Seven test centres, one table: pass rates, first-attempt rates, how many attempts the average learner needs and what it costs — for everyone learning to drive in Solihull.
2024-25 car test pass rates from passrates.uk's analysis of DVSA data. UK average: 48.7%.
| Centre | Location | Pass rate | First attempt | Tests | Avg attempts* | Avg test fees* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham (Shirley) | 401 Stratford Road, B90 4AA | 58.1% | — | 9,600 | 1.7 | £107 |
| Warwick (Wedgenock House) | Warwick | 48.4% | — | 10,900 | 2.1 | £128 |
| Birmingham (Kings Heath) | 955 Alcester Road South, B14 5JA | 47.0% | — | 8,488 | 2.1 | £132 |
| Redditch | Elm Road, B97 6HJ | 46.7% | 44.7% | 4,700 | 2.1 | £133 |
| Coventry | Bayton Road area, CV7 | 42.3% | 41.7% | 9,100 | 2.4 | £147 |
| Birmingham (Garretts Green) | Granby Avenue, B33 0SD | 42.0% | 39.9% | 21,871 | 2.4 | £148 |
| Birmingham (South Yardley) | Clay Lane, B26 1EA | 41.6% | 39.4% | 12,709 | 2.4 | £149 |
*If every attempt had the same chance of passing: average attempts = 1 ÷ pass rate; average spent on weekday test fees = £62 ÷ pass rate. Real learners improve between attempts, so treat these as a baseline. Test volumes for some centres are rounded.
Shirley, Solihull's own centre on the A34, had a 58.1% pass rate in 2024-25 — the highest of any Birmingham-area centre and up from 44.9% in 2017-18. At the other end, Garretts Green — the busiest centre in Birmingham with almost 22,000 tests, and the nearest for north Solihull — passed 42.0%, with just 39.9% passing first time. Across Birmingham's five centres, passrates.uk puts the average at 45.4%.
That gap is worth real money. On the simple model in the table, an average Garretts Green candidate spends about £148 on weekday test fees before passing; at Shirley it's about £107. Every failed attempt also usually means extra lessons and another wait.
If you live in south Solihull, Shirley is probably your nearest centre anyway. If you live in Chelmsley Wood or Kingshurst, travelling to Shirley means being tested on roads you don't know — which can cancel out the advantage. Since June 2026 a booked test can only be moved to one of the three centres nearest it, so choose carefully. SQ Driving School's comparison by postcode helps.
The region's pass rate runs several points below the GB average, and nearby Wolverhampton had the lowest pass rate in Britain in 2024-25 (33.4%). Solihull's Shirley centre is a notable exception.
Being genuinely test-ready. DriveSQ learners see all 23 skills in their Student Portal and do a full mock test before booking.
Learning for a test at Shirley or Garretts Green? Book lessons with DriveSQ.
DriveSQ and SQ Driving School are one team: the same instructors, prices and Student Portal. SQ Driving School publishes the detailed local guides.
Building local road knowledge is one of the most underestimated aspects of driver training. Knowing which junctions require extra observation, where speed limits change, and where vulnerable road users are most likely to appear turns a competent learner into a genuinely safe driver for life. DriveSQ lessons are planned around the actual roads you will drive every day after passing.
DVSA statistics: The UK practical driving test pass rate is approximately 48% on first attempt — meaning more than half of all candidates fail at least once. The most common serious fault categories are observation at junctions (31% of all serious faults), use of mirrors (19%) and incorrect response to traffic signs (11%). Structured lesson plans that specifically address these three areas significantly improve first-time pass rates.
DriveSQ instructors bring nationally-accredited teaching methodology to every lesson, combined with deep local knowledge of Greater Manchester roads. Every lesson is planned to build on the previous one, creating a progressive learning journey from first drive to test-ready confidence.
Greater Manchester's road network covers over 4,500 miles of road managed across ten metropolitan boroughs. The network includes motorways (M60, M62, M56, M61, M63), A-roads of regional importance (A6, A34, A56, A57, A580), and an extensive local road grid of B-roads and unclassified roads. Understanding the network hierarchy — and the different driving demands at each level — is a key part of driver education.
Manchester's city centre road network is managed by TfGM (Transport for Greater Manchester) using a SCOOT adaptive traffic signal system that responds to real-time vehicle detector data. This means signal phases can be shorter or longer than expected — learners should always approach signals prepared to stop rather than accelerating in anticipation of a green phase.
Speed limits are one of the most frequently misunderstood aspects of UK driving law. A speed limit is not a target or a recommended speed — it is the absolute maximum permitted in ideal conditions. Drivers must reduce speed below the limit whenever conditions demand it: rain, fog, pedestrians near the carriageway, reduced visibility, bends with limited forward sight distance, or approaching school zones. The National Speed Limit (NSL) sign — a white circle with a diagonal red stripe — means 60mph on single-carriageway roads and 70mph on dual carriageways and motorways for cars. Variable speed limits on smart motorways are legally enforceable and treated identically to static speed limits. Average speed camera systems measure elapsed time between detection points — slowing for a camera and accelerating away defeats them completely. Fixed point cameras use a 10% + 2mph tolerance, but this is not a legal allowance and varies by enforcement policy. The safest approach is to drive at the speed that allows you to stop within the distance you can see to be clear — a principle that applies regardless of the posted limit.
The DVSA records an overall pass rate for every test centre — these figures are publicly available and show significant variation. Rural test centres with lower traffic volume and simpler route networks typically show higher pass rates than urban centres with complex junctions, multi-lane roads and high traffic density. However, a pass at a simpler centre does not produce a better driver — post-test collision statistics show no meaningful difference by test centre.
After passing your driving test, your journey as a driver is just beginning. The first year of independent driving carries the highest collision risk of any stage of a driver's career — new drivers are involved in road incidents at four times the rate of experienced drivers. Post-pass programmes including Pass Plus, motorway lessons with a qualified ADI, and telematics (black box) insurance all demonstrably reduce first-year risk. DriveSQ offers post-pass sessions specifically designed to build the additional skills that DVSA testing cannot fully assess: motorway driving, night driving, rural roads and adverse weather confidence.