West Yorkshire · Yorkshire & the North East
Bradford (Thornbury) driving test centre
47.8% of car practical tests taken at Bradford (Thornbury) passed in 2025-26, from 10,831 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Bradford (Thornbury) pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
47.8%
5,172 passes
National average
50%
-2.2 points here
Tests conducted
10,831
about 903 a month
Best published year
51.4%
2023-24
10,831 car practical tests were taken at Bradford (Thornbury) in 2025-26. 47.8% passed, 2.2 percentage points below the national average of 50%. It is up on 2019-20, when 45.9% passed.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 45.9% in 2019-20 and 51.4% in 2023-24, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. In 2025-26 the rate was 50.7% for male candidates and 43.4% for female candidates. That works out at roughly 903 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Bradford (Thornbury) depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Bradford (Thornbury)
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 10,831 | 5,172 | 47.8% | 50% | 50.7% | 43.4% |
| 2024-25 | 7,107 | 3,344 | 47.1% | 48.7% | 47.8% | 45.8% |
| 2023-24 | 5,687 | 2,923 | 51.4% | 47.9% | 54.6% | 47.4% |
| 2022-23 | 6,633 | 3,339 | 50.3% | 48.4% | 53.5% | 46.4% |
| 2021-22 | 6,362 | 3,204 | 50.4% | 48.9% | 53.3% | 46.2% |
| 2020-21 | 2,384 | 1,158 | 48.6% | 49.8% | 53.7% | 42.2% |
| 2019-20 | 4,880 | 2,239 | 45.9% | 45.9% | 50.7% | 40.9% |
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, car practical driving test pass rates by test centre, published on GOV.UK. Figures are financial years running April to March.
Driving out of Bradford (Thornbury)
Expect steep hills, terraced streets and a647 on a test out of Bradford (Thornbury). The demands are ordinary, but they are specific to this area.
Among the toughest hill starts you will meet on a test.
Bradford (Thornbury) covers learners in and around Bradford, and it is where most of our Bradford course students sit the test. If you are choosing between centres, practise the road types listed above rather than picking on pass-rate figures alone.
A marked mock test on these roads is the most useful thing you can do in the week before your slot.
Roads you are likely to meet
Steep hills
Terraced streets
A647
- Among the toughest hill starts you will meet on a test.
Test routes are no longer published by the DVSA, and examiners vary them. Treat this as a guide to the local road types rather than a route list. Book your test and check availability on GOV.UK.
Where marks are lost at Bradford (Thornbury)
Hill starts and control
Roll-back is one of the fastest ways to pick up a serious fault here. Practise moving away uphill with the handbrake until it feels automatic.
Priority on narrow streets
The recurring fault is stopping in the gap rather than before it, then having nowhere to go when something comes the other way.
How we prepare you for this centre
Practice where you will be marked
Your instructor works the roads around Bradford (Thornbury) in the sessions before your test — steep hills included — not generic estate roads.
A marked mock run
Run silently and scored properly — no coaching mid-drive — then debriefed fault by fault.
Manoeuvres to standard
Bay park, parallel park, pull up on the right and forward bay — rehearsed on live roads near the centre rather than an empty car park.
Everything around the drive
Paperwork, show me / tell me questions and the independent drive, run through in advance.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Bradford (Thornbury) test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Bradford (Thornbury)?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Bradford (Thornbury) draw on steep hills, terraced streets, a647, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Bradford (Thornbury)?
hill starts and control, priority on narrow streets — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Bradford (Thornbury)?
Yes. We match you with a DVSA approved instructor who teaches on these roads day to day, and we look for the earliest practical slot at Bradford (Thornbury) or a nearby centre serving Bradford.
How do I book a practical test at Bradford (Thornbury)?
Practical tests are booked through GOV.UK with your provisional licence and theory certificate numbers. We can check cancellations for you once your course dates are set.
How early should I arrive at Bradford (Thornbury)?
Ten minutes early is enough. Bring your provisional licence; the eyesight check happens outside before you get in the car, so know which plate you can read.
Should I travel to a different centre instead?
We will not sell you a pass rate. Published DVSA figures reflect who books there as much as the roads, and a centre an hour away that you cannot practise around is a worse bet than the one your instructor drives every week.
Not sure how many hours you need?
Answer four quick questions and we will recommend a course based on your experience, not a sales target.