About 11 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 21.1 weeks shorter25.1 weeks → 4 weeks
- Appointment availability
- 2.2 weeks higher at the alternative (21.8 weeks → 24 weeks)
East of England driving test waiting times and pass rates
Compare 24 driving test centres across East of England, including September 2026 actual waits, current appointment availability and the latest published pass rates. Figures are statistical snapshots, not live appointments.
September 2026 regional summary
Read the latest UK reportEast of England at a glance
Actual-wait figures below are published centre medians. The regional average is an unweighted average of those centre-level medians.
- Average of centre actual-wait medians
- 12.5 weeks 24 centres with published medians
- Current appointment availability
- 23.2 weeks Unweighted average of valid centre records
- Month-on-month availability movement
- 0.2 weeks lower 24 centres with both months
East of England actual-wait range: published centre medians ran from 3.3 weeks at Bedford to 25.1 weeks at Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road).
Month-on-month context: Across 24 centres with records for both months, the unweighted appointment-availability average fell by 0.2 weeks. This is movement in DVSA's separate 10% appointment-availability measure, not a change in how long learners actually waited.
Centre-level detail
Where waits are shortest, longest and improving
These rankings use published centre records for September 2026. Improvements refer only to the appointment-availability measure and are not changes in median actual waits.
Shortest median actual waits
- 01Bedford3.3 weeks
- 02Basildon3.7 weeks
- 03Stevenage3.7 weeks
- 04Tilbury5.2 weeks
- 05Brentwood (London)5.3 weeks
Longest median actual waits
- 01Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road)25.1 weeks
- 02Cambridge (Brookmount Court)24.3 weeks
- 03Letchworth21 weeks
- 04Chelmsford20.9 weeks
- 05Loughton (London)20.9 weeks
Biggest availability improvements
- 01Chelmsford5.2 weeks lower
- 02Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road)2.2 weeks lower
- 03Ipswich1.8 weeks lower
- 04Norwich (Peachman Way)1.7 weeks lower
- 05Bury St Edmunds1.4 weeks lower
What the latest East of England data shows
In September 2026, Bedford recorded the area's shortest median actual wait at 3.3 weeks, while Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) recorded the longest at 25.1 weeks—a gap of 21.8 weeks across published centre medians.
Chelmsford recorded the largest centre-level improvement in the separate appointment-availability measure, falling by 5.2 weeks from 24 weeks to 18.8 weeks.
Official nearby comparisons
Nearby alternatives with shorter actual waits
Each comparison uses one of the three nearest centres in DVSA's official list. A shorter historical actual wait does not guarantee an earlier appointment, so the separate availability measure is shown alongside it.
About 36 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 18.4 weeks shorter24.3 weeks → 5.9 weeks
- Appointment availability
- Same published measure (24 weeks → 24 weeks)
About 6 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 18.3 weeks shorter20.9 weeks → 2.6 weeks
- Appointment availability
- Availability comparison not fully published
These are statistical comparisons, not live appointments or booking recommendations. Check travel practicality and use GOV.UK to book or manage a test.
Centres in East of England
Showing 24 test centres
Compare selected centres| Test centre | Town | Region | How long learners actually waited | Current appointment availability | Pass rate | Last updated | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basildon | Basildon | East of England | 3.7 weeks | 24 weeks | 49.1% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Bedford | Bedford | East of England | 3.3 weeks | 24 weeks | 53.7% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Bishops Stortford | Bishops Stortford | East of England | 5.9 weeks | 24 weeks | 51.3% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Borehamwood (London) | Borehamwood | East of England | 15.6 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.8% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Brentwood (London) | Brentwood | East of England | 5.3 weeks | 24 weeks | 48.5% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Bury St Edmunds | Bury St Edmunds | East of England | 12.7 weeks | 22 weeks | 46.2% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Cambridge (Brookmount Court) | Cambridge | East of England | 24.3 weeks | 24 weeks | 53.8% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Chelmsford | Witham | East of England | 20.9 weeks | 18.8 weeks | 55.4% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Clacton-on-Sea | Clacton-on-Sea | East of England | 6.4 weeks | 20.3 weeks | 48.2% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Colchester | Colchester | East of England | 12.1 weeks | 22.5 weeks | 50.6% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Ipswich | Ipswich | East of England | 5.3 weeks | 21 weeks | 62.3% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Kings Lynn | Kings Lynn | East of England | 16 weeks | 24 weeks | 51.9% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) | Leighton Buzzard | East of England | 25.1 weeks | 21.8 weeks | 49.9% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Letchworth | Letchworth | East of England | 21 weeks | 24 weeks | 57.5% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Loughton (London) | Loughton | East of England | 20.9 weeks | 24 weeks | 47.0% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Lowestoft(Mobbs Way) | Lowestoft | East of England | 18.4 weeks | 23.5 weeks | 43.3% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Luton | Luton | East of England | 9.9 weeks | 24 weeks | 39.2% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Norwich (Peachman Way) | Norwich | East of England | 9 weeks | 22.3 weeks | 61.7% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Peterborough | Peterborough | East of England | 15.4 weeks | 24 weeks | 52.8% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Southend-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | East of England | 17.6 weeks | 23.8 weeks | 47.0% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| St Albans | St Albans | East of England | 6 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.7% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Stevenage | Stevenage | East of England | 3.7 weeks | 24 weeks | 55.3% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Tilbury | Tilbury | East of England | 5.2 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.4% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
| Watford | Watford | East of England | 15.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 46.2% | 14 October 2026 | View details |
No exact matches
Try a town, postcode, broader region or clear the filters.
Understanding the regional figures
Regional averages include valid numeric DVSA records only and are not weighted by test volume or population. How long learners actually waited is based on the median at each centre; current appointment availability is the separate 10% measure. Neither shows live appointments, and pass rates do not measure centre difficulty.
See the latest UK report, chart and full methodology.
Explore other regions
EnglandView regional comparisonScotlandView regional comparisonWalesView regional comparisonEast MidlandsView regional comparisonLondonView regional comparisonNorth EastView regional comparison
Data source and date
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Latest records for how long learners actually waited and current appointment availability were published 14 October 2026; pass rates cover April 2025 to March 2026.