How long is the wait for a driving test at Birmingham (Shirley)?

The median wait at Birmingham (Shirley) is 16.2 weeks as of July 2026, from DVSA's own figures, which makes it the 221st shortest of the 311 centres on this site.

Can I get an earlier driving test near Birmingham?

Yes. Of the three centres you may legally move this test to, 3 are quicker — Birmingham (Garretts Green) at 7 weeks (9.2 weeks sooner, 5.2 miles away), Birmingham (South Yardley) at 10 weeks (6.2 weeks sooner, 3.4 miles away), Birmingham (Kings Heath) at 11.7 weeks (4.5 weeks sooner, 2.7 miles away). You can also swap with another learner holding an earlier date at this centre.

Can someone book a Birmingham (Shirley) driving test cancellation for me?

No — not at Birmingham (Shirley) or anywhere else. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for a third party to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf, which is why the 16.2-week wait here cannot be jumped by paying someone to watch for cancellations. Zwitch introduces two learners who each want the other's date; you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves.

Which centres can I swap a Birmingham (Shirley) test to?

DVSA allows a move to the centre you first booked at or one of the three nearest to it — for Birmingham (Shirley) those are Birmingham (Kings Heath) (2.7 miles), Birmingham (South Yardley) (3.4 miles), Birmingham (Garretts Green) (5.2 miles).

Swap your Birmingham (Shirley) driving test for an earlier date

401 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4AA

Median wait

16.2 wks

4.3 wks longer than the 11.9-wk national median

Month on month

↑ 15.7%

Waits are getting longer at this centre

Slots still bookable

4.2%

Of the tests released in the booking window

Birmingham driving test centre, in Solihull, is a DVSA practical test centre in the West Midlands, on 401 Stratford Road.

As of July 2026 the median wait here is 16.2 weeks, 4.3 weeks longer than the 11.9-week national median — which is why learners often look to swap a driving test in Birmingham rather than wait it out.

It sits in a tight cluster: Birmingham (Kings Heath) is only 2.7 miles away, so all three of the centres you are allowed to move to are within reach.

Birmingham driving test waiting times, August 2025 to July 2026

Median weeks between booking and taking a driving test at Birmingham (Shirley). Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published monthly. Latest month: July 2026.

Median waiting time in weeks by month at Birmingham (Shirley)
Month	Median wait	Still bookable
July 2026	16.2 wks	4.2%
June 2026	14 wks	3.6%
May 2026	5.4 wks	4.6%
April 2026	4.6 wks	4.7%
March 2026	12 wks	4.9%
February 2026	10.4 wks	4.4%
January 2026	10.7 wks	4%
December 2025	10.9 wks	4.2%
November 2025	12.1 wks	2.9%
October 2025	14.3 wks	1.2%
September 2025	14.9 wks	4.4%
August 2025	13.3 wks	4.9%

The 3 centres you can move this test to

Since 9 June 2026, DVSA only lets you move a car test to one of your 3 nearest test centres, or the centre you first booked at. If you are booked at Birmingham (Shirley), these are those three — measured as straight-line distance from the centre itself.

1 Birmingham (Kings Heath) 2.7 miles away 11.7 wk wait 4.5 wks sooner 2 Birmingham (South Yardley) 3.4 miles away 10 wk wait 6.2 wks sooner 3 Birmingham (Garretts Green) 5.2 miles away 7 wk wait 9.2 wks sooner

Birmingham (Garretts Green) is currently 9.2 weeks quicker than Birmingham (Shirley). Moving a test there is allowed under the location rule, and it is one of the changes a learner-to-learner swap can achieve.

How to swap a driving test in Birmingham

Both of you need a spare change. Learners get 2 changes per booking, and a swap uses one each.

At least 10 full working days' notice before the earlier of the two tests.

Same test type and price band. A weekday test (£62) can only swap with another weekday test; evening, weekend and bank holiday tests (£75) swap with each other.

The location rule must work for both of you — see the three centres above.

By phone only. One of you calls DVSA, they put you on hold and call the other learner, and you both confirm. It cannot be done online, by email or over WhatsApp.

Zwitch introduces the two learners and stops there — you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for anyone else to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf. Never give another learner your driving licence number or booking reference.

Getting to the centre

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Address: 401 Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands, B90 4AA
Postcode: B90 4AA
Coordinates: 52.40475, -1.82229
Region: West Midlands, England
Parking: Public parking in DTC service road accessed via Union Road
Accessibility: Arrangements will be made at this test centre if you have a disability
Toilets: No toilets are available within the test centre

How Birmingham (Shirley) compares

221 of 311 centres on this site, counting up from the shortest wait.
4.8 weeks longer than the West Midlands median of 11.4 weeks, across 25 centres. 17 centres in West Midlands currently wait less.
DVSA made 2,076 tests available here in July 2026; 1,988 were booked — 88 went unused.
The wait has moved 15.7% longer across the months on record.

Questions about swapping a Birmingham test

How long is the wait for a driving test at Birmingham (Shirley)?: The median wait at Birmingham (Shirley) is 16.2 weeks as of July 2026, from DVSA's own figures, which makes it the 221st shortest of the 311 centres on this site.
Can I get an earlier driving test near Birmingham?: Yes. Of the three centres you may legally move this test to, 3 are quicker — Birmingham (Garretts Green) at 7 weeks (9.2 weeks sooner, 5.2 miles away), Birmingham (South Yardley) at 10 weeks (6.2 weeks sooner, 3.4 miles away), Birmingham (Kings Heath) at 11.7 weeks (4.5 weeks sooner, 2.7 miles away). You can also swap with another learner holding an earlier date at this centre.
Can someone book a Birmingham (Shirley) driving test cancellation for me?: No — not at Birmingham (Shirley) or anywhere else. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for a third party to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf, which is why the 16.2-week wait here cannot be jumped by paying someone to watch for cancellations. Zwitch introduces two learners who each want the other's date; you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves.
Which centres can I swap a Birmingham (Shirley) test to?: DVSA allows a move to the centre you first booked at or one of the three nearest to it — for Birmingham (Shirley) those are Birmingham (Kings Heath) (2.7 miles), Birmingham (South Yardley) (3.4 miles), Birmingham (Garretts Green) (5.2 miles).

Where these numbers come from

Waiting times and availability — DVSA table DRT122F: car driving test availability by driving test centre, published monthly on the second Wednesday. Latest month in this dataset: July 2026. "Median wait" is DVSA's own measure of the middle waiting time between booking and taking a test.
Address, postcode, coordinates and facilities — the DVSA test centre list behind the GOV.UK find a driving test centre service.
Distances — great-circle distance calculated from the published coordinates. Straight-line, not driving distance.
Known limitation — the DVSA centre list lags the live GOV.UK finder, so a centre that has recently been renamed or split may appear here in its older form. Closed centres are excluded using DRT122F. Always confirm on GOV.UK before booking.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Zwitch is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Page data last updated 2026-08-18.