Knaresborough Driving Test Centre
At Knaresborough, 58.5% 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.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Knaresborough sits in the top quarter of car pass rates nationally (Top 21%, rank #67 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Northallerton, about 22.9 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 33.1K passed, 30.0K failed, 63.1K total
How Knaresborough compares
The 9.8-point advantage at Knaresborough (ranked 67 of 323 in its category) is worth having but not decisive; a well-prepared candidate passes at either kind of centre.
Where Knaresborough ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Since 2017-18 the rate at Knaresborough has risen from 50.3% to 58.5%, a 8.2-point gain, peaking at 58.5% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Knaresborough
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 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, 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.
- 63.1K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page 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, 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 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 to 18 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. If Leeds is fully booked, Knaresborough 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 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.
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 driving tests does Knaresborough record?
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.