Car Test Centre, England

Leeds Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BLeedsLS1 6ALModerate

Leeds in Leeds currently passes 50.2% of tests, 1.5 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The sections below cover the year-by-year trend, who passes most often, how long learners wait, and how it stacks up against neighbouring centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
50.2%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
7.3K
2024-25
National rank
#172
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
50.9%
above UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Leeds sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 47%, rank #172 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Knaresborough, about 15.1 miles away.

KnaresboroughBest nearby
15.1 mi away
58.5%
+8.3 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

50.2%passed
failed49.8%

All-time 48.3K passed, 80.3K failed, 128.6K total

How Leeds compares

Leeds
50.2%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+1.5 pp

The 1.5-point edge at Leeds (ranked 172 of 323 in its category) is real but small; local route familiarity moves your odds more than the venue does.

Where Leeds ranks among 323 centres

Bottom 47%
Leeds sits in the bottom half of car pass rates
Rank
#172
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

The direction of travel here is upward: Leeds has added 16.9 points since 2017-18, from 33.3% to 50.2%, with its strongest year at 66.2% in 2020-21.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 5.7 pp
Male40.4%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female34.7%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults0.9%
202 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
16 to 20 weeks
High demand
Weekly capacity
~335
estimated test slots per week
Demand
High
busier than average

Booking requires patience: on this estimate, learners booking at Leeds would typically wait around 16 to 20 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
when UK waits tend to be longest
Best to book
November, December, January, February
when UK waits tend to be shortest

These figures are an estimate, not live data. We model them from published demand reports and this centre's test volume; the method is on our methodology page. Check the DVSA booking service for current slots.

Centre details

Address

Fearnville Leisure Centre
Oakwood Lane
Fearnville
Leeds
LS8 3LF
England

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

Tests offered at Leeds

  • car
  • 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 LS8 3LF, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

If you've got a test booked at LS1 6AL, that's Leeds in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. 128.6K 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.

Rank: #172 of 323. Pass rate: 50.2%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a lower half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. 50.9% of candidates pass on their first attempt at Leeds; the UK figure is 49%. The two are close enough that "first-time vs retake" mostly tracks how ready the individual was, not where they sat the test.

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 Leeds

  • Leeds doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
  • Volume at Leeds 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 Leeds will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
  • Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Leeds. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at Leeds

Aim to be at Leeds ten minutes early. Because parking and waiting facilities are not the same at every DVSA centre, check the approach on the DVSA centre finder (postcode LS1 6AL) before the day. Demand is high and the modelled wait is close to 16 to 20 weeks, so an early booking and a cancellation alert are both worth setting up. The examiner needs to see your provisional photocard licence to begin, and the car you bring must be roadworthy, fitted with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Horsforth is fully booked, Leeds is the next closest centre, roughly 5 miles away.

Expect about 40 minutes once you set off, to the same national DVSA script. It opens with an eyesight check at 20 metres and one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive and asks one show-me question on the move. Around 20 minutes of that is independent driving, guided either by a sat nav the examiner provides or by road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and a one-in-seven chance of 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.

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 50.2% of Leeds's candidates reach right now.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Leeds?
The current pass rate at Leeds driving test centre is 50.2%, calculated from 7.3K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 50.9%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 37.6% (from 128.6K tests).
Is Leeds an easy or hard test centre?
Leeds is ranked #172 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 50.2% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Centres with calmer suburban or rural routes tend to sit higher, while busy urban sites with tight junctions and multi-lane roundabouts usually sit lower.
How does Leeds compare to the UK average?
Leeds's pass rate is 1.5 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. The 1.5-point edge at Leeds (ranked 172 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 Leeds record?
Leeds has recorded 128.6K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 48.3K passed and 80.3K failed. See the yearly trend chart above to track how test volume and pass rate have shifted over recent reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Leeds?
The closest DVSA test centres to Leeds are Horsforth (51.3%), Wakefield (46.7%), Heckmondwike (46.7%) and Bradford (Heaton) (49.5%). Of these, Horsforth has a higher current pass rate than Leeds's 50.2%. Wakefield, Heckmondwike, Bradford (Heaton) 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 Leeds?
Leeds 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. A flexible test date helps: booking into a quieter month often shortens the wait and opens up more available slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Leeds and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Leeds 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 Leeds?
The estimated wait at Leeds is about 16 to 20 weeks (high demand). That range is modelled from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times, the DVSA Despatch blog updates, and this centre's test volume of 128.6K lifetime tests, so treat it as an estimate rather than a live figure. Across the UK, waits peak in June and July and ease in November and December. 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.