Car Test Centre, England

Shrewsbury Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BShrewsburyModerate

The Shrewsbury driving test centre is located in Shrewsbury, England. 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.

By VikasReviewed by VikasMethodologySources
Pass rate (2024-25)
49.2%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
5.7K
2024-25
National rank
#194
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
48.3%
below UK avg

Pass vs fail at a glance

49.2%passed
failed50.2%

24.8K passed, 25.0K failed, 49.9K total

How Shrewsbury compares

Shrewsbury
49.2%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+0.5 pp

Shrewsbury sits very close to the UK average, within 1 percentage point.

Where Shrewsbury ranks among 323 centres

Top 41%
Shrewsbury sits in the bottom half of car pass rates
Rank
#194
BestMedianHardest

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.

  1. 1Junctions - observation10
  2. 2Mirrors - change direction9
  3. 3Move off - safely8
  4. 4Junctions - turning right7
  5. 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

Male vs female pass rate gap 5.1 pp
Male52.3%
0%UK avg 49.7%100%
Female47.2%
0%UK avg 44.0%100%
Zero faults0.9%
262 candidates passed without a single recorded fault

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
18 weeks
High demand
Weekly capacity
~130
estimated test slots per week
Trend
worsening
availability direction

Wait times at Shrewsbury have been lengthening as demand outpaces examiner capacity. Booking requires patience: learners booking at Shrewsbury typically wait around 18 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
longest waits in Shrewsbury
Best to book
November, December, January, February
shortest expected waits

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

Stafford Drive
Battlefield Enterprise Park
Shrewsbury
SY1 3BF
England

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

Tests offered at Shrewsbury

  • car
  • motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
  • motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
  • ADI part 2
  • ADI part 3

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 SY1 3BF, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Of the DVSA car centres across England, Shrewsbury is the one covering Shrewsbury, Shropshire. 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 49.9K tests at Shrewsbury. 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 Shrewsbury is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 49.2% is within a point of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #194 out of 323. 2.6K first-attempt tests, 48.3% pass rate, against a UK average of 49%. Shrewsbury doesn't favour or punish first-timers relative to the national pattern.

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.

Country
England
Test category
Car
DVSA centre ID
shrewsbury

What learners should know about Shrewsbury

  • Centre difficulty is roughly average at Shrewsbury. The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
  • Ask any instructor working Shrewsbury 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 Shrewsbury, 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 Shrewsbury

Turn up at Shrewsbury 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. Demand is high and waits are near 18 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.

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 show-me and one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in three. 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.

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; 49.2% of candidates at Shrewsbury currently clear that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Shrewsbury?
The current pass rate at Shrewsbury driving test centre is 49.2%, calculated from 5.7K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 48.3%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 49.8% (from 49.9K tests).
Is Shrewsbury an easy or hard test centre?
Shrewsbury is ranked #194 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 49.2% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Much of the spread comes down to route geography: lighter traffic and simpler junctions lift a centre, dense city driving and complex roundabouts pull it down.
How does Shrewsbury compare to the UK average?
Shrewsbury's pass rate is 0.5 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. Shrewsbury sits very close to the UK average, within 1 percentage point.
How many tests are taken at Shrewsbury each year?
Shrewsbury has recorded 49.9K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 24.8K passed and 25.0K failed. The yearly trend chart on this page shows how volume and pass rate have moved across recent reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Shrewsbury?
The closest DVSA test centres to Shrewsbury are Shrewsbury (72.2%), Shrewsbury (79.2%), Harlescott LGV (54.8%) and Telford (43.9%). Of these, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury, Harlescott LGV have higher current pass rates than Shrewsbury's 49.2%. Telford sits 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 Shrewsbury?
Shrewsbury currently sees high demand with an estimated wait of around 18 weeks. 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 Shrewsbury and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Shrewsbury 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 Shrewsbury?
The estimated wait at Shrewsbury is around 18 weeks (high demand). That figure is modelled from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times, the DVSA Despatch blog updates, and this centre's test volume of 49.9K lifetime tests. Wait times peak in June and July and ease in November and December. 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.