Hertfordshire · East of England
Stevenage driving test centre
55.3% of car practical tests taken at Stevenage passed in 2025-26, from 4,622 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Stevenage pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
55.3%
2,557 passes
National average
50%
+5.3 points here
Tests conducted
4,622
about 385 a month
Best published year
55.3%
2025-26
4,622 car practical tests were taken at Stevenage in 2025-26. 55.3% passed, 5.3 percentage points above the national average of 50%. It is up on 2019-20, when 48.7% passed.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 42.7% in 2023-24 and 55.3% in 2025-26, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. That works out at roughly 385 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Stevenage depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Stevenage
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 4,622 | 2,557 | 55.3% | 50% | 55.9% | 54.6% |
| 2024-25 | 4,208 | 1,889 | 44.9% | 48.7% | 44.5% | 45.3% |
| 2023-24 | 4,388 | 1,874 | 42.7% | 47.9% | 42.9% | 42.5% |
| 2022-23 | 3,673 | 1,700 | 46.3% | 48.4% | 47.9% | 44.6% |
| 2021-22 | 5,589 | 2,631 | 47.1% | 48.9% | 48.7% | 45.2% |
| 2019-20 | 4,888 | 2,379 | 48.7% | 45.9% | 51.6% | 45.9% |
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, car practical driving test pass rates by test centre, published on GOV.UK. Figures are financial years running April to March.
Driving out of Stevenage
Routes out of Stevenage use the roads around the centre: signal-controlled crossroads, bus gates and back-street rat runs. Each of them is marked differently, which is why the last few hours of tuition are worked around the centre.
Hesitation at busy junctions is the most common fault here — commit once the gap is genuinely there. Expect side-road emergences with restricted visibility from parked cars. Most candidates here travel in from around Hertfordshire, so allow for the journey when you pick a slot.
Stevenage takes candidates from across Hertfordshire, so plenty arrive having learned on a different road mix. That usually shows in the first five minutes of the drive.
The aim is simple: nothing on the drive should be new on the day.
Roads you are likely to meet
Signal-controlled crossroads
Bus gates
Back-street rat runs
- Hesitation at busy junctions is the most common fault here — commit once the gap is genuinely there.
- Expect side-road emergences with restricted visibility from parked cars.
- Most candidates here travel in from around Hertfordshire, so allow for the journey when you pick a slot.
Test routes are no longer published by the DVSA, and examiners vary them. Treat this as a guide to the local road types rather than a route list. Book your test and check availability on GOV.UK.
Where marks are lost at Stevenage
Observation at junctions
Effective observation is the single most-marked area on any UK test route, Stevenage included — look, decide, then act, and make the look obvious.
How we prepare you for this centre
Local route practice
The last hours of your course are spent on signal-controlled crossroads and bus gates near the centre, because that is what the examiner will put you on.
One rehearsal, examiner-style
Marked the way an examiner marks it, on a Stevenage route, with a written debrief of every fault.
All four manoeuvres
Every manoeuvre practised with traffic present, because that is the version that appears on the day.
Test-day rehearsal
Licence and theory certificate checked, show me / tell me covered, and the sat-nav section practised before the day.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Stevenage test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Stevenage?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Stevenage draw on signal-controlled crossroads, bus gates, back-street rat runs, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Stevenage?
observation at junctions — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Stevenage?
Yes. We match you with a DVSA approved instructor who teaches on these roads day to day, and we look for the earliest practical slot at Stevenage.
How do I book a practical test at Stevenage?
Practical tests are booked through GOV.UK with your provisional licence and theory certificate numbers. We can check cancellations for you once your course dates are set.
How early should I arrive at Stevenage?
Ten minutes early is enough. Bring your provisional licence; the eyesight check happens outside before you get in the car, so know which plate you can read.
Should I travel to a different centre instead?
We will not sell you a pass rate. Published DVSA figures reflect who books there as much as the roads, and a centre an hour away that you cannot practise around is a worse bet than the one your instructor drives every week.
Not sure how many hours you need?
Answer four quick questions and we will recommend a course based on your experience, not a sales target.