# Nelson Driving Test Centre — Pass Rate & Waiting Time

> Nelson driving test centre has a 51.7% pass rate and an average 19.7 weeks wait. Compare it with nearby DVSA centres.

Source: https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/nelson/

# Nelson driving test centre

North West, England · Hardy Close, Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston · PR2 2XP

## Nelson at a glance

Pass rate

51.7%

April 2025 to March 2026

Average wait

19.7 weeks

August 2026

Tests a year

5,955

April 2025 to March 2026

Slots still free

40.7%

Of the 24-week booking window

## How Nelson compares

Nelson passes **51.7%** of car tests, which is **1.6 points above the 50.1% national average**. The typical wait between booking and testing is **19.7 weeks**, 6.9 weeks longer than the national average of 12.8 weeks. It conducted **5,955** car tests in April 2025 to March 2026. In the most recent month DVSA has published, March 2026, the rate was **54.2%** — a single month, so expect it to bounce around the annual figure.

## Trends at Nelson

Pass rate

Mar 2026: **54.2%**

Monthly car practical pass rate at Nelson driving test centre, most recent 12 published months.
| Month | Pass rate |
| --- | --- |
| March 2026 | 54.2% |
| February 2026 | 48.7% |
| January 2026 | 54.1% |
| December 2025 | 53.5% |
| November 2025 | 56.7% |
| October 2025 | 50.8% |
| September 2025 | 55.5% |
| August 2025 | 51.2% |
| July 2025 | 46% |
| June 2025 | 49.6% |
| May 2025 | 46% |
| April 2025 | 51.6% |

Waiting time

Aug 2026: **19.7w**

Average wait in weeks between booking and taking a car test at Nelson, most recent 12 published months.
| Month | Average wait |
| --- | --- |
| August 2026 | 19.7 weeks |
| July 2026 | 19.7 weeks |
| June 2026 | 18 weeks |
| May 2026 | 12 weeks |
| April 2026 | 14.4 weeks |
| March 2026 | 9.1 weeks |
| February 2026 | 19 weeks |
| January 2026 | 16.9 weeks |
| December 2025 | 14.7 weeks |
| November 2025 | 7.6 weeks |
| October 2025 | 5.2 weeks |
| September 2025 | 10.1 weeks |

Tests conducted each month

Mar 2026: **679**

Car practical tests conducted each month at Nelson, most recent 12 published months.
| Month | Tests conducted |
| --- | --- |
| March 2026 | 679 |
| February 2026 | 559 |
| January 2026 | 499 |
| December 2025 | 493 |
| November 2025 | 600 |
| October 2025 | 630 |
| September 2025 | 463 |
| August 2025 | 346 |
| July 2025 | 450 |
| June 2025 | 456 |
| May 2025 | 398 |
| April 2025 | 382 |

## Year by year

Car practical tests, passes and pass rate at Nelson driving test centre by DVSA financial year (April to March).
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-26 | 5,955 | 3,081 | 51.7% |
| 2024-25 | 6,366 | 3,050 | 47.9% |
| 2023-24 | 5,845 | 2,902 | 49.6% |
| 2022-23 | 4,833 | 2,625 | 54.3% |
| 2021-22 | 4,485 | 2,533 | 56.5% |
| 2020-21 | 1,120 | 605 | 54% |
| 2019-20 | 5,437 | 2,616 | 48.1% |
| 2018-19 | 5,291 | 2,654 | 50.2% |
| 2017-18 | 5,432 | 2,891 | 53.2% |
| 2016-17 | 5,780 | 3,103 | 53.7% |

## Where it is

## Nearby test centres

There is no catchment area for the practical test — you can book at any of these instead.

-   [Preston](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/preston/)
    
    0 km away
    
    56.3% pass · 18.4 weeks wait
    
-   [Blackburn with Darwen](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/blackburn-with-darwen/)
    
    14 km away
    
    46.6% pass · 8.6 weeks wait
    
-   [Chorley](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/chorley/)
    
    14 km away
    
    52.8% pass · 12 weeks wait
    
-   [Southport (Liverpool)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/southport-liverpool/)
    
    15 km away
    
    56.5% pass · 16.9 weeks wait
    
-   [Blackpool](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/blackpool/)
    
    16 km away
    
    51.8% pass · 8.9 weeks wait
    
-   [Atherton (Manchester)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/atherton-manchester/)
    
    30 km away
    
    44.3% pass · 15.3 weeks wait
    

Everything on this page describes Nelson driving test centre. Figures come from the DVSA statistical data sets [DRT122A and DRT122F](https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-test-and-theory-test-data-cars), published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Pass rates run to March 2026 and waiting times to August 2026. This page was last updated 14 September 2026.