Bradford Heaton driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Bradford Heaton's pass rate rose from 50% to 56% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? 15 Farfield Street, Heaton, BD9 5AS. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 56% overall (manual 57%, automatic 55%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3 months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 64 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? Bradford Thornbury is the closest, 13 minutes away. Its pass rate is 48% and its typical wait about 2 months.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 2 months, down from about 2½ months in the 12 months before.
The wait here has been longer than Britain's typical wait in six of the last eight years.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 2½ months.
| Year | Bradford Heaton | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 5 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 5 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 4 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 2 months | 2½ months |
2019 starts in May and 2026 runs to September.
See how waits have changed across Britain in our report on driving test waiting times.
Other test centres nearby
There are six other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Bradford Thornbury has the shortest wait, about 2 months, and Skipton the highest pass rate, 57%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Bradford (Thornbury) 4 miles by road | 13 minutes | 47.8% | 50.3% | 42.3% | 2 months |
| Steeton 11 miles by road | 22 minutes | 52.8% | 54.0% | 47.9% | 3½ months |
| Halifax 10 miles by road | 24 minutes | 45.0% | 45.9% | 41.6% | 3 months |
| Horsforth 9 miles by road | 24 minutes | 49.7% | 51.7% | 45.2% | 2½ months |
| Heckmondwike 11 miles by road | 26 minutes | 45.8% | 47.1% | 41.2% | 3½ months |
| Skipton 16 miles by road | 28 minutes | 57.3% | 57.5% | 55.1% | 3 months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Bradford Heaton's pass rate was 56%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate for the last five years. It wasn't always that way: when DVSA's figures began, in the 12 months to March 2008, it was 27%, below Britain's pass rate of 44%.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 55%, compared with 57%. That gap is narrower than at most centres. Only 15 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a higher automatic pass rate. 32% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 57%, compared with 55%. That's a similar gap to Great Britain's, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 8,354 | 56.1% | 56.7% | 55.0% | 65th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 7,594 | 49.5% | 49.8% | 48.9% | 142nd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 6,965 | 52.1% | 52.3% | 51.5% | 87th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 6,383 | 51.9% | 51.8% | 52.1% | 99th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 5,588 | 50.3% | 50.6% | 48.7% | 143rd of 280 |
Each year runs from April to March.
Compare every centre in our report on driving test pass rates.
Before your test
In the weeks before your test, ask your instructor to take you round the roads near the centre, and practise the faults learners make most often. If you're still looking for an instructor, see who teaches in Bradford.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Bradford Heaton?
55% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Bradford Heaton?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Bradford Thornbury, 13 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 2 months.
How busy is Bradford Heaton test centre?
It ran 8,354 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. That's around the middle for Britain's test centres.
Can I move my test from Bradford Heaton to another centre?
Yes. You can move it to any centre with a free date, on gov.uk. Before you do, check your instructor can take you there, and bear in mind it's harder to pass on roads you don't know. The closest other centre is Bradford Thornbury, about 13 minutes away by road.
Figures from DVSA: pass rates for the 12 months to March 2026, waits for September 2026, published 14 October 2026. Driving times by road, from OpenRouteService. How we worked these out.