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Nelson driving test centre

Car practical driving test pass rates at Nelson: each year since 2007/08, by month, for men and women, and at the first attempt, compared with Great Britain as a whole. From DVSA’s published statistics.

Last updated
Records analysed
5,955 car tests at Nelson in 2025/26
Methodology
View methodology
  • Pass rate, 2025/26 51.7% Great Britain 50.0%
  • Tests taken 5,955 3,081 passes
  • First-attempt pass rate 52.2% Great Britain 50.5%
  • Rank by pass rate 118 of 260 centres with 1,000+ tests
  • Women’s pass rate 47.2% GB 49.1%
  • Men’s pass rate 56.2% GB 50.8%

What is the pass rate at Nelson?

In April 2025 to March 2026, 51.7% of car practical tests at Nelson were passes (3,081 of 5,955), against 50.0% across Great Britain: 1.7 points higher. That is 118th highest of 260 centres with 1,000 or more tests. The year before it was 47.9%.

Pass rate at Nelson and in Great Britain

Highest 56.5% in 2021/22, lowest 41.1% in 2008/09. −2.3 points since 2020/21.

Car practical test pass rate at Nelson and in Great Britain by financial year
Year NelsonGreat Britain
2007/08 43.2%44.2%
2008/09 41.1%45.3%
2009/10 43.3%45.9%
2010/11 51.4%46.3%
2011/12 49.0%46.9%
2012/13 50.0%47.2%
2013/14 47.1%47.1%
2014/15 45.5%46.9%
2015/16 46.7%47.1%
2016/17 53.7%47.1%
2017/18 53.2%46.3%
2018/19 50.2%45.8%
2019/20 48.1%45.9%
2020/21 54.0%49.8%
2021/22 56.5%48.9%
2022/23 54.3%48.4%
2023/24 49.7%47.9%
2024/25 47.9%48.7%
2025/26 51.7%50.0%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Pass rates for men and women

In 2025/26, women passed 47.2% of tests at Nelson and men 56.2%. Across Great Britain the figures were 49.1% and 50.8%.

Pass rate by gender

Pass rate by gender at Nelson and in Great Britain, 2025/26
Candidates NelsonGreat Britain
Women 47.2%49.1%
Men 56.2%50.8%
All 51.7%50.0%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Passing first time at Nelson

2,957 people took their first practical test at Nelson in 2025/26 and 52.2% passed, against 50.5% of first attempts across Great Britain. 78 of them passed without a single driving fault.

First-attempt pass rate

First-attempt pass rate at Nelson and in Great Britain by financial year
Year NelsonGreat Britain
2007/08 42.0%43.3%
2008/09 41.0%45.3%
2009/10 41.1%45.7%
2010/11 49.6%46.2%
2011/12 49.7%47.5%
2012/13 51.5%47.7%
2013/14 48.4%47.9%
2014/15 44.9%47.6%
2015/16 46.4%47.5%
2016/17 52.1%47.1%
2017/18 54.9%46.7%
2018/19 50.4%46.6%
2019/20 49.7%46.4%
2020/21 54.3%51.1%
2021/22 57.0%49.3%
2022/23 54.1%48.3%
2023/24 49.3%48.1%
2024/25 46.7%48.9%
2025/26 52.2%50.5%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Month by month

Monthly pass rates move more than yearly ones because each month has fewer tests. DVSA withholds some monthly counts to protect candidates’ privacy; the rate is still shown.

Monthly pass rate

Monthly car test pass rate at Nelson
Month Nelson
Apr 2025 51.6%
May 2025 46.0%
Jun 2025 49.6%
Jul 2025 46.0%
Aug 2025 51.2%
Sep 2025 55.5%
Oct 2025 50.8%
Nov 2025 56.7%
Dec 2025 53.6%
Jan 2026 54.1%
Feb 2026 48.7%
Mar 2026 54.2%

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

Tests each month

Car tests each month at Nelson (withheld months show as zero)
Month Tests
Apr 2025 382
May 2025 398
Jun 2025 456
Jul 2025 450
Aug 2025 346
Sep 2025 463
Oct 2025 630
Nov 2025 600
Dec 2025 493
Jan 2026 499
Feb 2026 559
Mar 2026 679

Source:DVSA April 2025 to March 2026 Updated

The most common reasons for failing

DVSA publishes the most common faults for Great Britain as a whole, not for each centre. In April 2025 to March 2026 they were:

  1. Junctions - observation
  2. Mirrors - change direction
  3. Junctions - turning right
  4. Response to signs - traffic lights
  5. Control - steering
  6. Move off - safely
  7. Response to signs - road markings
  8. Response to signs - traffic signs
  9. Positioning - normal driving
  10. Maintain progress - speed

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Driving tests Driving test and theory test data (DRT tables) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency April 2025 to March 2026 5,955 car tests at Nelson in 2025/26 15 September 2026
  • Car practical tests (categories B and B1) in financial years, April to March. Great Britain only: DVSA does not test in Northern Ireland.
  • DVSA leaves out of centre figures any centre where only one examiner tested, but counts those tests nationally, and withholds small counts (“..”) where they could identify people.
  • Centres are matched across years by name. Pass rates reflect the candidates who test at a centre as well as the centre itself.
  • DVSA’s tables give centre names only, with no address, so we do not place centres in council areas.
How we calculate these figures All data sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.