Car Test Centre, England

Wednesbury Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BWednesburyWS10 7BFTougher than average

Wednesbury in Wednesbury currently passes 36.4% of tests, 12.3 points below the UK average of 48.7%. The sections below cover the year-by-year trend, who passes most often, how long learners wait, and how it stacks up against neighbouring centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
36.4%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
8.3K
2024-25
National rank
#321
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
33.2%
below UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Wednesbury sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 1%, rank #321 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Birmingham (Kings Heath), about 11.6 miles away.

Birmingham (Kings Heath)Best nearby
11.6 mi away
47%
+10.6 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

36.4%passed
failed63.6%

All-time 46.4K passed, 82.6K failed, 129.0K total

How Wednesbury compares

Wednesbury
36.4%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-12.3 pp

A 12.3-point shortfall against the UK figure puts Wednesbury ranked 321 of 323 in its category. Expect the local routes, not the examiners, to be the reason: the marking standard is national.

Where Wednesbury ranks among 323 centres

Bottom 1%
Wednesbury sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#321
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

The series at Wednesbury is remarkably flat, moving only from 37% (2017-18) to 36.4% now, with a total spread of 3.9 points.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 8.6 pp
Male40.2%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female31.6%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults0.2%
192 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Wednesbury

Median wait, booking to test
15 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
24 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
4.5%
Share of the 24-week window still open

The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Wednesbury in May 2026 had waited 15 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

Knowles Street
Wednesbury
WS10 9HN
England

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

Tests offered at Wednesbury

  • 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 WS10 9HN, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Wednesbury: a DVSA car test centre in Wednesbury, West Midlands. Local routes, local traffic patterns, no national standard for what "harder" or "easier" looks like beyond what the numbers below show. By volume, Wednesbury is at the upper end of the DVSA's network. With 129.0K tests across 2017-18-2024-25, the figures on this page are about as statistically settled as DVSA data gets.

The bottom quarter of the UK by pass rate: Wednesbury ranks #321 of 323 car centres at 36.4%, 12.3 points below the national figure of 48.7%. First-attempt pass rate at Wednesbury: 33.2%, against 49% nationally. That's 15.8 points below the UK average. Many candidates need a second go, and local-road familiarity is one of the most consistent things that improves the second attempt.

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 Wednesbury

  • Wednesbury is in the lower tier of pass rates nationally. That isn't an indictment of the examiners, it reflects road layout, traffic density, and route mix. Prepare specifically for the centre, not generically.
  • 33.2% first-time pass at Wednesbury means roughly 7 in ten first-timers fail and rebook. Plan for that possibility: keep your insurance going, don't return the L-plates after the test.
  • 129.0K 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.
  • If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Wednesbury area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
  • 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 Wednesbury

Turn up at Wednesbury 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 WS10 7BF). Demand is very high and waits are near 19 to 23 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 Dudley is fully booked, Wednesbury is the next closest centre, roughly 4 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.

Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 36.4% of candidates at Wednesbury meet under current DVSA marking. First-time candidates pass less often than the headline suggests, 33.2% versus 36.4% overall, so a first booking is worth preparing thoroughly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Wednesbury?
The current pass rate at Wednesbury driving test centre is 36.4%, calculated from 8.3K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 33.2%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 35.9% (from 129.0K tests).
Is Wednesbury an easy or hard test centre?
Wednesbury is ranked #321 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 36.4% 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 Wednesbury compare to the UK average?
Wednesbury's pass rate is 12.3 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. A 12.3-point shortfall against the UK figure puts Wednesbury ranked 321 of 323 in its category. Expect the local routes, not the examiners, to be the reason: the marking standard is national.
How many driving tests does Wednesbury record?
Wednesbury has recorded 129.0K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 46.4K passed and 82.6K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Wednesbury?
The closest DVSA test centres to Wednesbury are Dudley (45.7%), Wolverhampton (33.4%), Birmingham (Kingstanding) (44.6%) and Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) (44.1%). Of these, Dudley, Birmingham (Kingstanding), Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) have higher current pass rates than Wednesbury's 36.4%. Wolverhampton 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 Wednesbury?
Wednesbury currently sees very high demand with an estimated wait of about 19 to 23 weeks. Across the UK, 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 Wednesbury and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Wednesbury 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 Wednesbury?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Wednesbury had waited about 15 weeks between booking and test day. DVSA's older measure, the number of weeks until at least 10% of slots are free, was 24 weeks. About 4.5% of appointments in the 24-week booking window were still available. 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.