# Preston Driving Test Centre — Pass Rate & Waiting Time

> Preston driving test centre has a 56.3% pass rate and an average 18.4 weeks wait. Compare it with nearby DVSA centres.

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

# Preston driving test centre

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

## Preston at a glance

Pass rate

56.3%

April 2025 to March 2026

Average wait

18.4 weeks

August 2026

Tests a year

9,194

April 2025 to March 2026

Slots still free

36.6%

Of the 24-week booking window

## How Preston compares

Preston passes **56.3%** of car tests, which is **6.2 points above the 50.1% national average**. The typical wait between booking and testing is **18.4 weeks**, 5.6 weeks longer than the national average of 12.8 weeks. It conducted **9,194** car tests in April 2025 to March 2026. In the most recent month DVSA has published, March 2026, the rate was **57.4%** — a single month, so expect it to bounce around the annual figure.

## Trends at Preston

Pass rate

Mar 2026: **57.4%**

Monthly car practical pass rate at Preston driving test centre, most recent 12 published months.
| Month | Pass rate |
| --- | --- |
| March 2026 | 57.4% |
| February 2026 | 56.1% |
| January 2026 | 61.1% |
| December 2025 | 56.9% |
| November 2025 | 52.8% |
| October 2025 | 59.2% |
| September 2025 | 60% |
| August 2025 | 58.5% |
| July 2025 | 52% |
| June 2025 | 58.8% |
| May 2025 | 51.4% |
| April 2025 | 51.9% |

Waiting time

Aug 2026: **18.4w**

Average wait in weeks between booking and taking a car test at Preston, most recent 12 published months.
| Month | Average wait |
| --- | --- |
| August 2026 | 18.4 weeks |
| July 2026 | 18.4 weeks |
| June 2026 | 14.6 weeks |
| May 2026 | 15.6 weeks |
| April 2026 | 16.1 weeks |
| March 2026 | 13.1 weeks |
| February 2026 | 13.1 weeks |
| January 2026 | 15.4 weeks |
| December 2025 | 19.3 weeks |
| November 2025 | 20.6 weeks |
| October 2025 | 21.4 weeks |
| September 2025 | 17 weeks |

Tests conducted each month

Mar 2026: **894**

Car practical tests conducted each month at Preston, most recent 12 published months.
| Month | Tests conducted |
| --- | --- |
| March 2026 | 894 |
| February 2026 | 847 |
| January 2026 | 812 |
| December 2025 | 619 |
| November 2025 | 722 |
| October 2025 | 647 |
| September 2025 | 633 |
| August 2025 | 781 |
| July 2025 | 895 |
| June 2025 | 868 |
| May 2025 | 805 |
| April 2025 | 671 |

## Year by year

Car practical tests, passes and pass rate at Preston driving test centre by DVSA financial year (April to March).
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2025-26 | 9,194 | 5,174 | 56.3% |
| 2024-25 | 11,380 | 6,116 | 53.7% |
| 2023-24 | 11,115 | 6,305 | 56.7% |
| 2022-23 | 9,704 | 5,930 | 61.1% |
| 2021-22 | 8,062 | 4,584 | 56.9% |
| 2020-21 | 2,421 | 1,449 | 59.9% |
| 2019-20 | 7,518 | 4,102 | 54.6% |
| 2018-19 | 7,560 | 4,174 | 55.2% |
| 2017-18 | 8,387 | 4,583 | 54.6% |
| 2016-17 | 7,369 | 3,871 | 52.5% |

## Where it is

## Nearby test centres

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

-   [Nelson](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/nelson/)
    
    0 km away
    
    51.7% pass · 19.7 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 Preston 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.