Dorchester Driving Test Centre: Pass Rate & Routes
In 2025/26, DVSA examiners at Dorchester conducted 4,353 car practical tests and 3,002 candidates passed: a 69% pass rate, +19 points against the Great Britain average of 50.0%. That ranks 4 of 287 centres with at least 300 tests, and 1 of 21 in South West.
Practise Dorchester routes in the app
Driving Test Routes UK has compiled practice routes near Dorchester, not official DVSA routes. Free to download. Full routes and turn-by-turn need Pro.
A practice route near Dorchester
One of 14 practice route patterns around Dorchester. Open the app for all 14 with spoken turn-by-turn.
This is an outline of the shape of one compiled practice route, with the start and finish marked and no streets shown. They are not official DVSA routes: examiners change routes for traffic and roadworks.
Waiting time at Dorchester
In September 2026 the median wait between booking and taking a car test at Dorchester was 10.6 weeks. Half of the people who tested there that month waited 10.6 weeks or less. DVSA counts the wait to the date the test was actually taken, so moved tests are included.
That is shorter than the middle centre, where the median wait was 12.4 weeks: 123 of the 315 centres in DVSA's table had a shorter median wait and 189 a longer one (our comparison of DVSA's figures; DVSA publishes no Great Britain row in this table). Over the 12 months to September 2026 this centre's monthly median ranged from 5.9 weeks (May 2026) to 14.5 weeks (October 2025), so one month is a guide, not a promise.
“Weeks to 10%+ availability” is how many weeks ahead you have to look before at least 10% of a week's test appointments are still free. Many people get an earlier date through cancellations, so it is not the same as the wait above. The 19.7-week figure is a simple average of 248 centres, worked out the way DVSA's notes describe for regional and national figures.
Source: DVSA, car driving test availability by driving test centre (DRT122F, data to September 2026, published 14 October 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0. Data since April 2025 is provisional and may be revised. DVSA-delivered car tests only.
Dorchester pass rate in 2025/26
Pass rate trend at Dorchester
From 2021/22 to 2025/26 the pass rate rose from 64.7% to 69% (+4.3 points). Test volumes changed too, from 5,999 to 4,353 tests a year.
| Year (Apr–Mar) | Tests | Passes | Dorchester | GB average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 5,999 | 3,880 | 64.7% | 48.9% |
| 2022/23 | 5,202 | 3,224 | 62% | 48.4% |
| 2023/24 | 5,689 | 3,614 | 63.5% | 47.9% |
| 2024/25 | 4,561 | 3,042 | 66.7% | 48.7% |
| 2025/26 | 4,353 | 3,002 | 69% | 50.0% |
Month by month, 2025/26
The strongest month was March 2026 (72.5% from 484 tests) and the weakest was November 2025 (63.4%). Monthly rates move with small samples, so treat single months with caution.
Test centres near Dorchester
Distances are straight-line from the centre location. Pass rates are DVSA figures for 2025/26.
What the test at Dorchester involves
- About 40 minutes of driving, starting with an eyesight check and a “tell me” question.
- Around 20 minutes of independent driving, usually following a sat nav set by the examiner.
- One reversing manoeuvre: parallel park, bay park, or pull up on the right and reverse two car lengths.
- A “show me” question while you drive, and possibly an emergency stop.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the pass rate at Dorchester driving test centre?
- DVSA figures for 2025/26 show 3,002 passes from 4,353 car practical tests at Dorchester, a pass rate of 69%, above the Great Britain average of 50.0% for the same year.
- How many people pass first time at Dorchester?
- 1,735 of 2,415 first attempts passed in 2025/26 (71.8%). 203 learners passed their first test with zero driving faults.
- How long is the wait for a driving test at Dorchester?
- DVSA figures for September 2026 show a median wait of 10.6 weeks between booking and taking a car test at Dorchester: half of the people who took their test there that month waited 10.6 weeks or less. 41.7% of tests were taken within 7 weeks of booking. This describes tests already taken, not today's booking page, so check the live booking service for current dates.
- How many practice routes are there for Dorchester?
- Driving Test Routes UK has 14 compiled practice routes around Dorchester, not official DVSA routes. Examiners change routes for traffic and roadworks. Free to download. Full routes and turn-by-turn need Pro.
Pass rates: DVSA, car driving test data by test centre (DRT122A/C/E, April 2025 to March 2026, published June 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0. Waiting times: DVSA, DRT122F (data to September 2026, published 14 October 2026), Open Government Licence v3.0. Practice routes are compiled by Driving Test Routes UK and are not official DVSA routes. Examiners vary routes for traffic and roadworks.