Greenford driving test centre: a hard centre, getting better

Greenford (Horsenden Lane), by Perivale in UB6, is the closest centre for much of Ealing, Greenford, Northolt and Wembley, and the hardest on our list to pass. Here is what DVSA’s own figures say, and what to do about it.

41.4%

pass rate, 2025/26 (GB 50.0%)

40.0%

pass rate on a first attempt

45%

of tests taken in an automatic (GB 29.5%)

18.4 wks

median wait, September 2026

Source: DVSA, tables DRT122A, DRT122C, DRT122E and DRT122F. Pass rates cover April 2025 to March 2026.

Pass rates

Below average every year, but climbing

Greenford has passed fewer candidates than the national rate in every year of DVSA’s data, going back to 2007/08; its best year was 42.7%. Each of the last three years has been better than the one before.

Car test pass rates at Greenford by year, with men, women and Great Britain
Year (April to March)	Tests	Greenford pass rate	Men	Women	Great Britain
2025/26	7,222	41.4%	44.0%	36.9%	50.0%
2024/25	7,106	40.5%	43.6%	35.8%	48.7%
2023/24	7,993	38.4%	41.3%	34.3%	47.9%
2022/23	6,475	37.8%	41.2%	33.3%	48.4%
2021/22	6,703	38.7%	41.3%	35.2%	48.9%
2018/19	7,837	37.6%	41.6%	33.4%	45.8%

Women pass less often than men here, by about seven points, and both are below the national rate. DVSA publishes no reason, and a pass rate reflects who takes the test (how prepared, how many attempts) as much as the roads. What it does tell you: don’t book Greenford until you are passing mock tests comfortably.

Automatic or manual

Nearly half of Greenford’s tests are in an automatic

45% of Greenford tests are in an automatic, and two in three women who test here choose one. The automatic pass rate has risen for two years running.

Automatic car tests at Greenford by year
Year	Automatic tests	Share of all tests	Automatic pass rate
2025/26	3,250	45.0%	41.0%
2024/25	2,952	41.5%	37.7%
2023/24	3,571	44.7%	36.1%

In 2025/26 automatic and manual candidates passed at almost the same rate here: 41.0% and 41.7%. An automatic won’t make Greenford easier, but it does take the clutch out of the A40 roundabouts while you learn them. An automatic pass gives you an automatic-only licence.

Waiting times

Waits at Greenford, month by month

Greenford’s wait swings a lot. Early in 2026 most people tested within a month of booking; by September the median was over four months.

Median weeks from booking to test at Greenford by month, with the share tested within 7 weeks and the share who waited over 21
Month	Median wait	Within 7 weeks	Over 21 weeks
September 2026	18.4 weeks	37%	45%
August 2026	10.7 weeks	33%	33%
July 2026	10.7 weeks	43%	23%
June 2026	7.7 weeks	45%	21%
May 2026	5.1 weeks	60%	19%
April 2026	9.4 weeks	45%	40%
March 2026	4.3 weeks	56%	33%
February 2026	3.1 weeks	59%	30%
January 2026	3.0 weeks	61%	29%
December 2025	4.3 weeks	60%	27%
November 2025	4.6 weeks	57%	27%
October 2025	10.4 weeks	45%	33%

Greenford is a small centre (7,222 tests in 2025/26, half as many as Pinner), so a few examiners more or less changes the wait quickly. Across London the median wait was 14.3 weeks in September 2026, and 11.6 across Great Britain.

Preparing for Greenford

How to give yourself the best chance at Greenford

Nobody can promise a pass at any centre. These three things make the biggest difference at this one.

Mock first

book only when ready

Take a full mock test on the roads around Horsenden Lane and book once you are passing them, not to “have a go”. A first-attempt pass rate of 40% means most first attempts here fail.

The A40

roundabouts and slip roads

The Greenford roundabout under the A40 and the slip roads at Perivale and Greenford are where lane discipline is tested. Practise them at busy times, not just quiet ones.

The rules

think before you book

Since 9 June 2026 a test can only move to one of the three centres nearest the one you booked. Decide with your instructor which centre suits you before you book.

The old Greenford centre on Whitton Avenue East closed: DVSA’s figures for it stop in February 2020. Horsenden Lane is the only Greenford centre now.

Booking a Greenford test under the 2026 rules

Only you can book, change or cancel your test, since 12 May 2026. Instructors and cancellation-finder apps can’t; you can still look for earlier slots yourself on gov.uk.
Two changes per booking, since 31 March 2026. Changing the date and the centre together counts as one.
A test can only move to one of the three centres nearest the one you booked, since 9 June 2026.
Add your instructor’s reference number when you book so they are free on the day.

Rules: DVSA, Changes to driving test booking rules in 2026 (updated 19 June 2026).

The centre and its roads

Horsenden Lane and the roads around it

DVSA no longer publishes test routes, and they change. These are the kinds of road around Greenford.

Horsenden Lane North, UB6

The centre is on the Greenford–Perivale border, near Horsenden Hill. Tests start and finish here, so you begin on quieter roads before heading out to the busy ones.

The Greenford roundabout under the A40

Greenford Road meets the A40 at a multi-lane roundabout below the flyover. Guides to the centre published online single it out for lane faults: get in lane early and hold it.

A40 slip roads and Greenford Broadway

Joining and leaving the A40 at speed, then the parked cars, buses and camera-enforced bus lanes of Greenford Broadway and Ruislip Road. Two very different skills, often in the same drive.

Lessons for Greenford

Who tests at Greenford, and who can teach you

Learners from Greenford, Northolt, Ealing, Wembley and Acton often test here. These are the WLDS instructors who cover those areas and are taking new learners.

Enter your postcode in the guided booking to see the instructors who cover it.

More about lessons in Greenford and Northolt, Ealing and Wembley, or compare Greenford with eight other centres on our test centres page.

Common questions

Greenford test centre: FAQs

What is the pass rate at Greenford test centre?

41.4% from April 2025 to March 2026, across 7,222 car tests, against 50.0% for Great Britain (DVSA). On a first attempt it was 40.0%.

Why is Greenford test centre’s pass rate so low?

DVSA doesn’t say. It has been below the national rate in every year of its data since 2007/08. A pass rate reflects who takes the test, how prepared they are and how many attempts they have had, as well as the roads, so the useful answer is to arrive ready.

Is Greenford getting easier?

Its pass rate has risen three years running, from 37.8% in 2022/23 to 41.4% in 2025/26, and the automatic pass rate from 36.1% to 41.0%. It is still the lowest of the centres on our test centres page.

How long is the wait at Greenford test centre?

It swings. The median wait was 3 weeks in January 2026 but 18.4 weeks in September 2026, when 45% had waited more than 21 weeks (DVSA, provisional).

Is the old Greenford test centre on Whitton Avenue still open?

No. DVSA’s figures for Greenford (Whitton Avenue East) stop in February 2020. Tests run from Horsenden Lane North.

Should I take my test at Greenford or somewhere else?

Book where you will practise the roads and can realistically get to. If you are considering another centre, decide before you book: since 9 June 2026 a test can only move to one of the three centres nearest the one you booked.

Do you give lessons for a test at Greenford?

Yes. Our instructors who cover Greenford, Northolt, Ealing, Wembley and Acton prepare learners for Greenford, including mock tests on the roads around Horsenden Lane.

Figures: DVSA, car driving test data by test centre. Pass rates April to March each year; waits are provisional monthly figures, published 14 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026.

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