Banbury Driving Test Centre
Banbury in Banbury records a 39.9% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 24.3 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Banbury sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 4%, rank #310 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Nuneaton, about 32.4 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 47.1K passed, 48.4K failed, 95.4K total
How Banbury compares
Banbury sits 8.8 points under the national average, ranked 310 of 323 in its category. Routes here are likely more demanding than at rural centres; extra time on the local roads pays back directly.
Where Banbury ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Across the recorded years Banbury has drifted from 53.1% to 39.9%, down 13.2 points, with the best year at 53.1% in 2017-18.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Banbury
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 14 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Banbury in May 2026 had waited 24.3 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, May 2026. The median is the time between booking and taking the test; for live availability use the DVSA booking service.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Banbury
- car
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- ADI part 3
Accessibility & facilities
Parking and toilet details aren't included in DVSA's published feed. For the current on-site facilities, check the DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode OX16 9PA, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Where do you actually take your car test if you book Banbury? You start in Banbury, Oxfordshire, and the examiner takes you through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within a roughly twenty-minute drive of the centre. Volume is not the issue at Banbury. 95.4K tests sit on the record across 2017-18-2024-25, so the trend line below reflects real movement, not sample noise.
How does Banbury compare nationally? 39.9% pass rate, #310 of 323 car centres in the DVSA network, 8.8 points below the UK average of 48.7%. The bottom quarter of the country, in other words. Across 3.6K first attempts, the pass rate at Banbury is 40.1%, against 49% nationally. Booking your first test here is doable, but it's worth a few lessons around the centre before the date.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Banbury
- Banbury is in the lower tier of pass rates nationally. That isn't an indictment of the examiners, it reflects road layout, traffic density, and route mix. Prepare specifically for the centre, not generically.
- 95.4K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page often.
- Ask any instructor working Banbury about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the official DVSA booking service is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Banbury
Plan to arrive at Banbury about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder a day or two ahead. With demand running very high here and waits near 20 to 24 weeks, it is worth holding any earlier cancellation slot you are offered. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Rugby is fully booked, Banbury is the next closest centre, roughly 22 miles away.
The test runs for around 40 minutes and follows the same DVSA format used at every centre. The examiner checks your eyesight at 20 metres, asks you a tell-me safety question, then sits in for the drive, with one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes of it is independent driving, either following a sat nav the examiner sets up or following road signs to a named place. You will do one of four set manoeuvres, and roughly one in seven candidates is asked to perform an emergency stop. The drive works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You find out there and then, back at Banbury. The examiner runs through the faults on the DL25 feedback form and, on a pass, keeps your provisional licence so a full licence follows in the post. Clearing the test means staying under 16 driving faults, that is 15 or fewer, with no serious or dangerous fault; 39.9% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Banbury?
Is Banbury an easy or hard test centre?
How does Banbury compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Banbury record?
Which driving test centres are near Banbury?
When is the best time to book a test at Banbury?
How do I book a test at Banbury and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Banbury?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.