Rotherham Driving Test Centre
At Rotherham, 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.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Rotherham sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 45%, rank #146 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Chesterfield, about 13.9 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 45.3K passed, 50.7K failed, 95.9K total
How Rotherham compares
Rotherham is 2.6 points ahead of the national figure and ranked 146 of 323 in its category, a difference most candidates will not feel on the day.
Where Rotherham ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Rotherham has climbed 5 points across the series, 46.3% in 2017-18 to 51.3% now; the weakest year on record was 46.2% in 2018-19.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Rotherham
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 22.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Rotherham in May 2026 had waited 12.4 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 Rotherham
- car
- motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
- 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 S61 4RL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Rotherham is the one covering Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. By volume, Rotherham is at the upper end of the DVSA's network. With 95.9K 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 Rotherham is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 51.3% is 2.6 points above the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #146 out of 323. 50.8% of candidates pass on their first attempt at Rotherham; 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 Rotherham
- Pass rate at Rotherham sits close to the UK average. Prepare for an ordinary level of difficulty: examiners apply the standard DVSA marking sheet, and the routes are a representative mix of local conditions.
- Rotherham 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.
- Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Rotherham will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Rotherham, 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 Rotherham
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Rotherham, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder shows the exact location. This is a high-demand centre, modelled at roughly 16 to 20 weeks to a slot, so book as far ahead as you can and keep an eye on cancellations. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner. If Sheffield (Handsworth) is fully booked, Rotherham is the next closest centre, roughly 4 miles away.
Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a tell-me vehicle-safety question, then the examiner joins you for the road section, with one show-me question while you drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around one in seven candidates get 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 Rotherham. 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; 51.3% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Rotherham?
Is Rotherham an easy or hard test centre?
How does Rotherham compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Rotherham record?
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When is the best time to book a test at Rotherham?
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How long is the wait for a driving test at Rotherham?
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.