Kettering Driving Test Centre
Kettering posts a 46% pass rate, with Wellingborough the nearest alternative about 5 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Kettering sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 21%, rank #257 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Melton Mowbray, about 27.6 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 55.3K passed, 59.9K failed, 115.2K total
How Kettering compares
The 2.7-point gap at Kettering (ranked 257 of 323 in its category) is real but small; local route familiarity moves your odds more than the venue does.
Where Kettering ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Kettering has given up 4.3 points since 2017-18 (50.3% then, 46% now); the low water mark was 40.5% in 2021-22.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Kettering
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Kettering in May 2026 had waited 12.9 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
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Kettering
- car
- motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
- 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 NN15 6NL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Drivers booked at Kettering report to a DVSA centre in Kettering, North Northamptonshire, postcode NN15 6NL. The car routes used here are drawn from the streets the centre's examiners drive every week, so the test reflects local conditions rather than a generic syllabus. Kettering runs at high volume: 115.2K 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.
By raw pass rate Kettering sits at 46%, with the DVSA's national car average over the same window running at 48.7%. The gap (2.7 points below the UK figure) places the centre at rank #257 of 323, inside the bottom quarter of the country's car test centres. First-attempt figure: 46.2%. UK first-attempt average: 49%. Kettering runs 2.8 points behind, candidates who succeed here on the first try are usually the ones who've practised the local road mix.
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 Kettering
- Kettering doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
- Kettering is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- Ask any instructor working Kettering 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 official DVSA booking service is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Kettering
Ten minutes early is the right target at Kettering. Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder (postcode NN15 6NL) the day before. This centre sees high demand, modelled at roughly 16 to 20 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. If Wellingborough is fully booked, Kettering is the next closest centre, roughly 5 miles away.
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 tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive and asks one show-me question on the move. 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-seven chance of 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 DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
The result is given immediately when you get back. Whatever the outcome, the examiner reads through the marked faults and prints your DL25 feedback form; pass and they take the provisional licence to trigger your full one by post. The threshold is the national one, 15 driving faults at most and zero serious or dangerous, which 46% of Kettering's candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
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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.