Sheffield (Handsworth) Driving Test Centre
Sheffield (Handsworth) posts a 45.3% pass rate, with Rotherham the nearest alternative about 4 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated August 2026
Sheffield (Handsworth) sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 18%, rank #266 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Chesterfield, about 9.6 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 38.5K passed, 48.0K failed, 86.5K total
How Sheffield (Handsworth) compares
At 3.4 points below the UK figure (ranked 266 of 323 in its category), Sheffield (Handsworth) is on the harder side without being extreme; familiarity with the local junctions closes much of the gap.
Where Sheffield (Handsworth) ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Since 2017-18 the rate at Sheffield (Handsworth) has risen from 42% to 45.3%, a 3.3-point gain, peaking at 45.7% in 2023-24.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Sheffield (Handsworth)
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Sheffield (Handsworth) in May 2026 had waited 7.4 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 Sheffield (Handsworth)
- car
- lorry and bus
- ADI part 2
- 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 S13 9LT, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Sheffield (Handsworth) is the DVSA car test centre in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. Volume is not the issue at Sheffield (Handsworth). 86.5K tests sit on the record across 2017-18-2024-25, so the trend line below reflects real movement, not sample noise.
Rank: #266 of 323. Pass rate: 45.3%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a bottom quartile centre by the DVSA's own published figures. First-attempt pass rate at Sheffield (Handsworth): 45.8%, against 49% nationally. That's 3.2 points below the UK average. Many candidates need a second go, and local-road familiarity is one of the most consistent things that improves the second attempt.
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 Sheffield (Handsworth)
- Pass rate at Sheffield (Handsworth) 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.
- Volume at Sheffield (Handsworth) 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 Sheffield will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Sheffield (Handsworth). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Sheffield (Handsworth)
Plan to arrive at Sheffield (Handsworth) about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder a day or two ahead. With demand running high here and waits near 14 to 18 weeks, it is worth holding any earlier cancellation slot you are offered. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Rotherham is fully booked, Sheffield (Handsworth) 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.
There is no wait for the verdict, the examiner delivers it at the centre. They go over each fault recorded, hand you the DL25 feedback form, and on a pass retain your provisional licence so the full version arrives by post. To pass you need no more than 15 driving faults and not a single serious or dangerous one; 45.3% of candidates at Sheffield (Handsworth) currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Sheffield (Handsworth)?
Is Sheffield (Handsworth) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Sheffield (Handsworth) compare to the UK average?
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Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
DVSA data period: 2024-25.