ahead as you can and keep an eye on cancellations. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner.

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 show-me plus one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive. 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-three chance of an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre 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 38.8% of candidates at Garretts Green LGV meet under current DVSA marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Garretts Green LGV?
The current pass rate at Garretts Green LGV driving test centre is 38.8%, calculated from 1.0K tests in 2010-11. DVSA does not publish first-attempt figures for this centre. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 39.7% (from 4.6K tests).
Is Garretts Green LGV an easy or hard test centre?
Garretts Green LGV is ranked #151 of 152 UK hgv/lgv test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of hgv/lgv pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 38.8% 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 Garretts Green LGV compare to the UK average?
Garretts Green LGV's pass rate is 9.9 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. Garretts Green LGV has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.
How many tests are taken at Garretts Green LGV each year?
Garretts Green LGV has recorded 4.6K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 1.8K passed and 2.8K failed. See the yearly trend chart above to track how test volume and pass rate have shifted over recent reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Garretts Green LGV?
The closest DVSA test centres to Garretts Green LGV are Birmingham (Garretts Green) (42%), Birmingham (South Yardley) (41.6%), Birmingham (Shirley) (58.1%) and George Lovatt (66.9%). Of these, Birmingham (Garretts Green), Birmingham (South Yardley), Birmingham (Shirley), George Lovatt have higher current pass rates than Garretts Green LGV's 38.8%. 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 Garretts Green LGV?
Garretts Green LGV currently sees high demand with an estimated wait of around 16 weeks. Waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. A flexible test date helps: booking into a quieter month often shortens the wait and opens up more available slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Garretts Green LGV and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Garretts Green LGV 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 Garretts Green LGV?
The estimated wait at Garretts Green LGV is around 16 weeks (high demand). That figure is modelled from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times, the DVSA Despatch blog updates, and this centre's test volume of 4.6K lifetime tests. Wait times peak in June and July and ease in November and December. 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: 2010-11.