Driving test pass rates in East of England, 2025/26

24 test centres in East of England with at least 100 tests, ranked highest to lowest. The region averaged 51.4% from 195,108 tests, 1.4 points above the 50% Great Britain average. Ipswich was the highest at 62.3%.

All regions East Midlands East of England London North East North West Scotland South East South West Wales West Midlands Yorkshire and The Humber

#	Test centre	Region	Tests	Passed	Pass rate	vs GB
1	Ipswich	East of England	11,466	7,143	62.3%	+12.3
2	Norwich (Peachman Way)	East of England	12,541	7,740	61.7%	+11.7
3	Letchworth	East of England	5,243	3,015	57.5%	+7.5
4	Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)	East of England	9,107	5,044	55.4%	+5.4
5	Stevenage	East of England	4,622	2,557	55.3%	+5.3
6	Cambridge (Brookmount Court)	East of England	13,689	7,366	53.8%	+3.8
7	Bedford	East of England	8,854	4,756	53.7%	+3.7
8	Peterborough	East of England	10,551	5,569	52.8%	+2.8
9	Kings Lynn	East of England	6,694	3,477	51.9%	+1.9
10	Bishops Stortford	East of England	6,409	3,290	51.3%	+1.3
11	Borehamwood (London)	East of England	7,195	3,652	50.8%	+0.8
12	St Albans	East of England	7,336	3,721	50.7%	+0.7
13	Colchester	East of England	7,756	3,925	50.6%	+0.6
14	Tilbury	East of England	5,083	2,560	50.4%	+0.4
15	Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road)	East of England	7,667	3,825	49.9%	-0.1
16	Basildon	East of England	8,359	4,106	49.1%	-0.9
17	Brentwood (London)	East of England	5,791	2,809	48.5%	-1.5
18	Clacton-on- Sea	East of England	4,840	2,334	48.2%	-1.8
19	Loughton (London)	East of England	7,376	3,465	47.0%	-3.0
20	Southend-on-Sea	East of England	7,526	3,537	47.0%	-3.0
21	Bury St Edmunds	East of England	8,702	4,019	46.2%	-3.8
22	Watford	East of England	12,939	5,983	46.2%	-3.8
23	Lowestoft (Mobbs Way)	East of England	7,603	3,292	43.3%	-6.7
24	Luton	East of England	7,759	3,041	39.2%	-10.8

Why pass rates differ so much between centres

The spread is wide: the top of this table is above 70% and the bottom below 35%, for the same test and the same marking sheet. Three things explain most of it. Rural centres put candidates on roads with fewer junctions, less traffic and simpler roundabouts. Urban centres, especially in London and Birmingham, see more candidates who learn in a hurry, take the test sooner, and retake more often. And who books where matters: some centres draw candidates from far away precisely because of their reputation.

A high pass rate does not mean easier examiners. Examiners rotate, and DVSA monitors their pass rates. What a high rate does tell you is that the local roads are forgiving, which is worth knowing if you have a choice of centres within reach.

Addresses, waiting times and route notes for every centre here are in the East of England test centre directory, and the same ranking for the whole country is on the national pass rate table.