Where is the new Leixlip driving test centre?

At the Springfield Hotel on the Dublin Road (R148) in Leixlip, Co. Kildare, eircode W23 W280. It's just off junction 5 of the M4, so it's easy to reach from Leixlip, Celbridge, Maynooth, Lucan and the wider North Kildare area.

When do driving tests start at Leixlip?

The RSA has told waiting candidates that driving tests at the Leixlip (Springfield Hotel) centre commence on Tuesday 1 September 2026.

Will I lose my place in the queue if I switch to Leixlip?

No. The RSA has confirmed that your application and eligibility date stay the same when you change centre — you simply slot into the Leixlip queue relative to all other applications there. You change your preferred centre by logging into your MyRoadSafety account.

What are the test routes at the Leixlip centre?

Because the centre is brand new, no official routes have been published and no one has test-day experience of them yet. Expect routes to use Leixlip's estates and main roads, the R148/R404, Celbridge and Maynooth directions and the surrounding network. Preparing on the actual local roads is the best insurance.

News · Driving Test · North Kildare

New Leixlip Test Centre at the Springfield Hotel — Tests Start 1 September 2026

After months of waiting-list pressure in North Kildare, the RSA is opening a driving test centre in Leixlip itself. Here's the address, how to switch your existing application without losing your place, and what a brand-new centre means for your preparation.

📅 Published 7 August 2026🇮🇪 Leixlip, Co. Kildare⏱ 5 min read

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What's been announced

The RSA is emailing waiting candidates directly — here's what the notice says.

1 Sept
2026

First tests (Tuesday)

Springfield
Hotel

Dublin Road, Leixlip

W23
W280

Eircode

In early August 2026 the RSA began emailing candidates on the waiting list to announce a new driving test centre in Leixlip at the Springfield Hotel. The notice gives the address as Springfield Hotel, Dublin Road, Leixlip, W23 W280, and confirms that driving tests commence on Tuesday 1 September 2026. Anyone with a live application can select "Leixlip – Springfield Hotel" as their preferred centre through their MyRoadSafety account.

One small correction: the RSA's own email lists the address as "Co. Dublin", but Leixlip is in Co. Kildare — same place, just a slip in the notice. And note the centre isn't yet showing on the RSA website's public centre list, which still shows Naas as the only Kildare centre. Expect the official listing and press release to follow shortly; details like available test categories may firm up then.

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Where exactly is it

A well-known landmark on the main road through Leixlip.

The Springfield Hotel sits on the Dublin Road (R148) on the eastern edge of Leixlip, right beside junction 5 of the M4. It's a large site with a conference centre and plenty of parking — the same working model as the Naas test centre, which operates from the Osprey Hotel's conference centre. For learners in Leixlip, Celbridge, Maynooth, Kilcock, Lucan and the wider North Kildare area, it's the closest test centre by a distance.

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How to switch your application

Straight from the RSA's notice to candidates — no penalty for moving.

Log into MyRoadSafety

Go to your MyRoadSafety account — the same portal you used to apply for your test.

Change your preferred centre

Select Leixlip – Springfield Hotel as your preferred test centre on your existing application.

Your eligibility date stays the same

The RSA confirms your application and eligibility date do not change — you slot into the Leixlip queue relative to all other applications there. When your turn comes, you'll get an invitation to book by email.

Check the estimator that Friday

Your new estimated invitation time appears on the RSA's online estimator on the Friday after you switch.

Remember: appointment slots are by invitation only — RSA phone agents can't book, move or manage them over the phone, so the portal is the only lever. For how the queue works generally (and how cancellation slots get claimed), see our waiting times guide.

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What it means for local learners

Shorter travel, a fresh queue — and routes nobody has driven yet.

The upside

No more trekking to Mulhuddart or Tallaght — when the campaign for this centre started in June, Mulhuddart's waiting list stood at 19 weeks and Tallaght's at 14, and Naas is a 40-minute drive for many North Kildare learners.
A brand-new queue — a new centre starts without years of backlog. Early switchers may see shorter waits than at the established Dublin centres, though the queue will fill as more people move.
Test-day driving on roads you actually learned on — if you live locally, the test now happens on your home ground.

The catch: nobody knows the routes yet

No published routes, no test-day folklore — every established centre has known route patterns. Leixlip has none yet.
Expect local staples — Leixlip's estates for the reverse and turnabout, the R148 and R404, Confey, Celbridge and Maynooth directions, and the busy M4 junction approaches.
The best insurance is preparation on the real local roads — which is exactly what a local instructor does all day. We'll be driving these areas from day one and building route knowledge as the first tests happen.

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How the centre came about

From a Dáil question to a lease in under three months.

10 June 2026

TD Naoise Ó Cearúil asks the Minister for Transport whether Leixlip is being considered for a new test centre; the question is referred to the RSA.

19 June 2026

Cllr Nuala Killeen's motion at Celbridge–Leixlip Municipal District wins cross-party support; Kildare County Council writes to the RSA. The idea traces back to a driving instructor stakeholder forum where the testing service flagged Leixlip for extra capacity.

30 June 2026

Answering TD Aidan Farrelly, the OPW reveals it assessed a State-owned site for the centre but found it "not viable" — the search moves to private premises.

16 July 2026

The RSA tells Deputy Farrelly it is "at an advanced stage" and close to finalising a lease with a landlord in the area (reported by Kfm).

Early August 2026

The RSA emails waiting candidates: the new centre is the Springfield Hotel, with tests from Tuesday 1 September 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

Will I lose my place if I switch to Leixlip?

No. Your eligibility date stays the same — you join the Leixlip queue relative to the other applications there. Switch through your MyRoadSafety account.

Is Leixlip in Dublin or Kildare?

Co. Kildare — even though the hotel is on the "Dublin Road" and the RSA's own email slipped and wrote Co. Dublin. It's the second driving test centre in the county after Naas.

Should I switch from Mulhuddart, Tallaght or Naas?

If you live in North Kildare and your preparation has been on local roads, probably yes — you'd be testing where you actually drive. If your date at your current centre is close and you've rehearsed its routes, finishing what you started may be smarter. A mock test will tell you either way.

What routes will the testers use?

Nothing is published yet — the centre is brand new. Expect Leixlip's estates, the R148/R404, and the Celbridge and Maynooth directions. We'll update as the first tests happen.

Learning to drive in North Kildare?

We teach on the Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth roads the new centre's routes will draw from — EDT, pre-test preparation and mock tests with honest feedback.

Lessons in Leixlip → Book online

Sources

RSA email notice to driving test candidates, "New Driving Test Centre located in Leixlip – Springfield Hotel", August 2026 (seen by Smart Driving Academy)
Kfm Radio — Driving Test Centre For Leixlip & Celbridge Area Moves A Step Closer (16 July 2026)
Leinster Leader — Plans mooted for driving test centre for this Kildare town (19 June 2026)
Dáil Éireann written answers, 30 June 2026 — PQ 192 (Transport) and PQ 289 (OPW), Deputy Aidan Farrelly
Dáil Éireann written answers, 10 June 2026 — PQ 47, Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil
RSA — Where to take the driving test (centre list)