Recent measurements of the angular distributions for scattered electrons in gaseous benzene have produced elastic (rotationally summed) differential cross sections over a broad range of angular values and of collision energies. The present calculations examine the corresponding computed quantities over the same energy and angular values and compare them with the measurements. The necessary exchange interaction is included both exactly and via approximate local models in order to test the reliability of the local model potentials for such delicate quantum dynamics features as angular distributions. Very good overall agreement is found between measurements and the calculations presented here. The local model potentials are found to provide good agreement with the exact exchange calculations at energies above 6.0 eV.