Test Centre Stats

North East, England · DVSA car test centre

Sunderland driving test centre

River Bank Road, North Hylton Road Industrial Estate, Sunderland, SR5 3JJ · wheelchair accessible

Tests here: car, 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

9 weeks

−1.3 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

51.1%

+1.1 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

97 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 2nd of 11 North East

Weeks to 10% of slots free

18.3 weeks

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Sunderland in September 2026 had booked it a median of 9 weeks earlier: 2.6 weeks shorter than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 4.1 weeks shorter than the North East figure (13.1 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 10.3 weeks, so the wait has shortened by 1.3 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 8.9 weeks to 13.1 weeks.

On the last Monday of September 2026 it would have taken about 18.3 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, 21.2% 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.

  • Sunderland
  • North East
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Sunderland, October 2024 to September 2026Sunderland: 9 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.0102030Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 269.0Weeks0102030Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 269.0Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Sunderland, October 2024 to September 2026
MonthSunderlandNorth EastGreat Britain
September 20269.013.111.6
August 20268.912.611.1
July 20268.911.711.1
June 20269.110.610.7
May 20269.410.19.7
April 202610.610.19.1
March 202611.79.79.0
February 202613.110.010.4
January 202610.79.410.1
December 202511.910.910.1
November 202510.110.110.4
October 202510.011.311.6
September 202510.312.412.4
August 202510.412.411.7
July 202520.113.612.0
June 202519.114.011.0
May 202517.313.311.3
April 202518.412.410.6
March 202518.013.110.4
February 202516.012.611.4
January 202515.311.711.0
December 202413.411.110.4
November 202412.610.69.9
October 202411.710.99.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Sunderland in September 2026, 44.2% had been booked within 7 weeks and 21.7% more than 21 weeks before.

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

At Sunderland, 44.2% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 21.7% 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
Sunderland44.2%16.8%17.4%21.7%
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 Sunderland, those three are below. All three had longer median waits than Sunderland in September 2026, so moving away from here is unlikely to help.

Centres a test booked at Sunderland can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs SunderlandPass rate 2025–26
Gatesheadabout 13 miles by roadabout 13 mi11.1 weeks+2.1 wk37.5%
Gosforthabout 16 miles by roadabout 16 mi21.1 weeks+12.1 wk48.4%
Durhamabout 17 miles by roadabout 17 mi15.9 weeks+6.9 wk53.2%

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), 10,436 car tests were taken here and 51.1% passed, 1.1 points above the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 47.1%, so the rate rose by 4.0 points. First attempts did about the same: 51.3% of 5,253 first-time candidates passed, and 7.5% did it with no faults at all.

  • Sunderland
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    51.1%1.1 points above Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    51.3%about the same as Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    7.5%4.6 points above Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    51.2%about the same as Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    51.1%2.0 points above Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    64.6%about the same as Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars23% of tests here were in automatics
    42.7%1.9 points below Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Sunderland compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasureSunderlandGreat Britain
All tests51.1%50.0%
First attempts51.3%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults7.5%2.9%
Men51.2%50.8%
Women51.1%49.1%
17-year-olds64.6%63.6%
Automatic cars42.7%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Sunderland
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Sunderland by financial yearPass rate at Sunderland in 2025–26: 51.1%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Sunderland, 2019–20: 44.1%44Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Sunderland, 2020–21: 47.6%48Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Sunderland, 2021–22: 45.3%45Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Sunderland, 2022–23: 46.7%47Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Sunderland, 2023–24: 45.8%46Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Sunderland, 2024–25: 47.1%47Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Sunderland, 2025–26: 51.1%51Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Sunderland, 2019–20: 44.1%44Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Sunderland, 2020–21: 47.6%48Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Sunderland, 2021–22: 45.3%45Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Sunderland, 2022–23: 46.7%47Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Sunderland, 2023–24: 45.8%46Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Sunderland, 2024–25: 47.1%47Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Sunderland, 2025–26: 51.1%51Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Sunderland by financial year
YearSunderlandGreat Britain
2019–2044.1%45.9%
2020–2147.6%49.8%
2021–2245.3%48.9%
2022–2346.7%48.4%
2023–2445.8%47.9%
2024–2547.1%48.7%
2025–2651.1%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 64.6%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.

  • Age 1764.6% of 1,547
  • Age 1858.0% of 1,703
  • Age 1950.6% of 838
  • Age 2050.4% of 613
  • Age 2152.9% of 476
  • Age 2256.4% of 385
  • Age 2354.6% of 339
  • Age 2551.7% of 323

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 706 tests at Sunderland, about 67.7 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was weather and other acts of nature (293). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Weather and other acts of nature293
  • Examiner illness289
  • Examiner leave124

The nearest theory test centre

The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Sunderland (Unit 1B, Echo 24 Building, West Wear Street, SR1 1XD), 2.0 mi away. In 2025–26, 43.3% of its 22,878 car theory tests were passes, 1.5 points below the Great Britain rate (44.8%). You can sit the theory test at any centre.

Nearby centres

The nearest centre with a shorter wait is Darlington, 28 mi away, at 7.6 weeks. Within the same list, Durham (14 mi) had a pass rate of 53.2%. 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 Sunderland, with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
Gateshead9.4 mi11.1 weeks37.5%
Gosforth11 mi21.1 weeks48.4%
DurhamHigher pass rate14 mi15.9 weeks53.2%
Blyth14 mi11.7 weeks50.9%
Hartlepool19 mi15.1 weeks51.0%
Middlesbrough26 mi15.9 weeks47.7%
Hexham27 mi17.9 weeks53.0%
DarlingtonShorter wait28 mi7.6 weeks47.1%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Gateshead: 11.1 weeksGosforth: 21.1 weeksDurham: 15.9 weeksBlyth: 11.7 weeksHartlepool: 15.1 weeksMiddlesbrough: 15.9 weeksHexham: 17.9 weeksDarlington: 7.6 weeksSunderlandSunderland

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.