Theory test centres in the UK

All 209 DVSA theory test centres, grouped by region. In 2025/26 they took 2,904,405 car theory tests and passed 1,301,240, a national pass rate of 44.8%. Pass rates are shown for the 192 centres DVSA publishes them for.

East Midlands · 13 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Boston	Boston	PE21 6SR	7,094	40.4%
Chesterfield	Chesterfield	S49 1HQ	16,248	45.3%
Corby	Corby	NN18 8QT	11,626	45.1%
Derby	Derby	DE24 8GX	35,069	44.7%
Grantham	Grantham	NG31 6SH	6,552	47.8%
Leicester	Leicester	LE1 5AG	61,224	40.4%
Lincoln	Lincoln	LN5 7BS	13,333	45.2%
Louth	Louth	LN11 9NQ	199	50.3%
Northampton	Northampton	NN1 1UE	29,016	44.1%
Nottingham	Nottingham	NG1 6DQ	42,273	46.6%
Rushden	Rushden	NN10 0RG	100	52.0%
Skegness	Skegness	PE25 1BY	80	33.8%
Worksop	Worksop	S80 2AT	218	44.5%

East of England · 17 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Bury St Edmunds	Bury St Edmunds	IP32 7EA	8,867	48.3%
Cambridge	Cambridge	CB1 7BN	25,043	52.8%
Chelmsford	Chelmsford	CM1 1HT	22,482	47.9%
Colchester	Colchester	CO4 3ZL	15,487	45.1%
Cromer	Cromer	NR27 9ES	81	39.5%
Diss	Diss	IP22 4LB	65	50.8%
Fakenham	Fakenham	NR21 7LG	73	49.3%
Huntingdon	Huntingdon	PE29 1YS	63	46.0%
Ipswich	Ipswich	IP1 2QA	14,015	44.8%
Kings Lynn	Kings Lynn	PE30 1BP	8,376	42.3%
Lowestoft	Lowestoft	NR32 1LR	7,099	43.8%
Luton	Luton	LU2 7XH	38,665	41.0%
Norwich	Norwich	NR1 3NX	21,224	47.6%
Peterborough	Peterborough	PE1 1TT	22,356	42.3%
Saxmundham	Saxmundham	IP17 1AL	93	45.2%
Southend on Sea	Southend-On-Sea	SS1 2BB	24,458	45.3%
Watford	Watford	WD24 7GP	36,812	47.0%

London · 9 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Bethnal Green	London	E2 9BY	40,236	46.9%
Croydon	Croydon	CR0 1PE	43,848	45.8%
Hertford	Hertford	SG13 7LA	25,517	46.6%
Ilford	Ilford	IG1 2FS	92,249	40.2%
Morden	London	SM4 5BE	42,181	51.7%
North Finchley	North Finchley	N12 0BP	67,769	43.7%
Sidcup	Sidcup	DA14 5DA	42,577	46.0%
Southwark	Walworth	SE17 1JE	68,847	52.0%
Uxbridge	Uxbridge	UB8 1QE	83,604	38.1%

North East · 7 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Alnwick	Alnwick	NE66 1UW	1,429	46.4%
Berwick	Berwick-upon-Tweed	TD15 1JT	1,002	45.6%
Bishop Auckland	Bishop Auckland	DL14 7EH	579	47.5%
Hexham	Hexham	NE46 3NB	221	54.3%
Middlesbrough	Middlesbrough	TS1 4AT	34,351	40.9%
Newcastle	Newcastle upon Tyne	NE1 3JA	45,324	45.9%
Sunderland	Sunderland	SR1 1XD	22,878	43.3%

North West · 15 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Barrow	Barrow in Furness	LA14 1LF	3,666	43.0%
Bolton	Bolton	BL1 2AH	46,465	41.7%
Burnley	Burnley	BB11 3BT	1,401	44.4%
Carlisle	Carlisle	CA3 8SY	7,165	41.7%
Chester	Chester	CH3 5BE	20,210	47.6%
Crewe A	Crewe	CW1 2PU	16,952	45.0%
Glossop	Glossop	SK13 7AG	279	48.7%
Kendal	Kendal	LA9 4LR	4,348	51.2%
Liverpool	Liverpool	L1 5AS	69,093	45.6%
Manchester	Manchester	M12 6JH	88,658	42.4%
Millom	Millom	LA18 4JS	45	48.9%
Penrith	Penrith	CA11 7TR	242	50.8%
Preston	Preston	PR1 2QD	54,263	43.9%
Stockport	Stockport	SK1 1NZ	38,841	46.0%
Workington	Cumbria	CA14 2AD	4,710	41.0%

Scotland · 61 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Aberdeen	Aberdeen	AB11 5PW	17,313	47.8%
Aviemore	Aviemore	PH24 3BL	46	54.3%
Ayr	Ayr	KA7 1NP	11,227	44.1%
Ballater	Ballater	AB35 5QB	46	56.5%
Ballymena	Ballymena	BT43 6AD	–	–
Barra	Isle of Barra	HS9 5XD	–	–
Belfast	Belfast	BT1 4LS	–	–
Bowmore	Isle of Islay	PA43 7LN	59	49.2%
Brechin	Brechin	DD9 7EA	100	33.0%
Brodick	Brodick, Isle of Arran	KA27 8DN	51	64.7%
Campbeltown	Campbeltown	PA28 6AB	76	47.4%
Craignure	Craignure, Isle of Mull	PA65 6AY	–	–
Crianlarich	Crianlarich	FK20 8QN	–	–
Crossapol	Crossapol, Isle of Tiree	PA77 6UP	–	–
Cumnock	Cumnock	KA18 1PQ	46	39.1%
Dumbarton	Dumbarton	G82 1PQ	5,242	42.5%
Dumfries	Dumfries	DG1 3UE	3,919	45.3%
Dundee	Dundee	DD1 2HB	18,928	46.6%
Dunoon	Dunoon	PA23 7DD	33	51.5%
Edinburgh	Edinburgh	EH2 1JE	42,186	49.5%
Elgin	Elgin	IV30 1DS	3,679	42.4%
Fort William	Fort William	PH33 6BA	528	44.5%
Gairloch	Gairloch	IV21 2BP	–	–
Galashiels	Galashiels	TD1 1BT	3,760	49.8%
Glasgow	Glasgow	G1 2RX	75,311	44.1%
Greenock	Greenock	PA15 4RT	5,172	44.2%
Helmsdale	Helmsdale	KW8 6JX	51	47.1%
Huntly	Huntly	AB54 4SE	200	49.0%
Inverness	Inverness	IV1 1SU	5,864	46.7%
Kinlochbervie	Kinlochbervie	IV27 4RG	–	–
Kirkwall	Kirkwall	KW15 1LR	551	45.7%
Kyle of Lochalsh	Kyle of Lochalsh	IV40 8DA	54	59.3%
Lairg	Lairg	IV27 4DB	–	–
Lanark	Lanark	ML11 9DZ	563	41.9%
Lerwick	Lerwick	ZE1 0WQ	485	52.0%
Leven	Leven	KY8 3RS	423	41.6%
Lochmaddy	Lochmaddy, Isle of North Uist	HS6 5AA	92	43.5%
Londonderry	Londonderry	BT48 6BB	–	–
Mallaig	Mallaig	PH41 4PX	26	61.5%
Mid Yell	Yell	ZE2 9BN	–	–
Newry	Newry	BT35 8BG	–	–
Newton Stewart	Newton Stewart	DG8 6EQ	87	48.3%
North Berwick	North Berwick	EH39 4NU	291	50.5%
Oban	Oban	PA34 5DQ	628	49.5%
Omagh	Omagh	BT78 1HE	–	–
Peterhead	Peterhead	AB42 1EQ	107	43.0%
Pitlochry	Pitlochry	PH16 5BX	125	50.4%
Portadown	Portadown	BT62 3PN	–	–
Portree	Portree, Isle of Skye	IV51 9BW	59	50.8%
Rothesay	Rothesay	PA20 9DP	–	–
Stirling	Stirling	FK9 4TU	13,655	45.7%
Stornoway	Stornoway	HS1 2QN	498	46.8%
Stranraer	Stranraer	DG9 7LD	263	43.0%
Strathpeffer	Ross-shire	IV14 9AG	26	53.8%
Symbister	Isle of Out Skerries, Whalsay	ZE2 9AA	–	–
Tain	Tain	IV19 1BQ	70	50.0%
Tarbert	Tarbert, Argyll & Bute	PA29 6TX	75	49.3%
Tarbert	Tarbert, Isle of Harris	HS3 3DG	54	38.9%
Tongue	Tongue	IV27 4XB	53	50.9%
Ullapool	Ullapool	IV26 2UN	37	56.8%
Wick	Wick	KW1 5BA	336	51.2%

South East · 23 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Aldershot	Aldershot	GU11 1TY	15,142	47.8%
Andover	Andover	SP10 1LP	11,475	48.9%
Aylesbury	Aylesbury	HP19 8HL	14,399	46.9%
Brighton	Hove	BN3 1TL	18,387	52.4%
Canterbury	Canterbury	CT1 2LE	26,438	47.4%
Chatham	Chatham	ME4 4EP	32,955	44.1%
Chichester	Chichester	PO19 1BE	10,653	46.7%
Eastbourne	Eastbourne	BN22 7NE	6,958	45.1%
Fareham	Fareham	PO16 0EN	9,799	46.1%
Guildford	Guildford	GU1 4AW	14,826	54.0%
Hastings	Hastings	TN38 9BA	6,891	45.1%
Horley	Surrey	RH6 7QH	18,913	47.3%
Milton Keynes	Milton Keynes	MK9 2AH	27,333	46.6%
New Romney	Romney Marsh	TN29 0SA	1,859	47.2%
Newport	Isle of Wight	PO30 5HD	4,183	48.9%
Oxford	Oxford	OX1 1ST	1,226	55.9%
Portsmouth	Portsmouth	PO1 2RX	16,334	43.8%
Reading	Reading	RG1 1NU	34,220	49.6%
Royal Tunbridge Wells	Tunbridge Wells	TN2 5NP	9,660	53.6%
Slough	Slough	SL2 5DY	24,639	41.4%
Southampton	Southampton	SO15 3EU	20,885	46.2%
Staines	Staines	TW18 4QX	16,298	46.1%
Worthing	Worthing	BN11 1LY	8,240	46.1%

South West · 22 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Axminster	Axminster	EX13 5HU	2,350	50.5%
Barnstaple	Barnstaple	EX31 1DR	5,190	45.0%
Blandford Forum	Blandford Forum	DT11 7AL	2,047	52.4%
Bodmin	Bodmin	PL31 2HQ	1,460	52.6%
Bournemouth	Bournemouth	BH1 1LG	15,930	47.0%
Bristol	Bristol	BS16 1EJ	44,554	48.9%
Cheltenham	Cheltenham	GL52 2LP	9,110	49.9%
Exeter	Exeter	EX1 2FT	13,994	50.6%
Frome	Frome	BA11 5LS	11,497	49.9%
Gloucester	Gloucester	GL1 1PX	14,291	44.5%
Isles of Scilly	Isles of Scilly	TR21 0NA	–	–
Kingsbridge	Kingsbridge	TQ7 1HX	1,117	52.2%
Launceston	Launceston	PL15 8EX	1,535	48.4%
Penzance	Penzance	TR18 2EG	1,909	48.9%
Plymouth	Plymouth	PL1 2EX	13,278	49.0%
Salisbury	Salisbury	SP1 3TB	7,710	50.3%
Swindon	Swindon	SN1 5JA	20,767	43.5%
Taunton	Taunton	TA1 3FA	9,757	46.4%
Torquay	Torquay	TQ2 5QG	7,758	49.1%
Truro	Truro	TR1 2HE	10,246	50.2%
Weymouth	Weymouth	DT4 8AA	4,806	44.9%
Yeovil	Yeovil	BA20 1SF	8,678	45.7%

Wales · 18 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Aberystwyth	Aberystwyth	SY23 2JN	2,214	49.1%
Bala	Bala	LL23 7NH	540	43.1%
Bangor	Bangor	LL57 1UR	8,034	43.6%
Bridgend	Bridgend	CF31 1BZ	8,428	41.4%
Builth Wells	Builth Wells	LD2 3BL	1,298	46.8%
Cardiff	Cardiff	CF10 4DQ	31,891	44.9%
Cardigan	Cardigan	SA43 1JY	1,095	41.6%
Carmarthen	Carmarthen	SA31 1QL	2,077	44.0%
Dolgellau	Dolgellau	LL40 1UU	488	45.1%
Haverfordwest	Haverfordwest	SA61 2AL	4,177	40.8%
Merthyr Tydfil	Merthyr Tydfil	CF47 8LD	13,427	41.1%
Minehead	Williton	TA4 4NR	650	46.5%
Newport	Newport	NP19 7AA	15,193	41.2%
Newtown	Newtown	SY16 2EH	1,204	44.9%
Porthmadog	Porthmadog	LL49 9LU	700	33.7%
Rhyl	Clwyd	LL18 1AS	6,477	43.1%
Swansea	Swansea	SA1 5DF	20,289	42.4%
Wrexham	Wrexham	LL13 8AE	8,134	43.7%

West Midlands · 11 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Birmingham	Birmingham	B3 3LP	78,958	40.6%
Coventry	Warwickshire	CV1 2UR	48,874	43.3%
Dudley	Dudley	DY2 8PS	28,272	40.0%
Hereford	Hereford	HR4 9AP	8,410	44.3%
Redditch	Redditch	B97 4DL	16,042	48.4%
Shrewsbury	Shrewsbury	SY2 5DE	14,051	47.2%
Stoke-on-Trent	Hanley	ST1 2QE	22,423	43.9%
Stratford upon Avon	Stratford	CV37 6RP	11,790	50.3%
Sutton Coldfield	Sutton Coldfield	B72 1QE	23,976	42.6%
Wolverhampton	Wolverhampton	WV1 4XB	36,811	40.3%
Worcester	Worcester	WR1 1UN	15,633	47.6%

Yorkshire and The Humber · 13 centres

Theory test centre	Town	Postcode	Tests a year	Pass rate
Bradford	Bradford	BD1 3NU	42,749	37.5%
Doncaster	Doncaster	DN1 2PW	27,263	41.3%
Grimsby	Grimsby	DN31 1NB	10,119	42.5%
Harrogate	Harrogate	HG1 2HR	7,802	51.3%
Hornsea	Hornsea	HU18 1TJ	62	58.1%
Huddersfield	Huddersfield	HD1 2HG	28,154	42.8%
Hull	Hull	HU2 8PX	22,194	42.9%
Kirkbymoorside	Kirkbymoorside	YO62 6AT	86	57.0%
Leeds	Leeds	LS1 4EH	56,711	43.3%
Northallerton	Northallerton	DL6 2NQ	4,868	47.0%
Scarborough	Scarborough	YO11 1UN	5,544	44.6%
Sheffield	Sheffield	S1 2EX	45,068	44.0%
York	York	YO1 9RD	12,896	50.6%

Does it matter which theory centre you book?

Less than it does for the practical test, and not for the reason people assume. The theory test is a computer test: 50 multiple-choice questions drawn from the same national bank, then 14 hazard perception clips, all marked automatically. No examiner watches you and no local road has any bearing on the result. A theory centre is a room of booths run for DVSA by a contractor, and it employs no examiners of its own.

The rates on this page still differ widely, from 37.5% to 55.9% among the 139 centres taking at least 1,000 tests a year, a spread of 18.4 points. None of that is the centre's doing; it reflects who books where. Some towns draw more candidates sitting the test early, before they have worked through the question bank, and a centre near a large college sees a different mix again from one in a commuter suburb.

So choose on convenience: how far you must travel, and how soon you can get a slot. Tests cost £23 and are booked only at GOV.UK. Bring your photocard provisional licence, because without it the test cannot go ahead and the fee is lost. You need 43 of 50 on the multiple choice and 44 of 75 on hazard perception, and you have to pass both parts in the same sitting. The pass certificate lasts two years, and if your practical is not booked before it expires you have to sit the theory again.