How long learners actually waited
Time between booking and taking a test for people who completed one that month. Half waited less and half waited longer.
Bolton (Manchester) Driving Test Centre
Address, postcode, current appointment availability, how long learners actually waited and pass-rate information from official published sources.
Official centre location
Address and postcode
Bolton (Manchester) Driving Test CentreWeston StreetBoltonPostcode BL3 2AWLocation source: the live GOV.UK driving-test-centre directory, checked 9 September 2026 (dataset version 231).
GOV.UK remains the definitive source for temporary locations, facilities and special instructions.
Official centre facilities and access notes
You can access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.
This test centre provides these types of tests: car, ADI part 2, ADI part 3.
Two figures. One clearer picture.
Median actual wait versus appointment availability
DVSA publishes both figures because they answer different questions.
How far ahead DVSA had to look
Point where at least 10% of weekly appointments remained available. It is not a live appointment search.
At Bolton (Manchester), the median actual wait was 12.4 weeks—11.6 weeks shorter than the 24 weeks appointment-availability measure. These figures do not contradict one another.
- Tests taken within 7 weeks of booking
- 37.4% Of tests completed in September 2026, including rescheduled tests. This is past experience, not the chance of booking a test within 7 weeks now. “Tests conducted” below covers a different, annual period.
- Previous appointment availability
- 24 weeks
- Availability change since previous month
- No change
- Overall pass rate
- 51.8%
- Tests conducted
- 11,570
- Data period
- September 2026 how long learners actually waited and current appointment availability; April 2025 to March 2026 pass rates
- Last updated
- 14 October 2026
- Record status
- Official DVSA statistics
Annual pass-rate breakdown
Bolton (Manchester) pass rates by test type
Published DVSA first-attempt and automatic-car results for this centre.
First-attempt pass rate
52.8%3,060 passes from 5,792 first attempts.
Automatic-car pass rate
46.7%1,947 passes from 4,167 automatic-car tests.
These figures describe different groups. The first-attempt figure includes first attempts in manual and automatic cars. The automatic-car figure includes automatic tests across all attempts, so it is not an automatic first-attempt rate. The percentages should not be subtracted or treated as a like-for-like comparison.
The annual tables cover April 2025 to March 2026. Sample-size warnings follow DVSA's published guidance. These figures do not predict an individual result or prove that one centre is easier. View the official DVSA source tables (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
Centre-specific analysis
What the figures mean at Bolton (Manchester)
Compare the published regional, national and official nearby records, not live booking availability.
How this centre compares
The median actual wait of 12.4 weeks ranks 18th shortest of 32 centres with published figures in North West. It is 0.3 weeks above the North West centre median of 12.1 weeks.
Across Great Britain, it ranks 157th shortest of 315 published centre medians. It matches the Great Britain centre median of 12.4 weeks.
The separate appointment-availability measure of 24 weeks ranks 21st shortest of 30 in North West.
Movement across the published series
From October 2025 to September 2026, appointment availability was 24 weeks at every published monthly point.
The most useful nearby comparison
Bury (Manchester) recorded a median actual wait of 5.7 weeks—6.7 weeks shorter than Bolton (Manchester)—and is about 7 miles away on DVSA's list.
The lowest matched nearby appointment-availability figure was 24 weeks at Atherton (Manchester).
Rank and evidence base
This overall result ranks 15th highest of 32 published centres in North West, and 164th of 315 across Great Britain.
Pass rates reflect candidate preparation, the mix of tests and local conditions; they do not prove that one centre is easier or justify travelling a long distance on their own.
Ranks use all centres with a numeric value in the same release. Tied values share a rank. A shorter historical figure does not guarantee an earlier appointment.
Analysis coverage: 12 published monthly points and comparisons with 32 centres in North West. Rankings and differences are calculated by Drive Test Finder UK from the cited DVSA records.
Official DVSA list
Alternatives to Bolton (Manchester)
Since 9 June 2026, a car driving test can normally be moved only to the three nearest centres DVSA lists for the booked centre. The original centre remains an option.
| Centre | Official distance | How long learners actually waited | Current appointment availability | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atherton (Manchester) | About 6 miles | 10 weeks | 24 weeks | 44.3% |
| Bury (Manchester) | About 7 miles | 5.7 weeks | 24 weeks | 46.3% |
| Cheetham Hill (Manchester) | About 11 miles | 10 weeks | 24 weeks | 44.7% |
These are different kinds of information: DVSA's nearest-centre list supplies the relationships and approximate driving distances; the waiting and pass-rate figures come from separate published statistics and are not live appointments.
Compare these alternativesHow to change your test centreCheck the official nearest-centre list (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)Read the 2026 booking-rule guidance (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
DVSA says distances are approximate driving distances calculated using Google Maps while avoiding motorways. The published list was last updated 15 October 2026 and may change.
12-month appointment-availability history
12 of 12 monthly records have published values. This chart tracks the published 10% appointment-availability measure, not how long learners actually waited or live appointments.
View all 12 monthly appointment-availability records
| Month | Current appointment availability |
|---|---|
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks | |
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| 24 weeks | |
| 24 weeks |
Related driving-test advice
Data source
- Data period
- September 2026 how long learners actually waited and current appointment availability; April 2025 to March 2026 pass rates
- Last updated
- 14 October 2026
- Source
- Official published driving-test statistics (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab)
Editorial review
Reviewed by Drive Test Finder UK Editorial Team
Review date: 16 October 2026
How we review: We match each page to the latest imported DVSA tables, check location details against the live GOV.UK centre directory and show missing figures as not published rather than estimating them.
Sources checked: DVSA driving-test data tables (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab), GOV.UK driving-test-centre directory (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab), DVSA nearest-centre list (opens on GOV.UK in a new tab).
The collective byline used by Jamhawks Trading Ltd for source checking, data processing and content updates. It does not represent a named individual or a claim of DVSA affiliation or professional driving-instructor status.