Learning to drive can be exciting, scary and everything in between but it often unlocks a bit of freedom, no matter what age you start to learn.

Even if you’ve driven for years, you might know someone who is looking to get their driving test booked and it’s not easy at the moment, depending on where you live.

Coronavirus restrictions meant there was a backlog and learner drivers in Britain struggled to book driving tests when they planned to.

If you’re wondering how and if things have changed, here’s a roundup of the best and worst places to book a driving test now, including Colchester, according to CarMats.co.uk.

Gazette: A person driving a car (Canva)A person driving a car (Canva)

In the research, CarMats.co.uk used DVSA data on driving test centres. It researched the 100 test centres which had conducted the most tests in the past year (April 2021 – 2022 YTD) then it used the Driving-Test-Cancellations-4All tool to find out the wait times and availability at the centres.

Colchester sits in 31st place within the top 50 list with no tests available. If you’re looking to book a driving test or know someone that is, checking availability regularly could help you find the spot you need.

Top 50 worst test centres for waiting times

Here is the full list of the top 50 worst test centres for waiting times.

  1. Goodmayes (London) – No tests available
  2. Isleworth (Fleming Way) (London) – No tests available
  3. Slough (London) – No tests available
  4. Morden (London) – No tests available
  5. Chingford (London) - No tests available
  6. Reading – No tests available
  7. West Didsbury (Manchester) – No tests available
  8. Mill Hill (London) – No tests available
  9. Cardiff (Llanishen) – No tests available
  10. Peterborough – No tests available
  11. Hither Green (London) – No tests available
  12. Tolworth (London) – No tests available
  13. Cambridge (Brookmount Court) – No tests available
  14. Chadderton – No tests available
  15. Oxford (Cowley) - No tests available
  16. Cheetham Hill (Manchester) - No tests available
  17. Bletchley - No tests available
  18. Sale (Manchester) - No tests available
  19. Luton - No tests available
  20. Barking (Tanner Street) (London) - No tests available
  21. Preston - No tests available
  22. Mitcham (London) - No tests available
  23. Featherstone - No tests available
  24. Wood Green (London) - No tests available
  25. Farnborough - No tests available
  26. Lancing - No tests available
  27. Sidcup (London) - No tests available
  28. Ipswich - No tests available
  29. Hull - No tests available
  30. Wanstead (London) - No tests available
  31. Colchester - No tests available
  32. West Wickham (London) - No tests available
  33. Gillingham - No tests available
  34. Crawley - No tests available
  35. Bromley (London) - No tests available
  36. Hornchurch (London) - No tests available
  37. St Albans - No tests available
  38. Hyde (Manchester) - No tests available
  39. Coventry - No tests available
  40. Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) - No tests available
  41. Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) - No tests available
  42. Huddersfield – 23 weeks
  43. Sheffield (Middlewood Road) – 23 weeks
  44. Rochdale (Manchester) – 23 weeks
  45. Bury St Edmunds – 23 weeks
  46. Greenford (Horsenden Lane) (London) – 23 weeks
  47. Ashfield – 23 weeks
  48. Herne Bay – 23 weeks
  49. York – 23 weeks
  50. Banbury – 23 weeks

Gazette: A traffic light glowing green (Canva)A traffic light glowing green (Canva)

Top 20 best driving test centres for waiting times

  1. Kirkcaldy – 2 weeks
  2. Speke (Liverpool) – 10 weeks
  3. Plymouth – 13 weeks
  4. Southampton (Maybush) – 14 weeks
  5. Exeter – 14 weeks
  6. Upton – 14 weeks
  7. Derby (Alvaston) – 15 weeks
  8. Worcester – 15 weeks
  9. Blackpool – 15 weeks
  10. Wolverhampton – 17 weeks
  11. Newton Abbot – 17 weeks
  12. Rotherham – 17 weeks
  13. Norris Green (Liverpool) – 18 weeks
  14. Dudley – 18 weeks
  15. Portsmouth – 18 weeks
  16. Doncaster – 18 weeks
  17. Poole – 19 weeks
  18. Leeds – 20 weeks
  19. Bradford (Thornbury) – 20 weeks
  20. Bristol (Kingswood) – 21 weeks