Co. Down · DVA driving test centre
Newtownards driving test centre
Figures to June 2026, from Department for Infrastructure statistics published . Jubilee Road, Scrabo, Newtownards, BT23 4XP.
Car test pass rate, July 2025 to June 2026
52.9%
+1.1 pts on the year before
Northern Ireland
52.5%
All DVA centres, same period
Pass-rate rank
7 of 15
1 = highest
Car tests, last four quarters
5,634
1,656 in Apr–Jun 2026
From July 2025 to June 2026, 5,634 car tests were taken at Newtownards and 52.9% passed, by the Department for Infrastructure's figures: close to the Northern Ireland rate (52.5%). In the four quarters before, the rate was 51.8%, so it has risen by 1.1 points. It ranks 7th highest of 15 DVA car test centres. In April to June 2026 alone, 1,656 tests were taken and 51.0% passed.
Pass rate over time
Each point is DfI's pass rate for the four quarters up to that date, which smooths out the ups and downs of a single quarter.
- Newtownards
- Northern Ireland
Show these figures as a table
| Period | Newtownards | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Four quarters to June 2026 | 52.9% | 52.5% |
| Four quarters to March 2026 | 53.4% | 52.3% |
| Four quarters to December 2025 | 53.3% | 52.9% |
| Four quarters to September 2025 | 53.4% | 53.6% |
| Four quarters to June 2025 | 51.8% | 54.9% |
| Four quarters to March 2025 | 52.4% | 55.8% |
| Four quarters to December 2024 | 52.7% | 56.2% |
| Four quarters to September 2024 | 51.9% | 56.0% |
| Four quarters to June 2024 | 50.0% | 54.7% |
| Four quarters to March 2024 | 47.3% | 53.7% |
| Four quarters to December 2023 | 45.3% | 53.2% |
| Four quarters to September 2023 | 44.1% | 52.9% |
| Four quarters to June 2023 | 43.3% | 53.3% |
| Four quarters to March 2023 | 43.0% | 53.7% |
| Four quarters to December 2022 | 43.5% | 54.5% |
| Four quarters to September 2022 | 42.5% | 55.5% |
| Four quarters to June 2022 | 43.1% | 57.0% |
Compared with Northern Ireland
- Newtownards
- Northern Ireland average
-
All car testsJuly 2025 to June 202652.9%about the same as Northern Ireland (52.5%)
-
Men51.9%about the same as Northern Ireland (52.1%)
-
Women54.3%1.4 points above Northern Ireland (52.9%)
-
Latest quarterApril to June 202651.0%3.0 points below Northern Ireland (54.0%)
Show these figures as a table
| Measure | Newtownards | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| All car tests | 52.9% | 52.5% |
| Men | 51.9% | 52.1% |
| Women | 54.3% | 52.9% |
| Latest quarter | 51.0% | 54.0% |
By financial year
Years run April to March. 4 complete years are in the figures we hold.
- Newtownards
- Northern Ireland
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Newtownards | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 43.0% | 53.7% |
| 2023–24 | 47.3% | 53.7% |
| 2024–25 | 52.4% | 55.8% |
| 2025–26 | 53.4% | 52.3% |
Years run April to March; ’20 is 2020–21.
Car tests each quarter
April to June 2026: 1,656 tests. Busiest quarter in the figures: 1,777.
Waiting times and booking
The DVA doesn't publish waiting times for each test centre, so we can't show one here. According to nidirect, car test appointments are released three months ahead, on the first working day of each month, and slots also come back when people cancel or change. If your preferred centre has nothing, nidirect suggests trying another centre.
Book your practical driving test or change, cancel or view a booking on nidirect. Since 1 October 2026 car and motorcycle tests in Northern Ireland need a Northern Ireland provisional licence. New learners also face a six-month minimum learning period: see Northern Ireland's new learner rules.
Nearby DVA centres
Straight-line distance from Newtownards. A higher pass rate elsewhere isn't on its own a reason to travel: knowing the roads where you'll be tested counts for a lot (how to read pass rates).
| Centre | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydebank | 9.4 mi | 43.0% | −9.9 | 5,156 |
| Belfast (Balmoral) | 11 mi | 48.0% | −4.9 | 5,734 |
| Lisburn | 16 mi | 44.8% | −8.1 | 3,736 |
| Downpatrick | 19 mi | 63.0% | +10.1 | 3,708 |
| Larne | 20 mi | 53.2% | +0.3 | 4,948 |
| Ballymena | 29 mi | 49.8% | −3.1 | 3,704 |
- This centre
- Other DVA centres
Reading these figures
- Pass rates are DfI's rolling four-quarter figures for category B (car) tests conducted at the centre. Tests where the candidate failed to attend aren't counted.
- A centre's pass rate reflects who tests there as well as its roads: repeat candidates, how ready people are when they book and local traffic all play a part. DfI says the same in its own statistics.
- The DVA doesn't publish waiting times by test centre, so there are none on this page.
- DfI's centre table for July to September 2025 printed each centre's figures one row out of line. We moved them back; the corrected figures add up exactly to DfI's own four-quarter rates.
- The practical test changes from 1 April 2027 (longer independent driving, sat nav, "show me, tell me" questions on the move). Pass rates from before then may not carry over.
We have no link with the DVA or the Department for Infrastructure.
Sources
Department for Infrastructure, Driver, Vehicle, Operator and Enforcement Statistics (DVA Statistics), Section 4 tables 4.6, 4.7 and 4.7b, April to June 2022 to April to June 2026 (latest release). Address and map position from nidirect's driving and vehicle test centres. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.