Key points
- Bury test centre: Smith Street, Bury BL9 6HH (corner of Brook Street, near Bury College).
- Pass rate 37.7% (April 2024–March 2025, 1,643 passes from 4,355 tests).
- Reported routes use roads like Smith Street and Brook Street and Peel Way (inner ring road).
- DVSA doesn't publish routes — prepare for the road types, not one route.
Bury test centre is on Smith Street, near Bury College, just off the A56 and Peel Way. In the DVSA figures for April 2024 to March 2025 it had one of the lowest pass rates in Greater Manchester — 37.7%. Our pass-rate study shows that gap with Bolton is real and not chance. The roads explain a lot: a ring road with multi-lane roundabouts sits minutes from the centre.
Pass rate at Bury
Bury car test pass rate — April 2024–March 2025, 1,643 passes from 4,355 tests.
That's 10.8 points below the Great Britain average of about 48.5% for the same period. Source: Mancunian Matters — DVSA pass rates, April 2024–March 2025. Different websites publish slightly different figures for different periods; the official numbers are in the DVSA's DVSA1203 statistics.
A pass rate tells you about the roads and the candidates, not about your chances. What moves your odds most is being genuinely test-ready. Our pass-rate study turns pass rates into expected attempts and costs.
The roads around Bury test centre
Expect Peel Way (the A56 inner ring road) and its roundabouts, the Peel Way / Angouleme Way junctions, mini-roundabouts on Tottington Road, traffic lights on Walmersley Road, and narrow residential streets.
The DVSA no longer publishes official test routes, and examiners vary them. The roads below are the ones reported most often on recent routes from this centre, cross-checked between several public route sheets and local instructors. Your test could use any of them, or none.
Smith Street and Brook Street
The start of reported routes — residential with parked cars.
Peel Way (inner ring road)
Busy roundabouts needing strong lane discipline and clear signals. Reported at traffic lights too.
Peel Way / Angouleme Way
A roundabout complex with several lanes and exits; heavy at peak times.
Peel Way, A56, The Rock and B6222 junction
Named by local instructors as one of the trickiest areas in Bury.
Tottington Road / Bury Road
Mini-roundabouts close together — including going ahead at a second mini-roundabout.
Walmersley Road
Reported with a right turn at traffic lights.
Market Street, Kirkless Street, Royds Street and Holcombe Road
Reported on routes around the town centre — side roads and a right turn onto Holcombe Road.
Bolton Street / Bolton Road
A main road used to join Peel Way.
Local landmarks you'll drive past
Useful for finding your way during independent driving, and for knowing where you are when your instructor says "we'll practise round by…".
Mistakes learners make at Bury
These are the faults that the roads around Bury make most likely. They line up with the DVSA's national list of the most common reasons for failing — see each one explained.
Wrong lane on Peel Way roundabouts
Choosing lanes late or changing lanes on the roundabout.
Learn each Peel Way roundabout on lessons; follow the arrows and keep your lane.
Signals on the ring road
Not signalling left to exit, or leaving a signal on.
Signal after passing the exit before yours, then cancel.
Mini-roundabouts on Tottington Road
Treating two close mini-roundabouts as one, or not giving way to the right.
Deal with each one separately: look right, give way, signal if needed.
Right turn at Walmersley Road lights
Hesitating or turning without a safe gap.
Position, look, judge the gap, and watch for pedestrians.
Complex junctions near The Rock
Information overload: signs, lanes and pedestrians all at once.
Slow down earlier — giving yourself time is the cure for most junction faults.
How SQ prepares you for a test at Bury
Learn the road types first
Dual carriageways, multi-lane roundabouts, narrow parked-up streets — on quieter roads before we bring you near the centre.
Drive the area around Bury
In the last few weeks before your test we practise on the roads above, at the same time of day as your test.
A full mock test
Marked on the same categories as the DVSA sheet and recorded in your DriveSQ Student Portal.
Warm-up lesson on the day
A one-hour lesson ending at the test centre so you arrive calm and warmed up.
Who tests at Bury?
Learners from Bury, Radcliffe, Whitefield, Prestwich, Tottington, Ramsbottom, Walmersley, Unsworth and parts of Heywood and Bolton commonly book Bury. There's no catchment area for new bookings, so you can book any centre — but since June 2026 a booked test can only move to one of the three centres nearest it. Nearby centres: Rochdale (41.2%)Bolton (58.6%)Atherton (44.4%)
DriveSQ Student Portal
Every SQ Driving School learner gets the DriveSQ Student Portal free — so you always know where you stand, not just how many hours you've had.
- 23 driving skills tracked after every lesson
- Theory library and 50-question mock tests
- Test-readiness checklist and instructor messaging
Why SQ Driving School?
SQ Driving School is owned and managed by DriveSQ — the Greater Manchester driving school behind the Student and Instructor Portals.
- Manual & automatic, same price: £35/hr
- 10 hours £350 — £320 for NHS staff, students and M16/M18/M19
- Door-to-door pick-up across Greater Manchester
Frequently asked questions
Where is Bury driving test centre?
What is the pass rate at Bury test centre?
What roads are on the Bury driving test routes?
Can I practise the Bury test routes with SQ?
Are driving test routes published?
Sources
- Mancunian Matters — DVSA pass rates, April 2024–March 2025
- DVSA — Car driving test data by test centre (DVSA1203)
- GOV.UK — Find a driving test centre
- GOV.UK — Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test
- GOV.UK — Book your driving test
Published by SQ Driving School, a brand owned and managed by DriveSQ. Checked on 16 October 2026. Rules, fees and test centres change — always confirm on GOV.UK before you book.