Car Test Centre, England

Lichfield Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BLichfieldModerate

Lichfield in Lichfield records a 48.6% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 21.1 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
48.6%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
8.5K
2024-25
National rank
#203
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
48.2%
below UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Lichfield sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 37%, rank #203 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Burton on Trent, about 11.7 miles away.

Burton on TrentBest nearby
11.7 mi away
54.1%
+5.5 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

48.6%passed
failed51.4%

All-time 58.6K passed, 58.0K failed, 116.6K total

How Lichfield compares

Lichfield
48.6%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-0.1 pp

With a gap of under one point to the national average, Lichfield (ranked 203 of 323 in its category) neither helps nor hurts; treat any difference you have heard about as noise.

Where Lichfield ranks among 323 centres

Bottom 37%
Lichfield sits in the bottom half of car pass rates
Rank
#203
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

The series at Lichfield is remarkably flat, moving only from 49.8% (2017-18) to 48.6% now, with a total spread of 6.1 points.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 6.1 pp
Male53.5%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female47.4%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults0.5%
530 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Lichfield

Median wait, booking to test
21.1 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
24 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
4.9%
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 Lichfield in May 2026 had waited 21.1 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

Lower Sanford Street
Lichfield
WS13 6RB
England

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

Tests offered at Lichfield

  • car

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 WS13 6RB, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Lichfield sits in Lichfield, Staffordshire. It's a DVSA-run car test centre, and the routes from here work outward into the streets and arterial roads that learners from Lichfield tend to know already. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 116.6K tests over 2017-18-2024-25 is large enough that any rounding you see between sites is just rounding, not disagreement on the underlying data.

48.6% at Lichfield, against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre within a point of the national figure and ranks it #203 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. 48.2% of candidates pass on their first attempt at Lichfield; 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 Lichfield

  • Lichfield 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.
  • 116.6K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page often.
  • Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Lichfield 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 Lichfield

Arrive at Lichfield with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder maps the centre and its surroundings. With very high demand and waits near 19 to 23 weeks, take any earlier slot the booking service offers rather than holding out. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) is fully booked, Lichfield is the next closest centre, roughly 9 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 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.

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; 48.6% of candidates at Lichfield currently clear that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Lichfield?
The current pass rate at Lichfield driving test centre is 48.6%, calculated from 8.5K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 48.2%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 50.3% (from 116.6K tests).
Is Lichfield an easy or hard test centre?
Lichfield is ranked #203 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 48.6% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Higher pass rates often correlate with quieter rural or suburban routes; lower rates with dense urban centres featuring complex junctions and multi-lane roundabouts.
How does Lichfield compare to the UK average?
Lichfield's pass rate is 0.1 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. With a gap of under one point to the national average, Lichfield (ranked 203 of 323 in its category) neither helps nor hurts; treat any difference you have heard about as noise.
How many driving tests does Lichfield record?
Lichfield has recorded 116.6K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 58.6K passed and 58.0K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Lichfield?
The closest DVSA test centres to Lichfield are Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) (44.1%), Birmingham (Kingstanding) (44.6%), Birmingham (Garretts Green) (42%) and Birmingham (South Yardley) (41.6%). Lichfield's 48.6% is the highest current pass rate among them. Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield), Birmingham (Kingstanding), Birmingham (Garretts Green), Birmingham (South Yardley) 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 Lichfield?
Lichfield currently sees very high demand with an estimated wait of about 19 to 23 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. Where you can be flexible on dates, targeting one of the quieter months tends to bring a shorter wait and a wider choice of slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Lichfield and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Lichfield 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 Lichfield?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Lichfield had waited about 21.1 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 4.9% 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.