Test Centre Stats

North East, England · DVSA car test centre

Darlington driving test centre

DVSA, High Point Business Park, Yarm Road, Darlington, DL1 4PW · wheelchair accessible

Tests here: car, motorcycle module 1 (off-road), motorcycle module 2 (on-road), lorry and bus, ADI part 2, ADI part 3.

Waiting times to September 2026 and pass rates for 2025–26, from DVSA statistics published .

Median wait, September 2026

7.6 weeks

+1.3 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

47.1%

−2.9 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

78 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 1st of 11 North East

Weeks to 10% of slots free

12.8 weeks

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Darlington in September 2026 had booked it a median of 7.6 weeks earlier: 4 weeks shorter than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 5.5 weeks shorter than the North East figure (13.1 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 6.3 weeks, so the wait has grown by 1.3 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 4.9 weeks to 8.9 weeks.

On the last Monday of September 2026 it would have taken about 12.8 weeks to reach a week with at least 10% of its test slots free (Great Britain: 19.7 weeks). Across the whole 24-week window, 32.2% of standard slots were still unbooked (Great Britain: 13.3%).

Waiting time over the last two years

Median weeks between booking a test and taking it, for tests taken each month.

  • Darlington
  • North East
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Darlington, October 2024 to September 2026Darlington: 7.6 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.05101520Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 267.6Weeks05101520Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 267.6Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Darlington, October 2024 to September 2026
MonthDarlingtonNorth EastGreat Britain
September 20267.613.111.6
August 20268.912.611.1
July 20268.911.711.1
June 20267.110.610.7
May 20266.710.19.7
April 20266.410.19.1
March 20265.79.79.0
February 20264.910.010.4
January 20265.69.410.1
December 20256.310.910.1
November 20256.410.110.4
October 20256.911.311.6
September 20256.312.412.4
August 20255.912.411.7
July 20257.113.612.0
June 20259.114.011.0
May 20256.713.311.3
April 20255.412.410.6
March 20257.013.110.4
February 20259.012.611.4
January 20258.111.711.0
December 20249.611.110.4
November 20248.410.69.9
October 202410.410.99.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Darlington in September 2026, 48.1% had been booked within 7 weeks and 5.1% more than 21 weeks before.

  • Within 7 weeks
  • 7 to 14 weeks
  • 14 to 21 weeks
  • Over 21 weeks
Darlington
North East
Great Britain

At Darlington, 48.1% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 5.1% more than 21 weeks ahead.

Show these figures as a table
How far ahead tests taken in September 2026 were booked
Within 7 weeks7 to 14 weeks14 to 21 weeksOver 21 weeks
Darlington48.1%38.3%8.4%5.1%
North East34.0%18.5%20.8%26.7%
Great Britain41.1%14.2%15.2%29.5%

If your test is booked here

Since 9 June 2026 a car test can only be moved to one of the three centres DVSA lists as nearest by road (or back to the centre where you first booked), and you get two changes in total. For a test booked at Darlington, those three are below. All three had longer median waits than Darlington in September 2026, so moving away from here is unlikely to help.

Centres a test booked at Darlington can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs DarlingtonPass rate 2025–26
Middlesbroughabout 16 miles by roadabout 16 mi15.9 weeks+8.3 wk47.7%
Northallertonabout 18 miles by roadabout 18 mi14.3 weeks+6.7 wk60.4%
Hartlepoolabout 20 miles by roadabout 20 mi15.1 weeks+7.5 wk51.0%

From DVSA's list of centres you can move your test to, which it says may change. The change service shows your actual options.

Pass rates

In 2025–26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 12,183 car tests were taken here and 47.1% passed, 2.9 points below the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 49.2%, so the rate fell by 2.1 points. First attempts did better: 48.9% of 4,899 first-time candidates passed, and 4.3% did it with no faults at all.

  • Darlington
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    47.1%2.9 points below Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    48.9%1.6 points below Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    4.3%1.4 points above Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    44.7%6.1 points below Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    51.3%2.2 points above Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    64.5%about the same as Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars29% of tests here were in automatics
    40.5%4.1 points below Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Darlington compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasureDarlingtonGreat Britain
All tests47.1%50.0%
First attempts48.9%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults4.3%2.9%
Men44.7%50.8%
Women51.3%49.1%
17-year-olds64.5%63.6%
Automatic cars40.5%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Darlington
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Darlington by financial yearPass rate at Darlington in 2025–26: 47.1%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Darlington, 2019–20: 51.5%51Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Darlington, 2020–21: 62.1%62Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Darlington, 2021–22: 55.0%55Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Darlington, 2022–23: 57.0%57Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Darlington, 2023–24: 55.1%55Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Darlington, 2024–25: 49.2%49Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Darlington, 2025–26: 47.1%47Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Darlington, 2019–20: 51.5%51Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Darlington, 2020–21: 62.1%62Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Darlington, 2021–22: 55.0%55Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Darlington, 2022–23: 57.0%57Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Darlington, 2023–24: 55.1%55Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Darlington, 2024–25: 49.2%49Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Darlington, 2025–26: 47.1%47Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Darlington by financial year
YearDarlingtonGreat Britain
2019–2051.5%45.9%
2020–2162.1%49.8%
2021–2255.0%48.9%
2022–2357.0%48.4%
2023–2455.1%47.9%
2024–2549.2%48.7%
2025–2647.1%50.0%

Years run April to March; ’20 is 2020–21.

By age, 17 to 25 (2025–26)

Candidates aged 17 did best here, at 64.5%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.

  • Age 1764.5% of 1,784
  • Age 1857.1% of 1,168
  • Age 1955.9% of 476
  • Age 2056.7% of 344
  • Age 2154.4% of 351
  • Age 2254.5% of 336
  • Age 2348.0% of 358
  • Age 2451.8% of 367
  • Age 2542.6% of 448

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 418 tests at Darlington, about 34.3 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was examiner illness (285). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Examiner illness285
  • Examiner leave78
  • Weather and other acts of nature55

The nearest theory test centre

The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Middlesbrough (Suite 1, First Floor, The Cooperative Buildings, 251-255 Linthorpe Road, TS1 4AT), 11 mi away. In 2025–26, 40.9% of its 34,351 car theory tests were passes, 3.9 points below the Great Britain rate (44.8%). You can sit the theory test at any centre.

Nearby centres

None of the 8 nearest centres had a wait at least a week shorter than Darlington in September 2026. Within the same list, Northallerton (13 mi) had a pass rate of 60.4%. You can book a new test at any centre in Great Britain, but once it's booked a car test can only be moved to the three centres DVSA names for that centre. Distances here are straight-line.

Centres near Darlington, with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
NorthallertonHigher pass rate13 mi14.3 weeks60.4%
Middlesbrough13 mi15.9 weeks47.7%
DurhamHigher pass rate16 mi15.9 weeks53.2%
HartlepoolHigher pass rate17 mi15.1 weeks51.0%
SunderlandHigher pass rate28 mi9 weeks51.1%
Gateshead31 mi11.1 weeks37.5%
KnaresboroughHigher pass rate36 mi6.9 weeks58.5%
WhitbyHigher pass rate36 mi15 weeks56.7%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Northallerton: 14.3 weeksMiddlesbrough: 15.9 weeksDurham: 15.9 weeksHartlepool: 15.1 weeksSunderland: 9 weeksGateshead: 11.1 weeksKnaresborough: 6.9 weeksWhitby: 15 weeksDarlingtonDarlington

Reading these figures

  • The waiting time is a median for tests taken that month: half of candidates booked closer to their test date, half further ahead. It is not the earliest date you could book today, which can be sooner when tests are cancelled or extra ones are added.
  • DVSA marks figures from April 2025 onwards as provisional; they can be revised at the quarterly update.
  • Pass rates are published once a year; the latest cover April 2025 to March 2026. Waiting times are monthly, to September 2026.
  • The figures cover DVSA car tests only, not tests run by delegated examiners (such as some fleet and emergency service tests).

To book or move a test, use the official services: book your driving test or change your driving test on GOV.UK. DVSA explains when new tests are released. We have no link with DVSA and no access to its booking system.

Sources

DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: cars: tables DRT122F (waiting times), DRT121G (regional and national), DRT122A to DRT122E (pass rates), DRT122B (cancellations) and DRT112A (theory tests). Address and coordinates from GOV.UK's Find a driving test centre. Open Government Licence v3.0. Checked 3 November 2026.