Grantham (Somerby) Driving Test Centre
The Grantham (Somerby) driving test centre is located in Grantham, England (NG31 6LJ). 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
23.4K passed, 21.6K failed, 45.0K total
How Grantham (Somerby) compares
Grantham (Somerby) 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 Grantham (Somerby) 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 Grantham (Somerby) have been gradually shortening as DVSA recovers post-pandemic capacity. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Grantham (Somerby) typically wait around 17 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 Grantham (Somerby)
- car
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- 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 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 routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- 59.8% of first-timers pass at Grantham (Somerby). 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.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Grantham will have a working knowledge of which routes Grantham (Somerby) uses.
- 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 17 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 Grantham (Somerby) is fully booked, Grantham (Somerby) is the next closest centre, roughly 2 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 show-me and one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in three. 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.
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)?
Is Grantham (Somerby) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Grantham (Somerby) compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Grantham (Somerby) each year?
Which driving test centres are near Grantham (Somerby)?
When is the best time to book a test at Grantham (Somerby)?
How do I book a test at Grantham (Somerby) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Grantham (Somerby)?
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.