About 6 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 18.3 weeks shorter25 weeks → 6.7 weeks
- Appointment availability
- Same published measure (24 weeks → 24 weeks)
East of England driving test waiting times and pass rates
Compare 24 driving test centres across East of England, including August 2026 actual waits, current appointment availability and the latest published pass rates. Figures are statistical snapshots, not live appointments.
August 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
- 23.4 weeks Unweighted average of valid centre records
- Month-on-month availability movement
- 0.2 weeks higher 24 centres with both months
East of England actual-wait range: published centre medians ran from 3.6 weeks at Brentwood (London) to 27.1 weeks at Bedford.
Month-on-month context: Across 24 centres with records for both months, the unweighted appointment-availability average rose 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 August 2026. Improvements refer only to the appointment-availability measure and are not changes in median actual waits.
Shortest median actual waits
- 01Brentwood (London)3.6 weeks
- 02Basildon4.8 weeks
- 03St Albans6.7 weeks
- 04Stevenage6.7 weeks
- 05Tilbury7.1 weeks
Longest median actual waits
- 01Bedford27.1 weeks
- 02Letchworth25 weeks
- 03Cambridge (Brookmount Court)20.1 weeks
- 04Chelmsford17 weeks
- 05Peterborough17 weeks
Biggest availability improvements
- 01Cambridge (Brookmount Court)4.2 weeks lower
- 02Luton4 weeks lower
- 03Ipswich1 week lower
What the latest East of England data shows
In August 2026, Brentwood (London) recorded the area's shortest median actual wait at 3.6 weeks, while Bedford recorded the longest at 27.1 weeks—a gap of 23.5 weeks across published centre medians.
Cambridge (Brookmount Court) recorded the largest centre-level improvement in the separate appointment-availability measure, falling by 4.2 weeks from 24 weeks to 19.8 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 21 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 16.8 weeks shorter27.1 weeks → 10.3 weeks
- Appointment availability
- 4 weeks lower at the alternative (24 weeks → 20 weeks)
About 25 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 13.4 weeks shorter17 weeks → 3.6 weeks
- Appointment availability
- Same published measure (24 weeks → 24 weeks)
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 | 4.8 weeks | 24 weeks | 49.1% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Bedford | Bedford | East of England | 27.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 53.7% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Bishops Stortford | Bishops Stortford | East of England | 10.4 weeks | 24 weeks | 51.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Borehamwood (London) | Borehamwood | East of England | 10.9 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Brentwood (London) | Brentwood | East of England | 3.6 weeks | 24 weeks | 48.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Bury St Edmunds | Bury St Edmunds | East of England | 11.1 weeks | 23.4 weeks | 46.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Cambridge (Brookmount Court) | Cambridge | East of England | 20.1 weeks | 19.8 weeks | 53.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Chelmsford | Witham | East of England | 17 weeks | 24 weeks | 55.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Clacton-on-Sea | Clacton-on-Sea | East of England | 14.2 weeks | 21.4 weeks | 48.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Colchester | Colchester | East of England | 12.4 weeks | 23.6 weeks | 50.6% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Ipswich | Ipswich | East of England | 8 weeks | 22.8 weeks | 62.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Kings Lynn | Kings Lynn | East of England | 15.4 weeks | 24 weeks | 51.9% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) | Leighton Buzzard | East of England | 16.6 weeks | 24 weeks | 49.9% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Letchworth | Letchworth | East of England | 25 weeks | 24 weeks | 57.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Loughton (London) | Loughton | East of England | 9.4 weeks | 24 weeks | 47.0% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Lowestoft(Mobbs Way) | Lowestoft | East of England | 14.1 weeks | 22.4 weeks | 43.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Luton | Luton | East of England | 10.3 weeks | 20 weeks | 39.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Norwich (Peachman Way) | Norwich | East of England | 10.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 61.7% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Peterborough | Peterborough | East of England | 17 weeks | 24 weeks | 52.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Southend-on-Sea | Southend-on-Sea | East of England | 7.5 weeks | 24 weeks | 47.0% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| St Albans | St Albans | East of England | 6.7 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.7% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Stevenage | Stevenage | East of England | 6.7 weeks | 24 weeks | 55.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Tilbury | Tilbury | East of England | 7.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Watford | Watford | East of England | 15.4 weeks | 24 weeks | 46.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
No exact matches
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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 9 September 2026; pass rates cover April 2025 to March 2026.