Wellingborough Driving Test Centre
Wellingborough in Wellingborough, England has a current pass rate of 55.1%, 6.4 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 September 2026
Wellingborough sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 31%, rank #100 of 323). No nearby car centre currently posts a higher pass rate.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 7.5K passed, 5.8K failed, 13.3K total
How Wellingborough compares
The 6.4-point advantage at Wellingborough (ranked 100 of 323 in its category) is worth having but not decisive; a well-prepared candidate passes at either kind of centre.
Where Wellingborough ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Wellingborough has given up 4.2 points since 2017-18 (59.3% then, 55.1% now); the low water mark was 53% in 2023-24.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Wellingborough
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Wellingborough in August 2026 had waited 21.4 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, August 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 Wellingborough
- car
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 NN8 3RU, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Wellingborough is the one covering Wellingborough, North Northamptonshire and the surrounding NN8 1AF area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. Sample size: 13.3K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. Enough that comparisons hold up; small enough that a quiet month or a route being temporarily diverted can show in the data.
If you've been told Wellingborough is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 55.1% is 6.4 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #100 out of 323. 55.4% of first-timers pass at Wellingborough, 6.4 points above the UK figure of 49%. A prepared first attempt has a real shot here in a way it doesn't at every 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 Wellingborough
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Wellingborough'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.
- 55.4% of first-timers pass at Wellingborough, 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Wellingborough area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Wellingborough, 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.
Whether you pass at Wellingborough is not decided by the centre. It is decided by the 15 things an examiner can mark you on, and response, traffic signs is one of the ones that ends attempts early.
Take response, traffic signs. Pre-test route familiarity not built. Eyes fixed too close in. Sign-blindness from over-focusing on the road surface. Most of the argument about what is a minor and what is a serious comes down to cases like that one, so it is worth knowing which side of the line yours falls on before an examiner decides it for you.
Drive your local test routes specifically scanning for signs. Have the instructor cover unusual signs on country roads (national speed limit on single carriageway = 60 mph, not 70). Free to use, no sign up. Everything for the day itself is on the practical test hub.
Other test centres nearby
You cannot book a practical test at Wellingborough until you hold a theory pass, and it has to still be valid on the day you sit it. Nationally 44.8% of candidates pass the theory.
Observation, anticipation, concentration and avoiding distractions at the wheel. All 14 DVSA topics are free to practise, with no sign up. See the theory pass rate by centre or the full practice hub.
On the day at Wellingborough
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Wellingborough, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode NN8 1AF) shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 10 to 14 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. If Kettering is fully booked, Wellingborough is the next closest centre, roughly 5 miles away.
The test runs for around 40 minutes and follows the same DVSA format used at every centre. The examiner checks your eyesight at 20 metres, asks you a tell-me safety question, then sits in for the drive, with one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes of it is independent driving, either following a sat nav the examiner sets up or following road signs to a named place. You will do one of four set manoeuvres, and roughly one in seven candidates is asked to perform 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 will know the result before you leave Wellingborough. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 55.1% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Wellingborough?
Is Wellingborough an easy or hard test centre?
How does Wellingborough compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Wellingborough record?
Which driving test centres are near Wellingborough?
When is the best time to book a test at Wellingborough?
How do I book a test at Wellingborough and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Wellingborough?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
DVSA data period: 2024-25.