Knaresborough Driving Test Centre
The Knaresborough driving test centre is located in Knaresborough, 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
33.1K passed, 30.0K failed, 63.1K total
How Knaresborough compares
Knaresborough performs notably better than the UK average. This often correlates with rural or suburban routes that have fewer multi-lane roundabouts and complex urban scenarios.
Where Knaresborough ranks among 323 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 Knaresborough have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Knaresborough typically wait around 14 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 Knaresborough
- 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 HG5 8QB, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Knaresborough is the one covering Knaresborough, York and North Yorkshire. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. By volume, Knaresborough is at the upper end of the DVSA's network. With 63.1K tests across 2017-18-2024-25, the figures on this page are about as statistically settled as DVSA data gets.
If you've been told Knaresborough is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 58.5% is 9.8 points clear of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #67 out of 323. First-time pass rate: 60%. UK average: 49%. Knaresborough is 11 points to the good on first attempts, a meaningful gap, not a rounding artefact.
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 Knaresborough
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Knaresborough'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.
- 60% of first-timers pass at Knaresborough. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, that figure is a fair guide, the centre isn't the variable, your preparation is.
- 63.1K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, set up a cancellation alert and check often.
- Ask any instructor working Knaresborough 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 Knaresborough, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Knaresborough
Turn up at Knaresborough ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder. Demand is high and waits are near 14 weeks, so an early booking plus a cancellation watch is the sensible approach. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror.
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 three tests includes 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre 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 58.5% of Knaresborough's candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Knaresborough?
Is Knaresborough an easy or hard test centre?
How does Knaresborough compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Knaresborough each year?
Which driving test centres are near Knaresborough?
When is the best time to book a test at Knaresborough?
How do I book a test at Knaresborough and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Knaresborough?
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.