How long is the wait for a driving test at Kettering?

The median wait at Kettering is 7.3 weeks as of July 2026, from DVSA's own figures, which makes it the 58th shortest of the 311 centres on this site.

Can I get an earlier driving test near Kettering?

Not by moving centre — all three centres you may legally move this test to currently wait longer than Kettering's 7.3 weeks. Swapping with another learner who already holds an earlier date here is the remaining route.

Can someone book a Kettering driving test cancellation for me?

No — not at Kettering 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 7.3-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 Kettering test to?

DVSA allows a move to the centre you first booked at or one of the three nearest to it — for Kettering those are Wellingborough (5.2 miles), Northampton (11.9 miles), Bedford (19 miles).

Swap your Kettering driving test for an earlier date

Orion Way, Kettering Business Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN15 6NL

Median wait

7.3 wks

4.6 wks shorter than the 11.9-wk national median

Month on month

↓ 39.7%

Waits are getting shorter at this centre

Slots still bookable

5.4%

Of the tests released in the booking window

Kettering driving test centre is a DVSA practical test centre in the East Midlands, on Orion Way.

As of July 2026 the median wait here is 7.3 weeks — 4.6 weeks shorter than the 11.9-week national median, making it one of the quicker centres to get a test at.

It sits in a tight cluster: Wellingborough is only 5.2 miles away, so all three of the centres you are allowed to move to are within reach.

Kettering driving test waiting times, August 2025 to July 2026

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

Median waiting time in weeks by month at Kettering
Month	Median wait	Still bookable
July 2026	7.3 wks	5.4%
June 2026	12.1 wks	5.3%
May 2026	12.9 wks	4.5%
April 2026	13.4 wks	4.1%
March 2026	11 wks	3.1%
February 2026	10 wks	3.4%
January 2026	7.7 wks	2.5%
December 2025	8.9 wks	2.8%
November 2025	10.4 wks	2.9%
October 2025	14 wks	0.4%
September 2025	16.6 wks	3.5%
August 2025	12.4 wks	4.4%

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 Kettering, these are those three — measured as straight-line distance from the centre itself.

1 Wellingborough 5.2 miles away 21.4 wk wait 14.1 wks longer 2 Northampton 11.9 miles away 7.9 wk wait 0.6 wks longer 3 Bedford 19 miles away 27.1 wk wait 19.8 wks longer

Kettering currently has the shortest wait of the four. If you hold a test here, someone at a slower nearby centre may well want to swap into it.

How to swap a driving test in Kettering

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: Orion Way, Kettering Business Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN15 6NL
Postcode: NN15 6NL
Coordinates: 52.37878, -0.72285
Region: East Midlands, England
Parking: Car parking spaces are available
Toilets: Male and female toilets are available

How Kettering compares

58 of 311 centres on this site, counting up from the shortest wait.
1 weeks shorter than the East Midlands median of 8.3 weeks, across 21 centres. 5 centres in East Midlands currently wait less.
DVSA made 3,013 tests available here in July 2026; 2,851 were booked — 162 went unused.
The wait has moved 39.7% shorter across the months on record.

Questions about swapping a Kettering test

How long is the wait for a driving test at Kettering?: The median wait at Kettering is 7.3 weeks as of July 2026, from DVSA's own figures, which makes it the 58th shortest of the 311 centres on this site.
Can I get an earlier driving test near Kettering?: Not by moving centre — all three centres you may legally move this test to currently wait longer than Kettering's 7.3 weeks. Swapping with another learner who already holds an earlier date here is the remaining route.
Can someone book a Kettering driving test cancellation for me?: No — not at Kettering 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 7.3-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 Kettering test to?: DVSA allows a move to the centre you first booked at or one of the three nearest to it — for Kettering those are Wellingborough (5.2 miles), Northampton (11.9 miles), Bedford (19 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.