Gloucester Driving Test Centre
The Gloucester driving test centre is located in Gloucester, England. 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
53.3K passed, 55.6K failed, 108.9K total
How Gloucester compares
Gloucester sits very close to the UK average, within 1 percentage point.
Where Gloucester 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 Gloucester have been lengthening as demand outpaces examiner capacity. Booking requires patience: learners booking at Gloucester typically wait around 18 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
Accessibility & facilities
Parking, toilets, and disabled-access details vary by centre. Check the official DVSA find a driving test centre tool, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Where do you actually take your car test if you book Gloucester? You start in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, and the examiner takes you through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within a roughly twenty-minute drive of the centre. Gloucester runs at high cadence: 108.9K tests across 2017-18-2024-25 put it among the busier DVSA centres in the country. The headline numbers carry weight because the sample carries weight.
How does Gloucester compare nationally? 49.6% pass rate, #182 of 323 car centres in the DVSA network, within a point of the UK average of 48.7%. The lower half of the country, in other words. 48.9% of candidates pass on their first attempt at Gloucester; the UK figure is 49%. The two are close enough that "first-time vs retake" mostly tracks how ready the individual was, not where they sat the test.
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 Gloucester
- Pass rate at Gloucester sits close to the UK average. Prepare for an ordinary level of difficulty: examiners apply the standard DVSA marking sheet, and the routes are a representative mix of local conditions.
- 108.9K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, set up a cancellation alert and check often.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Gloucester will have a working knowledge of which routes Gloucester uses.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the DVSA's own cancellation feed is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Gloucester
Plan to arrive at Gloucester 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 high here and waits near 18 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 Gloucester is fully booked, Gloucester is the next closest centre, roughly 3 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 three tests includes 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 will know the result before you leave Gloucester. 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 49.6% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Gloucester?
Is Gloucester an easy or hard test centre?
How does Gloucester compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Gloucester each year?
Which driving test centres are near Gloucester?
When is the best time to book a test at Gloucester?
How do I book a test at Gloucester and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Gloucester?
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.