Theory Test Centres: pass rates and what the £23 really costs
Every DVSA car theory test centre in Great Britain, with its published pass rate, its volume, and the arithmetic nobody else runs: at a flat £23 a sitting, how much a pass actually costs in test fees where you are booking.
The theory test fee has been £23 since October 2015 and it does not vary by centre, by day of the week or by how many times you have sat it. That makes the pass rate the entire cost story. Nationally there were 2.23 car theory sittings for every pass in April 2025 to March 2026, so the average learner licence carries £51.29 of theory fees rather than £23.
Across the 165 centres with enough volume to compare, that figure runs from £41.16 at Oxford B to £69.70 at Brechin, a spread of £28.54 per pass off the back of a 22.87 point difference in pass rate. None of that is a price difference and none of it is a reason to travel. The question bank and the pass mark are national, so a centre's rate is a description of who books there.
What it is useful for is budgeting honestly. If you are booking somewhere the local rate is in the low forties, plan for a second sitting and spend the £4.99 on the official revision app first: one retake costs about 5 times as much.
Great Britain, year by year
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fees per pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 2,924,426 | 44.84% | £51.29 |
| 2024/25 | 2,792,839 | 44.87% | £51.26 |
| 2023/24 | 2,594,741 | 45.20% | £50.88 |
| 2022/23 | 2,432,130 | 44.20% | £52.04 |
| 2021/22 | 2,460,979 | 50.10% | £45.91 |
| 2020/21 | 891,279 | 55.72% | £41.28 |
| 2019/20 | 1,865,740 | 47.11% | £48.82 |
| 2018/19 | 1,787,773 | 47.27% | £48.66 |
| 2017/18 | 1,886,218 | 48.68% | £47.25 |
| 2016/17 | 1,952,226 | 48.67% | £47.26 |
Newer than the centre tables: DVSA's quarterly series (DRT111A, released 3 September 2026) puts 2026 to 2027 Q1 April to June at 44.00% on 735,791 tests. Centre-level data only runs to March 2026. This table is DVSA's own Great Britain total, 218 tests above the sum of the centre rows because 12 centres have every figure withheld.
What a pass costs where you are booking
The fee is £23 wherever you sit it, so the only thing that moves the total is the number of sittings. Name your centre and the calculator turns its published DVSA rate into sittings per pass, prices them, and sets that against the Great Britain figure of £51.29.
What each outcome actually costs
| Outcome | Test fees | With revision | Where Great Britain sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pass first time | £23.00 | £23.00 | |
| Pass on sitting 2 | £46.00 | £46.00 | The 2.23 sittings per pass at Great Britain lands here |
| Pass on sitting 3 | £69.00 | £69.00 |
Sittings per pass is a population figure: it counts every sitting at GB centres in April 2025 to March 2026 against every pass, repeat attempts included. It is not a forecast for one person, and it does not mean the average candidate fails once. It is the right number to budget against.
The 2-year rule is the expensive one
A theory pass certificate lasts 2 years from the pass date. If you have not passed the practical test inside that window the certificate expires, and you retake the whole theory test at the full £23 again. That is the single most avoidable cost in this budget, and it hits the people who passed the theory early and then let the practical slide. On the current picture, expected theory spend of £51.29 at Great Britain plus a £62 weekday practical and a £34 provisional is £147.29 of official fees before a single lesson; an expired certificate adds £51.29 to it for nothing.
Book the practical as soon as the theory is passed. Changing or cancelling a theory booking is free with at least 3 clear working days' notice, so an early booking costs nothing to move.
What happens after you passCancelling and rebookingThe full learner budget
11 regions, 193 centres
| Region | Centres | Tests | Pass rate | Fees per pass | Spent on fails |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West | 22 | 208,634 | 47.90% | £48.02 | £2.5m |
| South East | 24 | 371,516 | 47.31% | £48.62 | £4.5m |
| Scotland | 45 | 212,395 | 46.02% | £49.98 | £2.6m |
| East of England | 18 | 270,776 | 45.81% | £50.21 | £3.4m |
| London | 8 | 481,311 | 44.60% | £51.57 | £6.1m |
| North West | 14 | 356,059 | 44.07% | £52.19 | £4.6m |
| East Midlands | 14 | 223,311 | 43.87% | £52.42 | £2.9m |
| North East | 7 | 105,784 | 43.77% | £52.55 | £1.4m |
| Wales | 17 | 125,666 | 42.98% | £53.51 | £1.6m |
| West Midlands | 11 | 305,240 | 42.89% | £53.63 | £4m |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 13 | 263,516 | 42.87% | £53.65 | £3.5m |
DVSA publishes no region for a theory test centre. Each centre is named after its town, and the town's country, region and county come from Ordnance Survey Open Names. Where a driving test centre of the same town exists, DVSA's own region for it agrees with the assignment used here.
Scotland
45 centres, 212,395 tests, 46.02% pass rate, £49.98 of fees per pass.
England
131 centres, 2,586,147 tests, 44.83% pass rate, £51.30 of fees per pass.
Wales
17 centres, 125,666 tests, 42.98% pass rate, £53.51 of fees per pass.
Great Britain only. Theory tests in Northern Ireland are run by the DVA and reported separately.
Highest pass rates, and where the most money goes on fails
These two tables answer different things and they do not overlap. The first is a pass-rate ranking, which is also a cost-per-pass ranking because the fee is flat. The second is the cash a centre's candidates collectively spent on tests they failed, which is driven by size as much as by rate: a big centre with an average rate loses far more money than a small one with a poor one.
10 highest pass rates
| Centre | Region | Rate | Per pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oxford B | South East | 55.87% | £41.16 |
| Hexham | North East | 54.30% | £42.36 |
| Guildford | South East | 53.98% | £42.61 |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | South East | 53.64% | £42.88 |
| Cambridge | East of England | 52.83% | £43.54 |
| Bodmin | South West | 52.60% | £43.72 |
| Brighton | South East | 52.41% | £43.89 |
| Blandford Forum | South West | 52.37% | £43.92 |
| Kingsbridge | South West | 52.19% | £44.07 |
| Rushden | East Midlands | 52.00% | £44.23 |
10 lowest pass rates
| Centre | Region | Rate | Per pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brechin | Scotland | 33.00% | £69.70 |
| Porthmadog | Wales | 33.71% | £68.22 |
| Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 37.55% | £61.25 |
| Uxbridge | London | 38.13% | £60.33 |
| Dudley | West Midlands | 39.95% | £57.57 |
| Ilford | London | 40.18% | £57.24 |
| Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 40.26% | £57.13 |
| Boston | East Midlands | 40.36% | £56.99 |
| Leicester | East Midlands | 40.41% | £56.92 |
| Birmingham | West Midlands | 40.64% | £56.60 |
10 centres where most is spent on failed tests
| Centre | Fails | Rate | Fees on fails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilford | 55,179 | 40.18% | £1.3m |
| Uxbridge | 51,729 | 38.13% | £1.2m |
| Manchester | 51,027 | 42.45% | £1.2m |
| Birmingham | 46,870 | 40.64% | £1.1m |
| Glasgow | 42,069 | 44.14% | £968k |
| North Finchley | 38,155 | 43.70% | £878k |
| Liverpool | 37,595 | 45.59% | £865k |
| Leicester | 36,486 | 40.41% | £839k |
| Southwark | 33,071 | 51.96% | £761k |
| Leeds | 32,140 | 43.33% | £739k |
Not one name from the highest-pass-rate table appears here, and only 4 of the ten also sit in the ten lowest rates. Volume, not rate, drives this list.
10 busiest centres
| Centre | Tests | Rate | Per pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ilford | 92,249 | 40.18% | £57.24 |
| Manchester | 88,658 | 42.45% | £54.19 |
| Uxbridge | 83,604 | 38.13% | £60.33 |
| Birmingham | 78,958 | 40.64% | £56.60 |
| Glasgow | 75,311 | 44.14% | £52.11 |
| Liverpool | 69,093 | 45.59% | £50.45 |
| Southwark | 68,847 | 51.96% | £44.26 |
| North Finchley | 67,769 | 43.70% | £52.63 |
| Leicester | 61,224 | 40.41% | £56.92 |
| Leeds | 56,711 | 43.33% | £53.09 |
All 193 centres, A to Z
| Centre | Region | Tests | Pass rate | Fees per pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Scotland | 17,313 | 47.79% | £48.13 |
| Aberystwyth | Wales | 2,214 | 49.05% | £46.89 |
| Aldershot | South East | 15,142 | 47.79% | £48.12 |
| Alnwick | North East | 1,429 | 46.40% | £49.57 |
| Andover | South East | 11,475 | 48.91% | £47.03 |
| Aviemore low volume | Scotland | 46 | 54.35% | £42.32 |
| Axminster | South West | 2,350 | 50.51% | £45.53 |
| Aylesbury | South East | 14,399 | 46.90% | £49.04 |
| Ayr | Scotland | 11,227 | 44.07% | £52.19 |
| Bala | Wales | 540 | 43.15% | £53.30 |
| Ballater low volume | Scotland | 46 | 56.52% | £40.69 |
| Bangor | Wales | 8,034 | 43.61% | £52.73 |
| Barnstaple | South West | 5,190 | 45.05% | £51.06 |
| Barrow | North West | 3,666 | 43.04% | £53.43 |
| Berwick | North East | 1,002 | 45.61% | £50.43 |
| Bethnal Green | London | 40,236 | 46.88% | £49.06 |
| Birmingham | West Midlands | 78,958 | 40.64% | £56.60 |
| Bishop Auckland | North East | 579 | 47.50% | £48.43 |
| Blandford Forum | South West | 2,047 | 52.37% | £43.92 |
| Bodmin | South West | 1,460 | 52.60% | £43.72 |
| Bolton | North West | 46,465 | 41.66% | £55.22 |
| Boston | East Midlands | 7,094 | 40.36% | £56.99 |
| Bournemouth | South West | 15,930 | 46.98% | £48.96 |
| Bowmore (Isle of Islay) low volume | Scotland | 59 | 49.15% | £46.79 |
| Bradford | Yorkshire and The Humber | 42,749 | 37.55% | £61.25 |
| Brechin | Scotland | 100 | 33.00% | £69.70 |
| Bridgend | Wales | 8,428 | 41.42% | £55.53 |
| Brighton | South East | 18,387 | 52.41% | £43.89 |
| Bristol | South West | 44,554 | 48.89% | £47.04 |
| Brodick (Isle of Arran) low volume | Scotland | 51 | 64.71% | £35.55 |
| Builth Wells | Wales | 1,298 | 46.76% | £49.18 |
| Burnley | North West | 1,401 | 44.40% | £51.81 |
| Bury St Edmunds | East of England | 8,867 | 48.28% | £47.64 |
| Cambridge | East of England | 25,043 | 52.83% | £43.54 |
| Campbeltown low volume | Scotland | 76 | 47.37% | £48.56 |
| Canterbury | South East | 26,438 | 47.41% | £48.51 |
| Cardiff | Wales | 31,891 | 44.87% | £51.26 |
| Cardigan | Wales | 1,095 | 41.64% | £55.23 |
| Carlisle | North West | 7,165 | 41.69% | £55.17 |
| Carmarthen | Wales | 2,077 | 43.96% | £52.32 |
| Chatham | South East | 32,955 | 44.07% | £52.19 |
| Chelmsford | East of England | 22,482 | 47.86% | £48.06 |
| Cheltenham | South West | 9,110 | 49.95% | £46.05 |
| Chester | North West | 20,210 | 47.63% | £48.28 |
| Chesterfield | East Midlands | 16,248 | 45.27% | £50.81 |
| Chichester | South East | 10,653 | 46.68% | £49.27 |
| Colchester | East of England | 15,487 | 45.14% | £50.95 |
| Corby | East Midlands | 11,626 | 45.13% | £50.96 |
| Coventry | West Midlands | 48,874 | 43.29% | £53.13 |
| Crewe | North West | 16,952 | 45.04% | £51.06 |
| Cromer low volume | East of England | 81 | 39.51% | £58.22 |
| Croydon | London | 43,848 | 45.83% | £50.19 |
| Cumnock low volume | Scotland | 46 | 39.13% | £58.78 |
| Derby | East Midlands | 35,069 | 44.71% | £51.44 |
| Diss low volume | East of England | 65 | 50.77% | £45.30 |
| Dolgellau | Wales | 488 | 45.08% | £51.02 |
| Doncaster | Yorkshire and The Humber | 27,263 | 41.32% | £55.67 |
| Dudley | West Midlands | 28,272 | 39.95% | £57.57 |
| Dumbarton | Scotland | 5,242 | 42.48% | £54.14 |
| Dumfries | Scotland | 3,919 | 45.29% | £50.78 |
| Dundee | Scotland | 18,928 | 46.65% | £49.31 |
| Dunoon low volume | Scotland | 33 | 51.52% | £44.65 |
| Eastbourne | South East | 6,958 | 45.08% | £51.01 |
| Edinburgh | Scotland | 42,186 | 49.48% | £46.48 |
| Elgin | Scotland | 3,679 | 42.38% | £54.28 |
| Exeter | South West | 13,994 | 50.62% | £45.44 |
| Fakenham low volume | East of England | 73 | 49.32% | £46.64 |
| Fareham | South East | 9,799 | 46.08% | £49.92 |
| Fort William | Scotland | 528 | 44.51% | £51.68 |
| Frome | South West | 11,497 | 49.91% | £46.08 |
| Galashiels | Scotland | 3,760 | 49.81% | £46.17 |
| Glasgow | Scotland | 75,311 | 44.14% | £52.11 |
| Glossop | East Midlands | 279 | 48.75% | £47.18 |
| Gloucester | South West | 14,291 | 44.51% | £51.67 |
| Grantham | East Midlands | 6,552 | 47.82% | £48.10 |
| Greenock | Scotland | 5,172 | 44.16% | £52.08 |
| Grimsby | Yorkshire and The Humber | 10,119 | 42.45% | £54.18 |
| Guildford | South East | 14,826 | 53.98% | £42.61 |
| Harrogate | Yorkshire and The Humber | 7,802 | 51.32% | £44.82 |
| Hastings | South East | 6,891 | 45.15% | £50.95 |
| Haverfordwest | Wales | 4,177 | 40.77% | £56.41 |
| Helmsdale low volume | Scotland | 51 | 47.06% | £48.88 |
| Hereford | West Midlands | 8,410 | 44.26% | £51.97 |
| Hertford | East of England | 25,517 | 46.60% | £49.36 |
| Hexham | North East | 221 | 54.30% | £42.36 |
| Horley | South East | 18,913 | 47.30% | £48.63 |
| Hornsea low volume | Yorkshire and The Humber | 62 | 58.06% | £39.61 |
| Huddersfield | Yorkshire and The Humber | 28,154 | 42.75% | £53.80 |
| Hull | Yorkshire and The Humber | 22,194 | 42.92% | £53.59 |
| Huntingdon low volume | East of England | 63 | 46.03% | £49.97 |
| Huntly | Scotland | 200 | 49.00% | £46.94 |
| Ilford | London | 92,249 | 40.18% | £57.24 |
| Inverness | Scotland | 5,864 | 46.71% | £49.24 |
| Ipswich | East of England | 14,015 | 44.77% | £51.38 |
| Kendal | North West | 4,348 | 51.24% | £44.89 |
| Kings Lynn | East of England | 8,376 | 42.32% | £54.34 |
| Kingsbridge | South West | 1,117 | 52.19% | £44.07 |
| Kirkbymoorside low volume | Yorkshire and The Humber | 86 | 56.98% | £40.37 |
| Kirkwall | Scotland | 551 | 45.74% | £50.29 |
| Kyle of Lochalsh low volume | Scotland | 54 | 59.26% | £38.81 |
| Lanark | Scotland | 563 | 41.92% | £54.87 |
| Launceston | South West | 1,535 | 48.40% | £47.52 |
| Leeds | Yorkshire and The Humber | 56,711 | 43.33% | £53.09 |
| Leicester | East Midlands | 61,224 | 40.41% | £56.92 |
| Lerwick | Scotland | 485 | 51.96% | £44.27 |
| Leven | Scotland | 423 | 41.61% | £55.28 |
| Lincoln | East Midlands | 13,333 | 45.22% | £50.86 |
| Liverpool | North West | 69,093 | 45.59% | £50.45 |
| Lochmaddy low volume | Scotland | 92 | 43.48% | £52.90 |
| Louth | East Midlands | 199 | 50.25% | £45.77 |
| Lowestoft | East of England | 7,099 | 43.75% | £52.57 |
| Luton | East of England | 38,665 | 41.03% | £56.05 |
| Mallaig low volume | Scotland | 26 | 61.54% | £37.38 |
| Manchester | North West | 88,658 | 42.45% | £54.19 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Wales | 13,427 | 41.10% | £55.96 |
| Middlesbrough | North East | 34,351 | 40.94% | £56.18 |
| Millom low volume | North West | 45 | 48.89% | £47.05 |
| Milton Keynes | South East | 27,333 | 46.58% | £49.38 |
| Morden | London | 42,181 | 51.68% | £44.51 |
| New Romney | South East | 1,859 | 47.23% | £48.70 |
| Newcastle | North East | 45,324 | 45.91% | £50.10 |
| Newport (Gwent) | Wales | 15,193 | 41.20% | £55.82 |
| Newport (Isle of Wight) | South East | 4,183 | 48.86% | £47.07 |
| Newton Stewart low volume | Scotland | 87 | 48.28% | £47.64 |
| Newtown | Wales | 1,204 | 44.85% | £51.28 |
| North Berwick | Scotland | 291 | 50.52% | £45.53 |
| North Finchley | London | 67,769 | 43.70% | £52.63 |
| Northallerton | Yorkshire and The Humber | 4,868 | 47.00% | £48.94 |
| Northampton | East Midlands | 29,016 | 44.12% | £52.13 |
| Norwich | East of England | 21,224 | 47.61% | £48.31 |
| Nottingham | East Midlands | 42,273 | 46.64% | £49.31 |
| Oban | Scotland | 628 | 49.52% | £46.44 |
| Oxford | South East | 19,803 | 50.48% | £45.56 |
| Oxford B | South East | 1,226 | 55.87% | £41.16 |
| Penrith | North West | 242 | 50.83% | £45.25 |
| Penzance | South West | 1,909 | 48.93% | £47.01 |
| Peterborough | East of England | 22,356 | 42.25% | £54.43 |
| Peterhead | Scotland | 107 | 42.99% | £53.50 |
| Pitlochry | Scotland | 125 | 50.40% | £45.63 |
| Plymouth | South West | 13,278 | 48.95% | £46.98 |
| Porthmadog | Wales | 700 | 33.71% | £68.22 |
| Portree low volume | Scotland | 59 | 50.85% | £45.23 |
| Portsmouth | South East | 16,334 | 43.79% | £52.53 |
| Preston | North West | 54,263 | 43.86% | £52.43 |
| Reading | South East | 34,220 | 49.59% | £46.38 |
| Redditch | West Midlands | 16,042 | 48.40% | £47.52 |
| Rhyl | Wales | 6,477 | 43.06% | £53.41 |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | South East | 9,660 | 53.64% | £42.88 |
| Rushden | East Midlands | 100 | 52.00% | £44.23 |
| Salisbury | South West | 7,710 | 50.29% | £45.74 |
| Saxmundham low volume | East of England | 93 | 45.16% | £50.93 |
| Scarborough | Yorkshire and The Humber | 5,544 | 44.64% | £51.52 |
| Sheffield | Yorkshire and The Humber | 45,068 | 44.04% | £52.23 |
| Shrewsbury | West Midlands | 14,051 | 47.24% | £48.69 |
| Sidcup | London | 42,577 | 46.01% | £49.99 |
| Skegness low volume | East Midlands | 80 | 33.75% | £68.15 |
| Slough | South East | 24,639 | 41.38% | £55.58 |
| Southampton | South East | 20,885 | 46.17% | £49.82 |
| Southend-On-Sea | East of England | 24,458 | 45.29% | £50.79 |
| Southwark | London | 68,847 | 51.96% | £44.26 |
| Staines | South East | 16,298 | 46.05% | £49.94 |
| Stirling | Scotland | 13,655 | 45.66% | £50.37 |
| Stockport | North West | 38,841 | 46.02% | £49.97 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | West Midlands | 22,423 | 43.89% | £52.41 |
| Stornoway | Scotland | 498 | 46.79% | £49.16 |
| Stranraer | Scotland | 263 | 42.97% | £53.53 |
| Stratford-upon-Avon | West Midlands | 11,790 | 50.29% | £45.74 |
| Strathpeffer low volume | Scotland | 26 | 53.85% | £42.71 |
| Sunderland | North East | 22,878 | 43.32% | £53.09 |
| Sutton Coldfield | West Midlands | 23,976 | 42.57% | £54.03 |
| Swansea | Wales | 20,289 | 42.38% | £54.27 |
| Swindon | South West | 20,767 | 43.50% | £52.88 |
| Tain low volume | Scotland | 70 | 50.00% | £46.00 |
| Tarbert (Argyll & Bute) low volume | Scotland | 75 | 49.33% | £46.62 |
| Tarbert (Isle of Harris) low volume | Scotland | 54 | 38.89% | £59.14 |
| Taunton | South West | 9,757 | 46.37% | £49.60 |
| Tongue low volume | Scotland | 53 | 50.94% | £45.15 |
| Torquay | South West | 7,758 | 49.07% | £46.87 |
| Truro | South West | 10,246 | 50.20% | £45.81 |
| Ullapool low volume | Scotland | 37 | 56.76% | £40.52 |
| Uxbridge | London | 83,604 | 38.13% | £60.33 |
| Watford | East of England | 36,812 | 46.98% | £48.96 |
| Weymouth | South West | 4,806 | 44.88% | £51.25 |
| Wick | Scotland | 336 | 51.19% | £44.93 |
| Williton | South West | 650 | 46.46% | £49.50 |
| Wolverhampton | West Midlands | 36,811 | 40.26% | £57.13 |
| Worcester | West Midlands | 15,633 | 47.62% | £48.30 |
| Workington | North West | 4,710 | 40.96% | £56.16 |
| Worksop | East Midlands | 218 | 44.50% | £51.69 |
| Worthing | South East | 8,240 | 46.08% | £49.91 |
| Wrexham | Wales | 8,134 | 43.68% | £52.65 |
| Yeovil | South West | 8,678 | 45.68% | £50.35 |
| York | Yorkshire and The Humber | 12,896 | 50.59% | £45.46 |
28 centres marked low volume conducted fewer than 100 tests in the year, which DVSA warns is too few to compare, so they are listed here and on their region page but have no page of their own. A further 12 centres are absent entirely because DVSA withholds every figure for them: Castlebay (Isle of Barra), Craignure (Isle of Mull), Crianlarich, Crossapol, Gairloch, Garve, Isles of Scilly, Kinlochbervie, Lairg, Mid Yell, Rothesay, Symbister.
Questions this data answers
FAQ 1Is the theory test cheaper at some centres than others?
No. DVSA charges £23 for a car theory test at every centre in Great Britain. What changes is how many sittings a pass takes. Across the 193 centres in this directory the pass rate runs from 33.00% at Brechin to 55.87% at Oxford B, so the average fee spend per pass runs from £41.16 to £69.70.
FAQ 2Should I travel to a centre with a higher pass rate?
It will not change your own odds. The question bank, the hazard clips and the 43-out-of-50 pass mark are set nationally, and the fee is the same £23 everywhere. A centre's rate describes the candidates who booked there, not the difficulty of the test. Book the centre with the soonest convenient slot.
FAQ 3How much do failed theory tests cost across Great Britain?
In April 2025 to March 2026, DVSA conducted 2,924,208 car theory tests and 1,612,971 of them ended in a fail. At £23 a sitting that is £37.1m paid for tests that had to be taken again, out of £67.3m in theory fees overall.
FAQ 4What is the average number of attempts?
Nationally there were 2.23 car theory sittings for every pass in April 2025 to March 2026. That is a population figure covering repeat attempts, not a prediction for one candidate, but it means budgeting for a single £23 sitting is optimistic. The expected fee spend per pass is £51.29.
FAQ 5Why has the pass rate fallen?
DVSA's own series shows the car theory pass rate peaking at 65.4% in 2007/08 and standing at 44.84% in April 2025 to March 2026. Volumes have risen over the same period, from 1,451,315 tests to 2,924,208. On today's £23 fee, that fall alone takes the expected fee spend per pass from £35.16 to £51.29.
FAQ 6How many theory test centres are there?
DVSA lists 205 car theory test centres in the 2025-26 table. 12 have every figure withheld to prevent identification of individuals, leaving 193 with published data. Of those, 165 conducted at least 100 tests in the year and get a page here; the other 28 are listed as rows on their region page.
Where these figures come from
Test volumes, passes, pass rates and gender splits on this page are published statistics from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, taken from the GOV.UK statistical data set Driving test and theory test data: cars:
- DRT112A, Car theory test pass rates by gender and month: test centres. Updated 2026-07-17, covering April 2007 to March 2026.
- DRT111A, Car theory tests conducted, passed and pass rates by financial quarter and financial year: Great Britain. Updated 2026-09-03, covering April 2007 to June 2026.
- DRT111B, Car theory tests conducted, passed and pass rates by month, financial quarter, financial year and gender: Great Britain. Updated 2026-09-03, covering April 2007 to June 2026.
- DRT111C, Car theory tests conducted, passed and pass rates by financial year, gender and age: Great Britain. Updated 2026-07-17, covering April 2007 to March 2026.
Centre-level figures cover the April 2025 to March 2026 financial year, the most recent full year DVSA publishes at centre level. Snapshot taken 2026-09-05. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
DVSA publishes no region or address for theory test centres. Each centre is named after its town, and the town's country, region, county and centre point come from OS Open Names. Source: Ordnance Survey Open Names, via postcodes.io, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Every pound on this page is theorytestcost.com's own arithmetic on the £23 DVSA fee and the cost figures published elsewhere on this site. DVSA publishes no prices and none of the money here comes from DVSA.
theorytestcost.com is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to the DVSA, the DVA or GOV.UK. Pass rates are DVSA published statistics reproduced under the Open Government Licence, not our assessment of any centre. Great Britain only: theory tests in Northern Ireland are run separately by the DVA. DVSA cautions that centre figures below about 100 tests a year are not robust for comparison, and withholds a centre's figures entirely where publishing them could identify an individual.