60.8% is the current pass rate at Ely — above the UK average of 50.1%. Expect both town driving and genuine open-road sections where the national speed limit applies — candidates who've only practised in built-up areas tend to find the unmarked rural junctions catch them out.
📍 Test Centre Address
Market Street
Ely, CB7 4LT
Official DVSA booking — opens in a new tab
Pass Rate at Ely
The pass rate at Ely is 60.8% — one of the higher figures in the UK. This often reflects quieter roads or a road network where observation faults are less likely to accumulate, not easier examining. The DVSA test standard is the same at every centre in the country.
Among East of England test centres, Ely's 60.8% pass rate places it 6th out of 28 — above St Ives (59.6%) and Wisbech (58.7%), and below Norwich (61.7%) and March (61.3%). The highest in East of England is Thetford at 63.4%; the lowest is Luton at 39.2%.
DVSA does not publish data for this specific test centre in our current dataset — this figure is a regional estimate based on nearby centres of similar size, not an official DVSA statistic.
Pass Rate Comparison — All East of England Test Centres
The table below shows every driving test centre in East of England, sorted by pass rate. Ely is highlighted. All figures are sourced from DVSA open data where available.
| Test Centre | Pass Rate | vs UK avg (50.1%) |
|---|---|---|
| Thetford | 63.4% | +13.3% |
| Ipswich | 62.3% | +12.2% |
| Felixstowe | 61.7% | +11.6% |
| Norwich | 61.7% | +11.6% |
| March | 61.3% | +11.2% |
| Ely ★ | 60.8% | +10.7% |
| St Ives | 59.6% | +9.5% |
| Wisbech | 58.7% | +8.6% |
| Great Yarmouth | 56.8% | +6.7% |
| Huntingdon | 56.1% | +6% |
| Chelmsford | 55.4% | +5.3% |
| Stevenage | 55.3% | +5.2% |
| Witham | 55.2% | +5.1% |
| Hertford | 55.1% | +5% |
| Welwyn Garden City | 54.4% | +4.3% |
| Cambridge | 53.8% | +3.7% |
| Bedford | 53.7% | +3.6% |
| Braintree | 53.7% | +3.6% |
| Kings Lynn | 51.9% | +1.8% |
| Hemel Hempstead | 50.7% | +0.6% |
| St Albans | 50.7% | +0.6% |
| Colchester | 50.6% | +0.5% |
| Basildon | 49.1% | -1% |
| Brentwood | 48.5% | -1.6% |
| Harlow | 46.8% | -3.3% |
| Bury St Edmunds | 46.2% | -3.9% |
| Watford | 46.2% | -3.9% |
| Luton | 39.2% | -10.9% |
Test Centres Near Ely
Before booking at Ely, it's worth checking how it stacks up against other centres near Ely — pass rate, route type, and typical wait for a slot can all vary more than you'd expect between centres just a few miles apart.
- Cambridge driving test centre (13 miles — 53.8% pass rate)
- March driving test centre (13 miles — 61.3% pass rate)
- St Ives driving test centre (15 miles — 59.6% pass rate)
- Wisbech driving test centre (19 miles — 58.7% pass rate)
What to Expect on Test Routes from Ely
Single-carriageway roads at the national speed limit make up a real part of the test route from Ely. Country lanes and A-roads test safe speed management directly — judging a safe following distance behind slower vehicles, and knowing when not to try an overtake, come up on most routes here.
Where candidates tend to lose marks is the transition back down in speed after the rural stretches — carrying too much speed into a 30mph village or town approach racks up speed-related faults fast.
Most Common Fail Reasons at Ely
DVSA doesn't break fault data down by centre, so the list below is the national picture, weighted for the kind of roads you'll actually face at Ely and other East of England centres.
- Speed — national speed limit roads: Driving significantly below the limit without reason on open country roads, or failing to reduce speed early enough when re-entering a village or 30mph zone.
- Junctions — observation: Emerging too quickly at rural T-junctions where visibility may be limited by hedges, bends, or crests.
- Mirrors — change direction: Failing to check mirrors before slowing, pulling over, or turning onto rural side roads.
- Road positioning: Incorrect positioning on single-carriageway roads — too far left on narrow lanes or too central on roads with oncoming traffic.
- Response to hazards: Not responding early enough to agricultural vehicles, cyclists, or pedestrians on rural routes.
Full breakdown: The 10 Most Common Driving Test Fails →
Booking Your Test at Ely
Book your practical driving test at Ely through the official DVSA service. You will need your provisional driving licence number and a debit or credit card. The current fee is £62 for weekday tests and £75 for evenings, weekends, and bank holidays.
Your theory test certificate must be valid when you book — theory passes expire two years from the test date. Check yours before starting a booking.
If Ely has no availability on your target date, the DVSA booking tool lets you search other test centres nearby — useful if you are flexible on location.
Find a Driving Instructor Near Ely
Ely's 60.8% pass rate is above the national average — but that doesn't mean preparation matters less. Candidates who do well here tend to use an instructor who knows the local routes and can target the specific road types the examiner will test on.
National speed limit country roads, low-visibility bends, junctions shared with farm traffic — Ely's rural test routes feel genuinely different from town driving, and many candidates underestimate the gap. A local instructor who covers these roads makes a real difference.
Search for ADIs near Ely using the official tool below, then ask this directly: "How well do you know the specific rural routes used at Ely, and do your lessons cover national speed limit roads and low-visibility junctions?" Any instructor worth their fee will give you a specific answer, not a vague one.
Find an Approved Driving Instructor near Ely →
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