PassRates.uk
Car Test Centre, England

St Helens (Liverpool) Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BSt HelensTougher than average

The St Helens (Liverpool) driving test centre is located in St Helens, 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.

By VikasReviewed by VikasMethodologySources
Pass rate (2024-25)
40.2%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
9.8K
2024-25
National rank
#306
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
39.3%
below UK avg

Pass vs fail at a glance

40.2%passed
failed55.7%

33.2K passed, 41.7K failed, 74.9K total

How St Helens (Liverpool) compares

St Helens (Liverpool)
40.2%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-8.5 pp

St Helens (Liverpool) has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.

Where St Helens (Liverpool) ranks among 323 centres

Top 6%
St Helens (Liverpool) sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#306
BestMedianHardest

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.

  1. 1Junctions - observation10
  2. 2Mirrors - change direction9
  3. 3Move off - safely8
  4. 4Junctions - turning right7
  5. 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

Male vs female pass rate gap 3.1 pp
Male45.8%
0%UK avg 49.7%100%
Female42.7%
0%UK avg 44.0%100%
Zero faults0.3%
205 candidates passed without a single recorded fault

Estimated wait time and demand

Estimated wait
20 weeks
Very high demand
Weekly capacity
~195
estimated test slots per week
Trend
worsening
availability direction

Wait times at St Helens (Liverpool) have been lengthening as demand outpaces examiner capacity. Booking requires patience: learners booking at St Helens (Liverpool) typically wait around 20 weeks from booking to test day.

Peak months
June, July, August, September
longest waits in St Helens
Best to book
November, December, January, February
shortest expected waits

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

1 Navigation Road
off Pocket Nook Street
St Helens
Liverpool
WA9 1NS
England

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

Tests offered at St Helens (Liverpool)

  • car
  • motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
  • motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
  • 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 WA9 1NS, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Of the DVSA car centres across England, St Helens (Liverpool) is the one covering St Helens, Liverpool City Region. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. The DVSA has logged 74.9K tests at this centre over 2017-18-2024-25. At that scale, the year-on-year shifts you see in the chart correspond to genuine changes in how the centre is performing, not statistical wobble.

If you've been told St Helens (Liverpool) is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 40.2% is 8.5 points below the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #306 out of 323. First-attempt figure: 39.3%. UK first-attempt average: 49%. St Helens (Liverpool) runs 9.7 points behind, candidates who succeed here on the first try are usually the ones who've driven the local routes specifically.

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.

Country
England
Test category
Car
DVSA centre ID
st-helens-liverpool

What learners should know about St Helens (Liverpool)

  • St Helens (Liverpool) runs a tougher-than-average pass rate. If you've trained somewhere quieter, take at least 2-3 lessons on the actual St Helens test routes before your date. The difficulty is in the routes, not the marking sheet.
  • 39.3% first-time pass at St Helens (Liverpool) means roughly six in ten first-timers fail and rebook. Plan for that possibility: keep your insurance going, don't return the L-plates after the test.
  • St Helens (Liverpool) is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA cancellation feed daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
  • Ask any instructor working St Helens (Liverpool) 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 St Helens (Liverpool), the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.

Other test centres nearby

St Helens (Liverpool)
16.0K tests, Rank #57
66.2%
St Helens (Liverpool)
10.1K tests, Rank #168
61.3%
Widnes
71.3K tests, Rank #307
40.1%
Simonswood LGV
6.8K tests, Rank #148
42.5%
Warrington
59.0K tests, Rank #99
55.3%
Speke (Liverpool)
46.7K tests, Rank #315
38.6%
See all centres in St Helens→Easiest UK centres→Hardest UK centres→Best for first-time pass→Busiest UK centres→

On the day at St Helens (Liverpool)

Turn up at St Helens (Liverpool) 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 very high and waits are near 20 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 St Helens (Liverpool) is fully booked, St Helens (Liverpool) is the next closest centre, roughly 1 mile 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 show-me plus one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive. 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-three 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.

Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 40.2% of candidates at St Helens (Liverpool) meet under current DVSA marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at St Helens (Liverpool)?
The current pass rate at St Helens (Liverpool) driving test centre is 40.2%, calculated from 9.8K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 39.3%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 44.3% (from 74.9K tests).
Is St Helens (Liverpool) an easy or hard test centre?
St Helens (Liverpool) is ranked #306 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 40.2% 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 St Helens (Liverpool) compare to the UK average?
St Helens (Liverpool)'s pass rate is 8.5 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. St Helens (Liverpool) has a slightly tougher pass rate than the UK average. Routes here may be more demanding than rural centres.
How many tests are taken at St Helens (Liverpool) each year?
St Helens (Liverpool) has recorded 74.9K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 33.2K passed and 41.7K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near St Helens (Liverpool)?
The closest DVSA test centres to St Helens (Liverpool) are St Helens (Liverpool) (66.2%), St Helens (Liverpool) (61.3%), Widnes (40.1%) and Simonswood LGV (42.5%). Of these, St Helens (Liverpool), St Helens (Liverpool), Simonswood LGV have higher current pass rates than St Helens (Liverpool)'s 40.2%. Widnes sits 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 St Helens (Liverpool)?
St Helens (Liverpool) currently sees very high demand with an estimated wait of around 20 weeks. Waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. If your test date is flexible, aiming for a quieter month can mean a shorter wait and more slot choice. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at St Helens (Liverpool) and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose St Helens (Liverpool) 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 St Helens (Liverpool)?
The estimated wait at St Helens (Liverpool) is around 20 weeks (very high demand). That figure 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 74.9K lifetime tests. Wait times 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.