Preston Driving Test Centre: Pass Rate & Routes
In 2025/26, DVSA examiners at Preston conducted 9,194 car practical tests and 5,174 candidates passed: a 56.3% pass rate, +6.3 points against the Great Britain average of 50.0%. That ranks 70 of 287 centres with at least 300 tests, and 8 of 31 in North West.
Practise Preston routes in the app
Driving Test Routes UK has compiled practice routes near Preston, not official DVSA routes. Free to download. Full routes and turn-by-turn need Pro.
A practice route near Preston
One of 20 practice route patterns around Preston. Open the app for all 20 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 Preston
In September 2026 the median wait between booking and taking a car test at Preston was 14.4 weeks. Half of the people who tested there that month waited 14.4 weeks or less. DVSA counts the wait to the date the test was actually taken, so moved tests are included.
That is longer than the middle centre, where the median wait was 12.4 weeks: 189 of the 315 centres in DVSA's table had a shorter median wait and 123 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 13.1 weeks (February 2026) to 21.4 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.
Preston pass rate in 2025/26
Pass rate trend at Preston
From 2021/22 to 2025/26 the pass rate fell from 56.9% to 56.3% (-0.6 points). Test volumes changed too, from 8,062 to 9,194 tests a year.
| Year (Apr–Mar) | Tests | Passes | Preston | GB average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 | 8,062 | 4,584 | 56.9% | 48.9% |
| 2022/23 | 9,704 | 5,930 | 61.1% | 48.4% |
| 2023/24 | 11,115 | 6,305 | 56.7% | 47.9% |
| 2024/25 | 11,380 | 6,116 | 53.7% | 48.7% |
| 2025/26 | 9,194 | 5,174 | 56.3% | 50.0% |
Month by month, 2025/26
The strongest month was January 2026 (61.1% from 812 tests) and the weakest was May 2025 (51.4%). Monthly rates move with small samples, so treat single months with caution.
Test centres near Preston
Distances are straight-line from the centre location. Pass rates are DVSA figures for 2025/26. The closest with a noticeably higher rate is Heysham (32 km, 59.2%).
What the test at Preston 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 Preston driving test centre?
- DVSA figures for 2025/26 show 5,174 passes from 9,194 car practical tests at Preston, a pass rate of 56.3%, above the Great Britain average of 50.0% for the same year.
- How many people pass first time at Preston?
- 2,948 of 5,178 first attempts passed in 2025/26 (56.9%). 253 learners passed their first test with zero driving faults.
- Is there an easier test centre near Preston?
- The nearest centre with a noticeably higher pass rate is Heysham, about 32 km away, at 59.2% in 2025/26. Pass rates reflect who tests there as much as the roads, so practise the routes where you will actually take your test.
- How long is the wait for a driving test at Preston?
- DVSA figures for September 2026 show a median wait of 14.4 weeks between booking and taking a car test at Preston: half of the people who took their test there that month waited 14.4 weeks or less. 40.1% 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 Preston?
- Driving Test Routes UK has 20 compiled practice routes around Preston, 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.