Car Test Centre, England

Horsforth Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BHorsforthModerate

At Horsforth, 51.3% of candidates pass, one of the 323 test centres we rank from the DVSA data. Below you will find the full pass-rate history, the demographic split, the official DVSA waiting time and a comparison with the nearest centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
51.3%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
11.9K
2024-25
National rank
#147
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
51.5%
above UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Horsforth sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 46%, rank #147 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Knaresborough, about 13.8 miles away.

KnaresboroughBest nearby
13.8 mi away
58.5%
+7.2 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

51.3%passed
failed48.7%

All-time 72.9K passed, 86.5K failed, 159.4K total

How Horsforth compares

Horsforth
51.3%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+2.6 pp

The 2.6-point edge at Horsforth (ranked 147 of 323 in its category) is real but small; local route familiarity moves your odds more than the venue does.

Where Horsforth ranks among 323 centres

Top 46%
Horsforth ranks higher than 54% of UK car test centres
Rank
#147
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

The direction of travel here is upward: Horsforth has added 6 points since 2017-18, from 45.3% to 51.3%, with its strongest year at 51.3% in 2024-25.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 6.7 pp
Male49.2%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female42.5%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults1%
609 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Horsforth

Median wait, booking to test
8.6 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
15.3 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
36.7%
Share of the 24-week window still open

The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 15.3 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Horsforth in May 2026 had waited 8.6 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

Room 013 Woodside House
261 Low Lane
Horsforth
Leeds
LS18 5NY
England

Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.

Tests offered at Horsforth

  • car
  • motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
  • ADI part 2
  • ADI part 3

Accessibility & facilities

Wheelchair accessible per DVSA

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 LS18 5NY, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Where do you actually take your car test if you book Horsforth? You start in Horsforth, West Yorkshire, and the examiner takes you through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within a roughly twenty-minute drive of the centre. 159.4K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. That's enough volume that the headline pass rate here moves slowly, a single bad quarter shifts it by a fraction of a percentage point rather than visibly.

How does Horsforth compare nationally? 51.3% pass rate, #147 of 323 car centres in the DVSA network, 2.6 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The upper half of the country, in other words. First-attempt pass rate at Horsforth: 51.5%, against 49% nationally. That's a 2.5-point lead. Well-prepared candidates with no prior test attempts pass here at a noticeably higher rate than the UK average.

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 Horsforth

  • Centre difficulty is roughly average at Horsforth. The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
  • Volume at Horsforth is among the highest in the network. Don't take the first available date on faith, refreshing the DVSA booking page across a few days regularly turns up cancellations.
  • Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Horsforth will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
  • 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 Horsforth

Ten minutes early is the right target at Horsforth. 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 Leeds is fully booked, Horsforth is the next closest centre, roughly 5 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 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 will know the result before you leave Horsforth. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 51.3% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Horsforth?
The current pass rate at Horsforth driving test centre is 51.3%, calculated from 11.9K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 51.5%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 45.7% (from 159.4K tests).
Is Horsforth an easy or hard test centre?
Horsforth is ranked #147 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the top half of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 51.3% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Higher pass rates often correlate with quieter rural or suburban routes; lower rates with dense urban centres featuring complex junctions and multi-lane roundabouts.
How does Horsforth compare to the UK average?
Horsforth's pass rate is 2.6 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. The 2.6-point edge at Horsforth (ranked 147 of 323 in its category) is real but small; local route familiarity moves your odds more than the venue does.
How many driving tests does Horsforth record?
Horsforth has recorded 159.4K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 72.9K passed and 86.5K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Horsforth?
The closest DVSA test centres to Horsforth are Leeds (50.2%), Bradford (Heaton) (49.5%), Heckmondwike (46.7%) and Wakefield (46.7%). Horsforth's 51.3% is the highest current pass rate among them. Leeds, Bradford (Heaton), Heckmondwike, Wakefield sit lower. You can compare every nearby centre in the "Other test centres nearby" section above, or see them all on the interactive PassRates map.
When is the best time to book a test at Horsforth?
Horsforth currently sees high demand with an estimated wait of about 16 to 20 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. Where you can be flexible on dates, targeting one of the quieter months tends to bring a shorter wait and a wider choice of slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Horsforth and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Horsforth as your centre. You will need your provisional licence number and your theory test pass certificate number. To pass, you must finish with no more than 15 driving (minor) faults and zero serious or dangerous faults. Our guides cover how to book step by step and how faults are marked.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Horsforth?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Horsforth had waited about 8.6 weeks between booking and test day. DVSA's older measure, the number of weeks until at least 10% of slots are free, was 15.3 weeks. About 36.7% of appointments in the 24-week booking window were still available. For live availability, check the official DVSA booking service.
Source

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.