Nelson Driving Test Centre
Nelson in Nelson records a 47.9% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 12 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Nelson sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 32%, rank #222 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Skipton, about 11.2 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 41.6K passed, 43.7K failed, 85.3K total
How Nelson compares
Nelson sits within a percentage point of the UK figure and is ranked 222 of 323 in its category: the venue itself is unlikely to move your odds either way.
Where Nelson ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Nelson has given up 5.3 points since 2017-18 (53.2% then, 47.9% now); the low water mark was 47.9% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Nelson
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 21.5 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Nelson in May 2026 had waited 12 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 Nelson
- car
- ADI part 2
- 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 BB9 9BT, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Nelson is in Nelson, Lancashire and runs DVSA car tests for learners across the local area. Your examiner picks the route on the day without telling you which, and the DVSA does not publish them. Nelson runs at high volume: 85.3K 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.
Out of 323 UK car test centres, Nelson ranks 222, which lands it in the lower half nationally. The 47.9% pass rate is within a point of the UK figure of 48.7%. First-attempt figure: 46.7%. UK first-attempt average: 49%. Nelson runs 2.3 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 Nelson
- Pass rate at Nelson sits close to the UK average. Prepare for an ordinary level of difficulty: examiners apply the standard DVSA marking sheet, and the routes are a representative mix of local conditions.
- 85.3K 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 Nelson will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Nelson. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Nelson
Plan to arrive at Nelson about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder a day or two ahead. With demand running very high here and waits near 18 to 22 weeks, it is worth holding any earlier cancellation slot you are offered. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Skipton is fully booked, Nelson is the next closest centre, roughly 11 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 47.9% of Nelson's candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Nelson compare to the UK average?
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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.