Whitby driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Whitby's pass rate fell from 65% to 57% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Unit F11, St Hilda's Business Centre, YO22 4ET. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 57%, compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 56 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Scarborough, about a 33 minute drive away.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 4½ months, up from about 3½ months in the 12 months before.
The wait here has been longer than Britain's typical wait every year since DVSA's figures began in 2019.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 2½ months.
| Year | Whitby | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 4½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 6½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 4½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 3½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 4 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 4½ 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
No other test centre is within half an hour's drive of Whitby. The nearest is Scarborough, about a 33 minute drive away. Its pass rate is 45% and its typical wait less than a month.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Scarborough 20 miles by road | 33 minutes | 45.1% | 47.2% | 36.4% | Less than a month |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Whitby's pass rate was 57%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
7% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain. That's 37 automatic tests, too few to give a reliable automatic pass rate.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 61%, compared with 52%. That's a wider gap than across Great Britain, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | 557 | 56.7% | 57th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 513 | 65.1% | 6th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 514 | 58.2% | 28th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 362 | 52.2% | - |
| 2021 to 2022 | 260 | 56.2% | - |
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 North Yorkshire.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Whitby?
There were only 37 tests in automatic cars here in the 12 months to March 2026: too few for the pass rate to mean much.
How can I get a test sooner at Whitby?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Whitby test centre?
It ran 557 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 40 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Whitby 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 nearest other centre is Scarborough, about a 33 minute drive away.
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.