Not only is North Yorkshire England’s largest county, but it’s also one of its most picturesque. This provides plenty of reasons to inspire the people of Yorkshire to get out on the roads and explore everything the county has to offer.

Before you can set off on your road trip, however, you’ll need to get your driving licence—and that means taking your test. In this article, we’ll run through all eight test centres in North Yorkshire, helping you to decide which one is best for you.

Test Centres

Knaresborough

First on our list of North Yorkshire driving test centres is Knaresborough. This centre is ideally placed for learners in the Harrogate area. Meanwhile, candidates from the nearby cities of Leeds and York may wish to travel to this centre instead of taking their test locally. If you are travelling to the test centre by public transport, then the nearest train station is Knaresborough, which is around 10 minutes down the road by car.

Test routes from Knaresborough will begin at the St James Business Park on the outskirts of town, where you can expect to deal with busier roads lined with parked cars, alongside multi-lane roundabouts. After this, a mix of residential roads, busier urban conditions in the centre of Knaresborough, and rural roads may all feature. Get prepared with our guide to the differences between urban and rural driving!

Malton

The Malton test centre lies in one of the more rural parts of North Yorkshire, roughly equidistant between York and Scarborough. This makes it the test centre of choice for learners within a relatively wide radius that encompasses parts of the North York Moors National Park. Candidates arriving by public transport should head to the Malton train station, which is 17 minutes away on foot, or six minutes’ drive away.

As you may expect, test routes from Malton will typically involve plenty of rural roads. The relatively peaceful town of Malton may contrast in many ways to more urban test centres—but don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s a cakewalk. With narrow roads and tight bends to contend with, learners here will still need to work hard to ace their test. Nevertheless, Malton does boast some of the best pass rates in not only the county, but the entire country. In fact, as revealed in our guide to the best and worst test centres in 2017/18, Malton outperforms every other test centre in England. Result!

Middlesbrough

Standing in stark comparison to the rest of the largely rural county of North Yorkshire is built-up Middlesbrough. Learners looking to get on the road here will look to head to the nearby Middlesbrough driving test centre, which is to the east of the town centre. The test centre is a 5-minute drive from the South Bank train station, or 7 minutes from the more central Middlesbrough train station. This makes it a great option for those living elsewhere in the North East, such as County Durham and Tyne and Wear.

When taking your practical test here, you’re likely to find yourself on one of the busier A66 or A1053 roads that run around the edge of Middlesbrough itself. Residential roads are sure to play a part on your test as well, which means putting the skills you honed in your hazard perception test into good use!

Northallerton

Lying in the heart of North Yorkshire is the Northallerton test centre. This centre is the natural choice for learners in the market town of Northallerton, but also serves a much wider area of western North Yorkshire, including towns as far-flung as Richmond and Thirsk, and even parts of the Yorkshire Dales. Relatively centrally located within the town of Northallerton itself, the Northallerton train station is a short 4-minute drive away.

Minutes into your test, you’ll face your first set of static hazards: roundabouts (and mini-roundabouts). From here on out, test routes will vary, but are likely to extend into some of Northallerton’s surrounding countryside. No matter what your exact test route involves, brushing up on our defensive driving tips will surely come in handy!

Scarborough

A few miles to the south of the town centre lies Scarborough test centre, which is actually in the suburb of Eastfield. This test centre is one of two options for learners along North Yorkshire’s coast, alongside the Whitby test centre. Despite the name, heading to the town of Scarborough itself will set you a little off course. Instead, those arriving by public transport should alight at Seamer train station, which is 4 minutes away by car.

Though Scarborough test centre’s location isn’t central, it’s still close to a few busy A roads, including the A64 and A165. Residential areas such as Eastfield, Cayton and Osgodby may well prove the venue for the manoeuvre that will feature on your test: either parallel parking, bay parking, or pulling up on the right.

Skipton

The westernmost of all test centres in Yorkshire, Skipton test centre is a great choice for learners from across the Yorkshire Dales. Candidates in parts of neighbouring Lancashire may even find that it’s easier to hop, skip(ton) and jump across the county border to take their test here. If you are travelling here by train, then Skipton railway station is the closest option.

The town centre of Skipton is likely to prove one of the busier areas on your test, with some tricky junctions where the A6069 and A6131 roads meet. Meanwhile, when driving through residential areas, be aware of how to respond when you see the different types of pedestrian crossing—at a zebra crossing, for example, you’ll need to have keen observation skills to make sure you spot any approaching pedestrians.

Whitby

The second of North Yorkshire’s two coastal test centres is Whitby. In 2016/17, the test centre also boasted the county’s highest pass rate, and even featured as one of the top ten test centres in the UK as a whole. Whitby test centre can be found on the eastern side of the town, 5 minutes’ drive (or 15 minutes’ walk) from Whitby train station.

Though Whitby’s pass rate is the envy of many, learners here can attest that there are certainly still some trickier areas to contend with. In fact, learners may need to deal with hill starts from the very beginning of their drive—so be sure that your clutch control is up to scratch! Once you’ve passed, though, you’ll have a lifetime of driving to look forward to—including the fantastic Coast to Coast road trip, which starts just a stone’s throw from Whitby.

York

The final North Yorkshire test centre on our list lies in the city that gave the county its name: York. The test centre is close to the East Campus of the University of York—if you’re studying there, be sure to take advantage of our student discount! York test centre is a little way out of the city centre itself, however—York train station is over three miles away. Luckily, with home and workplace pickups as standard, getting to the test centre should be a breeze!

As one of only two cities in the county of North Yorkshire (alongside the much smaller city of Ripon), conditions in central York are some of the busiest in the county. However, whilst urban roads will surely feature on your drive, the test centre itself is situated in the suburban area of Osbaldwick, meaning that you’ll see a balance of busy A roads, such as the A1079 and A64, residential areas, and even countryside.

With courses available across large parts of the UK, PassMeFast is here to change driving for everyone. Our fast, flexible courses can help you get test-ready in a matter of weeks—and with driving test cancellations on your side, your test itself will take place ahead of the normal waiting times.

Whether you’re in North Yorkshire or not, PassMeFast can help you get on the road to freedom. Call us on 0333 123 4949, or book your course online today.

Live outside North Yorkshire? Check out our other test centre guides: