North Yorkshire · Yorkshire & the North East
Northallerton driving test centre
60.4% of car practical tests taken at Northallerton passed in 2025-26, from 3,244 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Northallerton pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
60.4%
1,958 passes
National average
50%
+10.4 points here
Tests conducted
3,244
about 270 a month
Best published year
60.4%
2025-26
3,244 car practical tests were taken at Northallerton in 2025-26. 60.4% passed, 10.4 percentage points above the national average of 50%. It is up on 2019-20, when 57.6% passed.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 50.9% in 2022-23 and 60.4% in 2025-26, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. In 2025-26 the rate was 58.6% for male candidates and 62.6% for female candidates. That works out at roughly 270 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Northallerton depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Northallerton
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 3,244 | 1,958 | 60.4% | 50% | 58.6% | 62.6% |
| 2024-25 | 2,314 | 1,355 | 58.6% | 48.7% | 55% | 62.9% |
| 2023-24 | 2,942 | 1,584 | 53.8% | 47.9% | 54.9% | 52.8% |
| 2022-23 | 3,253 | 1,657 | 50.9% | 48.4% | 51.7% | 50.2% |
| 2021-22 | 3,446 | 2,076 | 60.2% | 48.9% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2020-21 | 855 | 481 | 56.3% | 49.8% | 55.8% | 56.7% |
| 2019-20 | 2,701 | 1,555 | 57.6% | 45.9% | 58.9% | 56.2% |
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 Northallerton
Expect shopping-street traffic, national-speed-limit link roads and hilly residential turns on a test out of Northallerton. The demands are ordinary, but they are specific to this area.
Mini-roundabouts are the usual stumbling block — they still need proper observation and signalling. Junction observation on the approach roads is the recurring theme. Northallerton covers a wide slice of North Yorkshire, and instructors who teach it weekly know which approach roads back up.
Northallerton takes candidates from across North Yorkshire, so plenty arrive having learned on a different road mix. That usually shows in the first five minutes of the drive.
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
Shopping-street traffic
National-speed-limit link roads
Hilly residential turns
- Mini-roundabouts are the usual stumbling block — they still need proper observation and signalling.
- Junction observation on the approach roads is the recurring theme.
- Northallerton covers a wide slice of North Yorkshire, and instructors who teach it weekly know which approach roads back up.
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 Northallerton
Clutch control on gradients
On a gradient the margin for a slipped biting point disappears. Handbrake held until the car is genuinely pulling, every time.
Parked cars and passing gaps
Leave a door's width past parked cars, and give way early enough that the oncoming driver can see you have decided.
How we prepare you for this centre
Time on the real roads
We plan the final sessions around Northallerton itself, so the shopping-street traffic you meet on test day are ones you have already driven.
A full mock test
A full-length mock from the Northallerton area, scored on the DVSA sheet so you see exactly where the marks went.
Manoeuvres in real locations
All four test manoeuvres, practised in the kind of streets examiners around Northallerton actually use.
The paperwork and the routine
We walk the whole sequence — arrival, documents, eyesight check, independent drive — so nothing on the day is new.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Northallerton test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Northallerton?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Northallerton draw on shopping-street traffic, national-speed-limit link roads, hilly residential turns, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Northallerton?
clutch control on gradients, parked cars and passing gaps — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Northallerton?
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 Northallerton.
How do I book a practical test at Northallerton?
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.
What happens when I get to Northallerton?
Arrive with your provisional licence and a car that is legal, insured for the test and has no warning lights showing. We handle that side if you use one of our instructors' cars.
Is Northallerton an easy test centre?
Pass rates are published by the DVSA, but they say more about the mix of candidates than the difficulty of the routes. Practising the road types above will move your odds more than switching centres.
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.