Car Test Centre, England

Grantham (Somerby) Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BGranthamNG31 6LJHigh pass rate

At Grantham (Somerby), 58.1% 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.

Pass rate (2024-25)
58.1%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
6.0K
2024-25
National rank
#70
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
59.8%
above UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Grantham (Somerby) sits in the top quarter of car pass rates nationally (Top 22%, rank #70 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Melton Mowbray, about 14.4 miles away.

Melton MowbrayBest nearby
14.4 mi away
63.9%
+5.8 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

58.1%passed
failed41.9%

All-time 23.4K passed, 21.6K failed, 45.0K total

How Grantham (Somerby) compares

Grantham (Somerby)
58.1%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+9.4 pp

Grantham (Somerby) runs 9.4 points ahead of the national average, ranked 70 of 323 in its category. Margins in this range usually track route difficulty: fewer multi-lane roundabouts and less dense traffic.

Where Grantham (Somerby) ranks among 323 centres

Top 22%
Grantham (Somerby) ranks higher than 78% of UK car test centres
Rank
#70
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

Grantham (Somerby) has climbed 10.5 points across the series, 47.6% in 2017-18 to 58.1% now; the weakest year on record was 47.6% in 2017-18.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 5.2 pp
Male54.6%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female49.4%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults2.9%
701 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Grantham (Somerby)

Median wait, booking to test
16.3 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
24 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
5.5%
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 Grantham (Somerby) in May 2026 had waited 16.3 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

Spitalgate Airfield
Blue Harbour
Grantham
NG31 7TX
England

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

Tests offered at Grantham (Somerby)

  • car
  • motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
  • ADI part 3

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 NG31 7TX, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Grantham (Somerby) sits in Grantham, Greater Lincolnshire, just inside the NG31 6LJ 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 Grantham tend to know already. Grantham (Somerby) sees moderate volume: 45.0K 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.

58.1% at Grantham (Somerby), against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre 9.4 points clear of the national figure and ranks it #70 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. The DVSA's first-attempt figure for Grantham (Somerby) sits at 59.8%, 10.8 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 Grantham (Somerby)

  • Grantham (Somerby) passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the local road mix (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
  • 59.8% of first-timers pass at Grantham (Somerby), so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
  • Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Grantham will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
  • 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 Grantham (Somerby)

Turn up at Grantham (Somerby) ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder (postcode NG31 6LJ). Demand is high and waits are near 14 to 18 weeks, so an early booking plus a cancellation watch is the sensible approach. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror. If Melton Mowbray is fully booked, Grantham (Somerby) is the next closest centre, roughly 14 miles away.

Once underway the test takes around 40 minutes and is the same wherever you sit it. The examiner verifies your eyesight at 20 metres, puts one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive and asks one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of the set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in seven. 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.

There is no wait for the verdict, the examiner delivers it at the centre. They go over each fault recorded, hand you the DL25 feedback form, and on a pass retain your provisional licence so the full version arrives by post. To pass you need no more than 15 driving faults and not a single serious or dangerous one; 58.1% of candidates at Grantham (Somerby) currently clear that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Grantham (Somerby)?
The current pass rate at Grantham (Somerby) driving test centre is 58.1%, calculated from 6.0K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 59.8%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 52.1% (from 45.0K tests).
Is Grantham (Somerby) an easy or hard test centre?
Grantham (Somerby) is ranked #70 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the top quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 58.1% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Much of the spread comes down to route geography: lighter traffic and simpler junctions lift a centre, dense city driving and complex roundabouts pull it down.
How does Grantham (Somerby) compare to the UK average?
Grantham (Somerby)'s pass rate is 9.4 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. Grantham (Somerby) runs 9.4 points ahead of the national average, ranked 70 of 323 in its category. Margins in this range usually track route difficulty: fewer multi-lane roundabouts and less dense traffic.
How many driving tests does Grantham (Somerby) record?
Grantham (Somerby) has recorded 45.0K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 23.4K passed and 21.6K 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 Grantham (Somerby)?
The closest DVSA test centres to Grantham (Somerby) are Melton Mowbray (63.9%), Lincoln (49.8%), Upton (50%) and Nottingham (Colwick) (45.5%). Of these, Melton Mowbray has a higher current pass rate than Grantham (Somerby)'s 58.1%. Lincoln, Upton, Nottingham (Colwick) 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 Grantham (Somerby)?
Grantham (Somerby) currently sees high demand with an estimated wait of about 14 to 18 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. If your test date is flexible, aiming for a quieter month can mean a shorter wait and more slot choice. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Grantham (Somerby) and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Grantham (Somerby) 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 Grantham (Somerby)?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Grantham (Somerby) had waited about 16.3 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 5.5% 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.