Oswestry Driving Test Centre
Oswestry in Oswestry, England has a current pass rate of 55.6%, 6.9 points above the UK average of 48.7%. This page breaks down the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, the waiting time and how it compares with the rest of the UK, all from the DVSA quarterly data.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Oswestry sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 30%, rank #97 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Newtown, about 26.3 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 14.3K passed, 12.9K failed, 27.2K total
How Oswestry compares
Oswestry runs 6.9 points ahead of the national average, ranked 97 of 323 in its category. Margins in this range usually track route difficulty: fewer multi-lane roundabouts and less dense traffic.
Where Oswestry ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The direction of travel here is upward: Oswestry has added 5.1 points since 2017-18, from 50.5% to 55.6%, with its strongest year at 55.6% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Oswestry
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 14 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Oswestry in May 2026 had waited 10.4 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 Oswestry
- car
- 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 SY10 8GA, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Oswestry is the one covering Oswestry, Shropshire and the surrounding SY11 1PX area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Across 2017-18-2024-25 the DVSA recorded 27.2K tests at Oswestry. A solid mid-range sample, the data is reliable enough that the rank position below isn't an artefact of small numbers.
If you've been told Oswestry is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 55.6% is 6.9 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #97 out of 323. Across 871 first-attempt tests, Oswestry passes 57.5% of candidates, against 49% nationally. The centre is a relatively forgiving venue for a first booking, by the DVSA's own data.
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 Oswestry
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Oswestry's rate reflects route geography more than examiner discretion, DVSA marking is centrally trained. Prepare for the same fault categories you'd prepare for anywhere.
- 57.5% of first-timers pass at Oswestry, so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
- Ask any instructor working Oswestry 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.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Oswestry, cancellations appear on the official DVSA booking service throughout the day. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for the best chance of catching one.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Oswestry
Turn up at Oswestry 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 SY11 1PX). Demand is high and waits are near 15 to 19 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 Wrexham is fully booked, Oswestry is the next closest centre, roughly 13 miles away.
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 tell-me vehicle-safety question, then the examiner joins you for the road section, with one show-me question while you drive. 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 one in seven candidates get an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You find out there and then, back at Oswestry. The examiner runs through the faults on the DL25 feedback form and, on a pass, keeps your provisional licence so a full licence follows in the post. Clearing the test means staying under 16 driving faults, that is 15 or fewer, with no serious or dangerous fault; 55.6% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Oswestry?
Is Oswestry an easy or hard test centre?
How does Oswestry compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Oswestry record?
Which driving test centres are near Oswestry?
When is the best time to book a test at Oswestry?
How do I book a test at Oswestry and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Oswestry?
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.