Peterborough Driving Test Centre
The Peterborough driving test centre is located in Peterborough, England (PE1 1XH). 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.
Pass vs fail at a glance
6.2K passed, 2.5K failed, 8.7K total
How Peterborough compares
Peterborough performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Peterborough ranks among 80 centres
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.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 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
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Peterborough have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Peterborough typically wait around 12 weeks from booking to test day.
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
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Peterborough
- car
- motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- 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 PE1 5XA, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Peterborough is one of the DVSA's motorcycle module 1 test sites in England, located in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough at PE1 1XH. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. Sample size: 8.7K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. Enough that comparisons hold up; small enough that a single examiner retiring or a route being temporarily diverted can show in the data.
Peterborough passes higher than most. At 75.9% versus a UK average of 48.7%, it ranks #36 of 80 motorcycle module 1 centres, the upper half of the network. DVSA doesn't break out first-attempt figures for Peterborough in DRT122C, so the split between first-time and retake pass rates isn't published for this centre.
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 Peterborough
- Peterborough passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Peterborough routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Peterborough, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Peterborough
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Peterborough, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode PE1 1XH) shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 12 weeks at moderate demand, which tends to mean less competition for a date that suits you. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner.
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.
You find out there and then, back at Peterborough. 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; 75.9% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Peterborough?
Is Peterborough an easy or hard test centre?
How does Peterborough compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Peterborough each year?
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When is the best time to book a test at Peterborough?
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How long is the wait for a driving test at Peterborough?
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.