Cambridge (Hardwick) Driving Test Centre
The Cambridge (Hardwick) driving test centre is located in Cambridge, England. Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
9.5K passed, 3.4K failed, 12.9K total
How Cambridge (Hardwick) compares
Cambridge (Hardwick) performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Cambridge (Hardwick) ranks among 194 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Cambridge (Hardwick) have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Cambridge (Hardwick) typically wait around 12 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Cambridge (Hardwick)
- car
- ADI part 2
- 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 CB4 2QH, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Cambridge (Hardwick) is the DVSA motorcycle module 2 test centre in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Examiners use a small set of fixed routes built around the roads immediately surrounding the centre. 12.9K tests through 2017-18-2024-25 puts Cambridge (Hardwick) in the comfortable middle of the volume distribution. The pass rate moves with real signal, not noise.
Rank: #89 of 194. Pass rate: 76.4%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a upper half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. First-attempt data for Cambridge (Hardwick) is missing from the DVSA's DRT122C release. It's not a low number, it's no number, the centre is small enough that DVSA omits it from that particular table.
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 Cambridge (Hardwick)
- Above-average pass rate at Cambridge (Hardwick) doesn't mean above-average ease. The fundamentals examiners mark are the same nationally: junctions, mirrors, observation, signal timing. A 65%+ pass rate means more candidates clear those, not that the bar is lower.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Cambridge (Hardwick) routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Cambridge (Hardwick). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Cambridge (Hardwick)
Ten minutes early is the right target at Cambridge (Hardwick). Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder the day before. Demand sits at moderate with a modelled wait of about 12 weeks, which generally leaves more room to choose a date. Bring the provisional photocard licence, the examiner checks for it first, and make sure your car is roadworthy with L plates and a working interior mirror.
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 one show-me and one tell-me question, then sits in for the drive. 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 three candidates is asked to perform an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You find out there and then, back at Cambridge (Hardwick). 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; 76.4% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Cambridge (Hardwick)?
Is Cambridge (Hardwick) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Cambridge (Hardwick) compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Cambridge (Hardwick) each year?
Which driving test centres are near Cambridge (Hardwick)?
When is the best time to book a test at Cambridge (Hardwick)?
How do I book a test at Cambridge (Hardwick) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Cambridge (Hardwick)?
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.