York Driving Test Centre
York posts a 51.3% pass rate, with Malton the nearest alternative about 14 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
York sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 44%, rank #143 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Malton, about 14.5 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 58.8K passed, 52.2K failed, 111.0K total
How York compares
York sits 2.6 points above the UK average, ranked 143 of 323 in its category: close enough that centre choice matters far less than preparation.
Where York ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The headline barely moved (50.7% in 2017-18, 51.3% now) but the ride was not smooth: York has swung 20.1 points between its best year (70.7%, 2020-21) and its worst (50.6%, 2021-22).
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at York
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 22 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at York in May 2026 had waited 10.9 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 York
- 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 YO32 9GW, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Where do you actually take your car test if you book York? You start in Monks Cross, York and North Yorkshire (YO32 9GW), and the examiner takes you through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within a roughly twenty-minute drive of the centre. York runs at high volume: 111.0K tests across 2017-18-2024-25 put it among the busier DVSA centres in the country. The headline numbers carry weight because the sample carries weight.
How does York compare nationally? 51.3% pass rate, #143 of 323 car centres in the DVSA network, 2.6 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The upper half of the country, in other words. 50.1% of candidates pass on their first attempt at York; 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 York
- York 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 York 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the York area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the official DVSA booking service is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at York
Aim to be at York 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 YO32 9GW) 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 Malton is fully booked, York is the next closest centre, roughly 14 miles away.
The test runs for around 40 minutes and follows the same DVSA format used at every centre. The examiner checks your eyesight at 20 metres, asks you a tell-me safety question, then sits in for the drive, with one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes of it is independent driving, either following a sat nav the examiner sets up or following road signs to a named place. You will do one of four set manoeuvres, and roughly one in seven candidates is asked to perform 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 York. 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
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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.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.