Car Test Centre, England

Grimsby Coldwater Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BGreat CoatesDN31 2TBTougher than average

The Grimsby Coldwater driving test centre is located in Great Coates, England (DN31 2TB). 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 (2024-25)
42.7%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
5.8K
2024-25
National rank
#290
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
41.6%
below UK avg

Pass vs fail at a glance

42.7%passed
failed57.5%

19.4K passed, 26.3K failed, 45.7K total

How Grimsby Coldwater compares

Grimsby Coldwater
42.7%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-6 pp

Grimsby Coldwater has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.

Where Grimsby Coldwater ranks among 323 centres

Top 11%
Grimsby Coldwater sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#290
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 2.7 pp
Male43.8%
0%UK avg 49.7%100%
Female41.1%
0%UK avg 44.0%100%
Zero faults0.8%
183 candidates passed without a single recorded fault

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
17 weeks
High demand
Weekly capacity
~119
estimated test slots per week
Trend
improving
availability direction

Wait times at Grimsby Coldwater have been gradually shortening as DVSA recovers post-pandemic capacity. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Grimsby Coldwater typically wait around 17 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
longest waits in Great Coates
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

Estate Road 1
South Humberside Trading Estate
Pyewipe
Grimsby
DN31 2TB
England

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

Tests offered at Grimsby Coldwater

  • car
  • motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
  • lorry and bus
  • ADI part 2
  • 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 DN31 2TB, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Where do you actually take your car test if you book Grimsby Coldwater? You start in Great Coates, Greater Lincolnshire (DN31 2TB), and the examiner takes you through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within a roughly twenty-minute drive of the centre. Over 2017-18-2024-25, 45.7K candidates sat tests here. The figures are statistically usable for centre-to-centre comparisons, which is most of what people land on this page wanting to do.

How does Grimsby Coldwater compare nationally? 42.7% pass rate, #290 of 323 car centres in the DVSA network, 6 points below the UK average of 48.7%. The bottom quarter of the country, in other words. Across 2.4K first attempts, the pass rate at Grimsby Coldwater is 41.6%, against 49% nationally. Booking your first test here is doable, but it's worth a few lessons on the actual test routes before the date.

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
Car
DVSA centre ID
grimsby-coldwater

What learners should know about Grimsby Coldwater

  • A lower pass rate at Grimsby Coldwater 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.
  • Ask any instructor working Grimsby Coldwater 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.
  • 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 Grimsby Coldwater

Ten minutes early is the right target at Grimsby Coldwater. Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder (postcode DN31 2TB) the day before. This centre sees high demand, modelled at roughly 17 weeks to a slot; booking well ahead and watching for cancellations both help. Bring the provisional photocard licence, the examiner checks for it first, and make sure your car is roadworthy with L plates and a working interior mirror.

Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a pair of vehicle-safety questions, one show-me, one tell-me, then the examiner joins you for the road section. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around a third of candidates get 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.

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; 42.7% of candidates at Grimsby Coldwater currently clear that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Grimsby Coldwater?
The current pass rate at Grimsby Coldwater driving test centre is 42.7%, calculated from 5.8K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 41.6%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 42.5% (from 45.7K tests).
Is Grimsby Coldwater an easy or hard test centre?
Grimsby Coldwater is ranked #290 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 42.7% 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 Grimsby Coldwater compare to the UK average?
Grimsby Coldwater's pass rate is 6 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. Grimsby Coldwater 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 Grimsby Coldwater each year?
Grimsby Coldwater has recorded 45.7K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 19.4K passed and 26.3K 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 Grimsby Coldwater?
The closest DVSA test centres to Grimsby Coldwater are Grimsby Coldwater (67%), Grimsby Coldwater (59%), Grimsby (75.3%) and Grimsby LGV (48%). Of these, Grimsby Coldwater, Grimsby Coldwater, Grimsby, Grimsby LGV have higher current pass rates than Grimsby Coldwater's 42.7%. 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 Grimsby Coldwater?
Grimsby Coldwater currently sees high demand with an estimated wait of around 17 weeks. 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 Grimsby Coldwater and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Grimsby Coldwater 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 Grimsby Coldwater?
The estimated wait at Grimsby Coldwater is around 17 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 45.7K 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: 2024-25.