Barrow In Furness Driving Test Centre
Barrow In Furness in Barrow-in-Furness currently passes 61.9% of tests, 13.2 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The sections below cover the year-by-year trend, who passes most often, how long learners wait, and how it stacks up against neighbouring centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Barrow In Furness sits in the top quarter of car pass rates nationally (Top 13%, rank #42 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Kendal (Oxenholme Road), about 23.5 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 19.3K passed, 13.3K failed, 32.6K total
How Barrow In Furness compares
Barrow In Furness clears the UK average by 13.2 points and sits ranked 42 of 323 in its category. That margin says more about its route mix than about marking, the DVSA standard is identical everywhere.
Where Barrow In Furness ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Since 2017-18 the rate at Barrow In Furness has risen from 53.6% to 61.9%, a 8.3-point gain, peaking at 66.3% in 2023-24.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Barrow In Furness
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 12 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Barrow In Furness in May 2026 had waited 4.6 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 Barrow In Furness
- 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 LA14 2PN, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Barrow In Furness is one of the DVSA's car test sites in England, located in Barrow-in-Furness, Westmorland and Furness. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. Barrow In Furness sees moderate volume: 32.6K practical tests through 2017-18-2024-25. Year-on-year percentages here are meaningful, but watch the trend line rather than fixating on any single period.
Barrow In Furness passes higher than most. At 61.9% versus a UK average of 48.7%, it ranks #42 of 323 car centres, the top quarter of the network. 63.5% of first-timers pass at Barrow In Furness, 14.5 points above the UK figure of 49%. A prepared first attempt has a real shot here in a way it doesn't at every centre.
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 Barrow In Furness
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Barrow In Furness's rate reflects route geography more than examiner discretion, DVSA marking is centrally trained. Prepare for the same fault categories you'd prepare for anywhere.
- 63.5% of first-timers pass at Barrow In Furness, so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
- Ask any instructor working Barrow In Furness 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.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Barrow In Furness, cancellations appear on the official DVSA booking service throughout the day. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for the best chance of catching one.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Barrow In Furness
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Barrow In Furness, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder shows the exact location. This is a high-demand centre, modelled at roughly 12 to 16 weeks to a slot, so book as far ahead as you can and keep an eye on cancellations. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner. If Heysham is fully booked, Barrow In Furness is the next closest centre, roughly 15 miles away.
The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in seven tests includes an emergency stop, a frequency the DVSA reduced in late 2025. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
The result is given immediately when you get back. Whatever the outcome, the examiner reads through the marked faults and prints your DL25 feedback form; pass and they take the provisional licence to trigger your full one by post. The threshold is the national one, 15 driving faults at most and zero serious or dangerous, which 61.9% of Barrow In Furness's candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Barrow In Furness?
Is Barrow In Furness an easy or hard test centre?
How does Barrow In Furness compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Barrow In Furness record?
Which driving test centres are near Barrow In Furness?
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How long is the wait for a driving test at Barrow In Furness?
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.