# Birmingham (Garretts Green) vs Birmingham (Kings Heath) — Which Driving Test Centre Is Better? > Birmingham (Garretts Green) and Birmingham (Kings Heath) compared on DVSA pass rates and waiting times. Birmingham (Garretts Green) comes out ahead: 44.4% pass rate and a 7 weeks wait. Source: https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-garretts-green-vs-birmingham-kings-heath/ # Birmingham (Garretts Green) vs Birmingham (Kings Heath) Two Birmingham test centres compared on the official DVSA figures — pass rate, waiting time and how many tests each one runs. By Yigit Yilmaz · Last updated 14 September 2026 [Birmingham (Garretts Green)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/birmingham-garretts-green/) 44.4% pass rate 7 weeks typical wait [Birmingham (Kings Heath)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/birmingham-kings-heath/) 46.8% pass rate 11.7 weeks typical wait Birmingham (Garretts Green) and Birmingham (Kings Heath) are both DVSA car test centres in Birmingham, and there is no catchment area stopping you booking either. On the most recent official figures they differ by 2.4 points of pass rate and about 4.7 weeks of waiting. ## Side by side | | Birmingham (Garretts Green) | Birmingham (Kings Heath) | Difference | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Pass rate | 44.4% | 46.8% | 2.4 points to Birmingham (Kings Heath) | | Waiting time | 7 weeks | 11.7 weeks | 4.7 weeks sooner at Birmingham (Garretts Green) | | Tests a year | 22,480 | 9,072 | 13,408 more at Birmingham (Garretts Green) | | Region | West Midlands | West Midlands | Same region | Pass rates are for April 2025 to March 2026; waiting times are to August 2026. The Great Britain averages are 50.1% and 12.8 weeks. ## Pass rate Birmingham (Kings Heath) passes 46.8% of car candidates against 44.4% at Birmingham (Garretts Green), a gap of 2.4 points. Both sit below the national average of 50.1%, which is common at busy urban centres where the routes are harder. The lead has swapped between them over the last 10 years, so the current gap is worth less than it looks — expect the two to keep trading places. | Year | Birmingham (Garretts Green) | Birmingham (Kings Heath) | | --- | --- | --- | | 2022– 2023 | 42.9% | 44.2% | | 2023– 2024 | 40.2% | 44.5% | | 2024– 2025 | 42% | 47% | | 2025– 2026 | 44.4% | 46.8% | Neither number says much about the examiners, who work to one national standard everywhere. It says a great deal about the roads each centre tests on — the count of multi-lane roundabouts, bus lanes and busy junctions a forty-minute route can fit in. Our [guide to test routes](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/guides/driving-test-routes-explained/) covers how to work out what each centre uses. ## Waiting time Birmingham (Garretts Green) books about 4.7 weeks sooner — 7 weeks against 11.7 weeks — with the Great Britain average at 12.8 weeks. Both are inside DVSA's 24-week booking window, so slots at either should be visible on the booking service rather than needing you to wait for the window to roll forward. This is the median gap between booking and testing for people who actually sat a test, not the soonest date on screen today. Cancellations surface continuously at both centres and regularly beat these figures by weeks, which is the subject of [how to get an earlier test date](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/guides/how-to-get-an-earlier-driving-test/). ## How busy each centre is Birmingham (Garretts Green) conducted 22,480 car tests over the year and Birmingham (Kings Heath) 9,072. Volume is worth a glance for two reasons: a pass rate built on more tests is a firmer measure of the routes, and a busier centre generates more cancelled slots in a given week, so refreshing the booking service pays off more there even when its published wait is longer. ## Verdict **Birmingham (Garretts Green)** is the better booking of the two. It books 4.7 weeks sooner, and that is worth more than the 2.4 points of pass rate you give up, unless you are in no hurry at all. One thing outranks all of this: whether you have driven the roads. Each centre works a fixed set of routes around it, and practising those exact junctions moves your odds more than the gap between two centres in the same city. If you have had all your lessons around Birmingham (Kings Heath), book Birmingham (Kings Heath). ## Full figures for each centre - [Birmingham (Garretts Green) driving test centre](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/birmingham-garretts-green/) — monthly trend, full history and nearby alternatives - [Birmingham (Kings Heath) driving test centre](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/birmingham-kings-heath/) — monthly trend, full history and nearby alternatives - [Best driving test centre in Birmingham](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/guides/best-driving-test-centre-birmingham/) — every centre in the city ranked ## Other comparisons - [Birmingham (Garretts Green) vs Birmingham (Kingstanding)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-garretts-green-vs-birmingham-kingstanding/) - [Birmingham (Garretts Green) vs Birmingham (Shirley)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-garretts-green-vs-birmingham-shirley/) - [Birmingham (Garretts Green) vs Birmingham (South Yardley)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-garretts-green-vs-birmingham-south-yardley/) - [Birmingham (Kings Heath) vs Birmingham (Kingstanding)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-kings-heath-vs-birmingham-kingstanding/) - [Birmingham (Kings Heath) vs Birmingham (Shirley)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-kings-heath-vs-birmingham-shirley/) - [Birmingham (Kings Heath) vs Birmingham (South Yardley)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/compare/birmingham-kings-heath-vs-birmingham-south-yardley/) Or compare every centre at once on [pass rates](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/pass-rates/) and [waiting times](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/waiting-times/). ## Frequently asked ### Is Birmingham (Garretts Green) or Birmingham (Kings Heath) easier to pass at? Birmingham (Kings Heath) has the higher car pass rate at 46.8%, against 44.4% at Birmingham (Garretts Green) — a gap of 2.4 points over April 2025 to March 2026. The lead has changed hands over the last 10 years, though, so treat the gap as smaller than it looks. ### Which has the shorter waiting time, Birmingham (Garretts Green) or Birmingham (Kings Heath)? Birmingham (Garretts Green), at about 7 weeks against 11.7 weeks at Birmingham (Kings Heath) as of August 2026 — roughly 4.7 weeks of difference. That is the median gap between booking and testing, not the soonest slot on the booking service, which cancellations often bring much closer at both. ### Should I book Birmingham (Garretts Green) or Birmingham (Kings Heath)? Birmingham (Garretts Green), on balance: it books 4.7 weeks sooner, which outweighs the 2.4 points of pass rate you give up. That assumes you can practise on its routes — if you have driven the roads around Birmingham (Kings Heath) and not the ones around Birmingham (Garretts Green), book the one you know. ### Can I book either centre, or does it depend on where I live? Either. There is no catchment area for the car practical test, so you can book any DVSA centre in Great Britain regardless of your address or where you passed your theory test. The only real constraints are the journey on the day and how well you know the roads. ### Where do these figures come from? DVSA statistical tables DRT122A (car pass rates by test centre) and DRT122F (test availability and waiting times), published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence. Pass rates cover April 2025 to March 2026; waiting times run to August 2026. Nothing is estimated.