Heysham Driving Test Centre
Heysham posts a 55% pass rate, with Blackpool the nearest alternative about 17 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Heysham sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 31%, rank #101 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Kendal (Oxenholme Road), about 19.1 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 28.1K passed, 25.3K failed, 53.4K total
How Heysham compares
The 6.3-point advantage at Heysham (ranked 101 of 323 in its category) is worth having but not decisive; a well-prepared candidate passes at either kind of centre.
Where Heysham ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Heysham has held a narrow 6.1-point range across the whole series (49.2% at the low in 2018-19, 55.3% at the high in 2022-23); what you see is what you get.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Heysham
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 20.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Heysham in May 2026 had waited 12.1 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 Heysham
- 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 LA3 2UZ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Heysham is the DVSA car test centre in Heysham, Lancashire. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. Volume is not the issue at Heysham. 53.4K tests sit on the record across 2017-18-2024-25, so the trend line below reflects real movement, not sample noise.
Rank: #101 of 323. Pass rate: 55%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a upper half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. 56.7% of first-timers pass at Heysham, 7.7 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 Heysham
- Heysham passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the local road mix (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- First-time pass rate of 56.7% at Heysham is on the forgiving side. A well-prepared first booking has a reasonable shot; don't over-correct by booking a "practice" test you don't actually need.
- Heysham is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Heysham area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Heysham. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Heysham
Ten minutes early is the right target at Heysham. Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder the day before. This centre sees high demand, modelled at roughly 16 to 20 weeks to a slot; booking well ahead and watching for cancellations both help. 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. If Blackpool is fully booked, Heysham is the next closest centre, roughly 17 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 Heysham. 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; 55% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Heysham?
Is Heysham an easy or hard test centre?
How does Heysham compare to the UK average?
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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.