Swap your Lincoln driving test for an earlier date
Earlsfield Close, Off Sadler Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 3RT
Lincoln driving test centre is a DVSA practical test centre in the East Midlands, on Earlsfield Close.
As of July 2026 the median wait here is 17.1 weeks, 5.2 weeks longer than the 11.9-week national median — which is why learners often look to swap a driving test in Lincoln rather than wait it out.
Its closest alternative is Grantham (Somerby), 20.9 miles away.
Lincoln driving test waiting times, August 2025 to July 2026
Median weeks between booking and taking a driving test at Lincoln. Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published monthly. Latest month: July 2026.
| Month | Median wait | Still bookable |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 17.1 wks | 6% |
| June 2026 | 14.9 wks | 5.5% |
| May 2026 | 10.9 wks | 5.5% |
| April 2026 | 11 wks | 5.2% |
| March 2026 | 12 wks | 5.5% |
| February 2026 | 18.3 wks | 3.1% |
| January 2026 | 13.9 wks | 2.3% |
| December 2025 | 13.4 wks | 4.9% |
| November 2025 | 14.1 wks | 2.9% |
| October 2025 | 17.6 wks | 2.2% |
| September 2025 | 14.6 wks | 7.3% |
| August 2025 | 18.6 wks | 7.9% |
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 Lincoln, these are those three — measured as straight-line distance from the centre itself.
Nottingham (Colwick ) is currently 8.8 weeks quicker than Lincoln. 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 Lincoln
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
- Address
- Earlsfield Close, Off Sadler Road, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN6 3RT
- Postcode
- LN6 3RT
- Coordinates
- 53.20357, -0.61231
- Region
- East Midlands, England
- Parking
- Car parking spaces are available
- Accessibility
- You can get into the test centre in a wheelchair
- Toilets
- Male and female toilets are available
How Lincoln compares
- 237 of 311 centres on this site, counting up from the shortest wait.
- 8.8 weeks longer than the East Midlands median of 8.3 weeks, across 21 centres. 15 centres in East Midlands currently wait less.
- DVSA made 1,767 tests available here in July 2026; 1,661 were booked — 106 went unused.
- The wait has moved 14.8% longer across the months on record.
Questions about swapping a Lincoln test
- How long is the wait for a driving test at Lincoln?
- The median wait at Lincoln is 17.1 weeks as of July 2026, from DVSA's own figures, which makes it the 237th shortest of the 311 centres on this site.
- Can I get an earlier driving test near Lincoln?
- Yes. Of the three centres you may legally move this test to, 3 are quicker — Nottingham (Colwick ) at 8.3 weeks (8.8 weeks sooner, 25.5 miles away), Worksop at 11 weeks (6.1 weeks sooner, 24.1 miles away), Grantham (Somerby) at 16.3 weeks (0.8 weeks sooner, 20.9 miles away). You can also swap with another learner holding an earlier date at this centre.
- Can someone book a Lincoln driving test cancellation for me?
- No — not at Lincoln 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 17.1-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 Lincoln test to?
- DVSA allows a move to the centre you first booked at or one of the three nearest to it — for Lincoln those are Grantham (Somerby) (20.9 miles), Worksop (24.1 miles), Nottingham (Colwick ) (25.5 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.