Chadderton Driving Test Centre Pass Rate 2026: 44.9% Explained

#Chadderton test centre pass rate: the 2024-25 figure

The current Chadderton pass rate is 44.9% for 2024-25, based on 12,454 tests. The first-time pass rate is 44.5%, compared with the national first-attempt figure of 48.9%. Both sit roughly four points below the national average, reflecting a route mix of busy Oldham arterial roads and residential streets that places consistent demands on junction observation and lane discipline. At 12,454 tests, Chadderton is one of the three highest-volume DVSA centres in Greater Manchester, alongside West Didsbury (17,196) and Bolton (11,879). High volume means the pass rate figure is statistically sound: the margin of error at this sample is under one percentage point.

#How Chadderton compares across Greater Manchester

Among Greater Manchester centres with 2024-25 data, Bolton leads at 56.7% and Rochdale trails at 41.2%, a 15.5-point spread. Chadderton at 44.9% sits in the lower half of that range. Bredbury (Stockport area) comes in at 54.2%, West Didsbury at 50.9%, and Sale at 49.1%. Atherton (44.4%) and Cheetham Hill (43.7%) are close to Chadderton, making the Oldham centre part of a cluster of urban northern Manchester centres that run in the mid-40s. The centres with higher rates serve routes with more residential suburban character and lower base-traffic density than the Oldham and central Manchester network.

#Why the Chadderton pass rate sits below the national average

Chadderton is in the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, north-east of Manchester city centre, at OL9 0HX. The road network around the centre mixes urban A-roads (the A669 Oldham Road, the A627 corridor) with residential streets in the Chadderton, Royton, and Hollinwood areas. Test routes from the centre draw on a road environment that places repeated demands on lane discipline under moving traffic, observation at restricted junctions, and independent decision-making at unmarked crossroads. None of those demands are individually exceptional, but their combination on the Oldham network produces a consistently below-national-average result.

• A669 Oldham Road: a busy urban arterial with frequent pedestrian crossings, bus stops, and parked vehicles. Speed and positioning must be managed while reading ahead for changing priority conditions.
• A627 corridor and Hollinwood junctions: multi-lane approaches where correct lane choice must be made early. Late lane changes or hesitation at these points are a common serious fault source.
• Residential streets in Chadderton and Royton: parked vehicles on both sides narrow the effective road width, demanding accurate lateral positioning at low speed to avoid mirror contact.
• Give-way and unmarked crossroads: the residential grid around the centre contains junctions where priority is inferred from road layout, not signalled, placing full independent decision-making on the candidate.
• Roundabouts on the A627 and connecting roads: decisive approach-lane selection and confident insertion into moving traffic are required. Examiners note roundabout faults at the approach, not after the exit.

#Male and female pass rates at Chadderton in 2024-25

Men pass at 48.0% at Chadderton (6,637 tests) and women at 41.5% (5,817 tests) in 2024-25, a gender gap of 6.5 percentage points. The national gender gap is 4.6 points (50.9% male, 46.3% female), so Chadderton's gap is 1.9 points wider than the national pattern. For first-time candidates, men pass at 47.6% and women at 40.5%, a 7.1-point spread. A wider-than-national gender gap at a centre typically reflects routes with a high proportion of multi-lane junctions and A-road sections, where the examiner records faults at the point of approach. The pattern appears consistently at urban northern England centres with significant arterial road exposure.

For female candidates booking at Chadderton, the wider gender gap is a planning signal, not a deterrent. The driving test pass rate by gender guide covers the national patterns in detail. At centres where the gap exceeds the national average, focused practice on multi-lane approach lanes and roundabout entry tends to close the gap more directly than additional general hours of driving. Ask your instructor to include the A627 and A669 approach lanes in pre-test lessons.

#When is the pass rate highest at Chadderton?

Chadderton pass rates in 2024-25 ranged from 42.7% in October (1,130 tests) to 48.8% in August (804 tests), a 6.1-point spread across the year. The August figure places Chadderton close to the national average for that month, suggesting that lower school-run and commuter traffic in summer genuinely changes the route environment. October and January are the two lowest months: both came in between 42 and 44%, coinciding with heavier autumn and winter traffic and shorter daylight hours on residential routes.

• August: 48.8% across 804 tests. The lowest commuter and school-run traffic of the year on the A-road network. Longer daylight and dry conditions reduce low-visibility pressure on junction approaches.
• June and September: both above 47%, with June recording the highest monthly test count (1,022 tests) and above-average results. The May to September window is the most consistent period at Chadderton.
• October: 42.7% across 1,130 tests, the lowest month in 2024-25. Autumn commuter traffic returns after the school break and darker afternoons increase cognitive demand on residential routes.
• January and February: both below 44%. The post-Christmas traffic restoration and reduced daylight push these months into the lower band. Booking in these months is not advantageous if the timeline permits a choice.

#How the Chadderton pass rate has changed since 2017

The Chadderton DVSA centre opened at partial capacity in 2016-17 (166 tests, 35.5%), then expanded to full operation in 2017-18 with 7,932 tests at 33.6%. Pass rates rose sharply to 42.6% in 2018-19 (8,975 tests) and continued to 46.0% in 2019-20 before the pandemic halted testing. The post-pandemic year 2021-22 recorded the centre's highest rate: 47.3% across 8,401 tests, a result partly reflecting the selective cohort of the reopening period. Since 2022-23, volumes have climbed to 10,000 to 12,000 tests per year while the pass rate has settled in the 44 to 45% range, consistent with a centre serving a representative cross-section of learners rather than the more prepared cohort of the immediate post-pandemic period.

#Should you book at Chadderton or travel to Bredbury?

Bredbury, in Stockport, is the nearest Greater Manchester centre with a significantly higher pass rate: 54.2% in 2024-25 versus Chadderton's 44.9%, a 9.3-point advantage. The two centres are about 9 miles apart via the M60. For a learner based in Oldham or Chadderton, the practical question is whether the route-preparation effort is manageable. Bredbury routes use the A6 Buxton Road corridor and quieter Stockport residential streets that are genuinely less demanding than the Oldham urban network. If you can arrange two or three pre-test lessons in the Bredbury area, the pass-rate difference is real and the travel is worth considering. The should I travel for easier test guide sets out the general framework for making this call.

Bolton (56.7%) is a second alternative, roughly 12 miles north-west via the M60 and M61, with routes mixing Bolton town roads and residential streets at lower traffic density than the Oldham network. West Didsbury (50.9%) and Sale (49.1%) both require crossing central Manchester from Oldham, which reduces their practicality for most Chadderton-area learners. The passing in Manchester guide and easiest test centre in Manchester guide cover the full centre choice context across Greater Manchester. For most Oldham-based learners the calculation comes down to Chadderton if staying local, Bredbury if the 9-mile journey and route prep are achievable.

#Sources and further reading

The figures, fees, and procedures referenced in this article are verifiable on the official gov.uk pages below. PassRates.uk is built on the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s open data, published under the Open Government Licence.

• Driving test (gov.uk)
• Find a driving test centre (gov.uk)
• Driving test and theory test data, cars (gov.uk)
• Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (gov.uk)
• New drivers (gov.uk)
• Open Government Licence v3.0 (nationalarchives.gov.uk)