Car Test Centre, England

Telford Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BTelfordTF3 4HBTougher than average

The Telford driving test centre is located in Telford, England (TF3 4HB). 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)
43.9%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
5.7K
2024-25
National rank
#280
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
42.8%
below UK avg

Pass vs fail at a glance

43.9%passed
failed54.1%

39.1K passed, 46.0K failed, 85.1K total

How Telford compares

Telford
43.9%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-4.8 pp

Telford has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.

Where Telford ranks among 323 centres

Top 14%
Telford sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#280
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 4.6 pp
Male48.3%
0%UK avg 49.7%100%
Female43.7%
0%UK avg 44.0%100%
Zero faults0.5%
162 candidates passed without a single recorded fault

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
19 weeks
High demand
Weekly capacity
~222
estimated test slots per week
Trend
worsening
availability direction

Wait times at Telford have been lengthening as demand outpaces examiner capacity. Booking requires patience: learners booking at Telford typically wait around 19 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
longest waits in Telford
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

35 Horton Wood
Telford
TF1 7FR
England

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

Tests offered at Telford

  • car
  • 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 TF1 7FR, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Telford sits in Telford, Telford and Wrekin, just inside the TF3 4HB postcode. It's a DVSA-run car test centre, and the routes from here work outward into the streets and arterial roads that learners from Telford tend to know already. The DVSA has logged 85.1K tests at this centre over 2017-18-2024-25. At that scale, the year-on-year shifts you see in the chart correspond to genuine changes in how the centre is performing, not statistical wobble.

43.9% at Telford, against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre 4.8 points below the national figure and ranks it #280 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. 42.8% of first-timers pass at Telford, 6.2 points below the UK figure of 49%. If your booking is your first attempt, factor that into how many lessons you take on local routes specifically.

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
telford

What learners should know about Telford

  • Centre difficulty is roughly average at Telford. The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
  • Telford is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA cancellation feed daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
  • Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Telford will have a working knowledge of which routes Telford uses.
  • 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 Telford

Turn up at Telford 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 TF3 4HB). Demand is high and waits are near 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 Harlescott LGV is fully booked, Telford is the next closest centre, roughly 12 miles away.

The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in three tests includes 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre 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 43.9% of Telford's candidates reach right now.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Telford?
The current pass rate at Telford driving test centre is 43.9%, calculated from 5.7K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 42.8%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 45.9% (from 85.1K tests).
Is Telford an easy or hard test centre?
Telford is ranked #280 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 43.9% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Centres with calmer suburban or rural routes tend to sit higher, while busy urban sites with tight junctions and multi-lane roundabouts usually sit lower.
How does Telford compare to the UK average?
Telford's pass rate is 4.8 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. Telford has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.
How many tests are taken at Telford each year?
Telford has recorded 85.1K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 39.1K passed and 46.0K 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 Telford?
The closest DVSA test centres to Telford are Harlescott LGV (54.8%), Shrewsbury (49.2%), Shrewsbury (72.2%) and Shrewsbury (79.2%). Of these, Harlescott LGV, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury, Shrewsbury have higher current pass rates than Telford's 43.9%. 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 Telford?
Telford currently sees high demand with an estimated wait of around 19 weeks. Waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. A flexible test date helps: booking into a quieter month often shortens the wait and opens up more available slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Telford and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Telford 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 Telford?
The estimated wait at Telford is around 19 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 85.1K 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.