Darlington driving test centre

England • North EastAbout 9 weeks

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Driving Test Centre Darlington MPTC

High Point Business Park, Yarm Road

Darlington

DL1 4PW

47.1%

2025/26 pass rate · all attempts

2.9 percentage points below average

Out of every 100 car tests at Darlington last year, about 47 passed (2.9 points below the 50.0% UK average).

DVSA DRT122A · OGL v3
First-time pass

48.9%

1.7 points below the national first-attempt average.

Reported wait

9 weeks

Reported in July 2026 (DRT122F); this centre median is not a booking promise.

This centre in numbers

110

12,183 published tests in April 2025 - March 2026 · 47.1% overall pass rate

Darlington's pass rate has changed

Darlington's pass rate was 2.0 points lower than the previous financial year. The pass rate was 47.1% from 12,183 tests in April 2025 - March 2026.

The reported wait was 9 weeks in July 2026.

What a lower rate actually means

Busier roads and trickier junctions push the rate down. About 110 people still pass here every week, and they practised the same roads you can.

Fault snapshot

Move off - safely

This was the most commonly recorded fault here in April 2025 - March 2026. It is a useful place to start a conversation, not a prediction for your test.

Recorded
6,893
marks
Rate
56.6
marks per 100 tests

Before the day, take a calm look at the parts of moving off that feel least settled: observations, control and choosing a safe gap. Your instructor can help you practise the bits that need another go.

Explore the full fault breakdown

National pass rates also move with the calendar - see UK seasonality.

Across the region

North East centres by current pass rate.

  • Alnwick55.5%
  • Berwick-On-Tweed53.9%
  • Durham53.2%
  • Hexham53%
  • Sunderland51.1%
  • Hartlepool51%
  • Blyth50.9%
  • Darlington47.1%

Pass rate · last 12 months

Overall, male and female monthly rates for this centre. Gaps bridge months with no tests.

Men and women breakdown

Men and women here

Women have the higher published pass rate here in April 2025 - March 2026; no wider explanation is inferred from these figures. On 12,183 tests the difference is small enough to move year to year.

Axis starts at 42%.

How faults are marked

Every mark is serious, dangerous, or a driving (minor) fault. Shown per 100 tests.

  • Serious · 95.6
  • Dangerous · 8.7
  • Driving · 561.7

Faults that end tests

Top categories by total marks in April 2025 - March 2026. Colour shows severity mix within each bar.

  • Move off - safely6,893
  • Maintain progress - speed6,364
  • Mirrors - change direction5,236
  • Maintain progress - undue hesitation5,068
  • Junctions - observation4,199
  • Mirrors - signalling4,127
  • Positioning - normal driving3,797
  • Control - steering3,503
Serious Dangerous Driving

Named categories

Counts per 100 tests.

Top 10 fault categories
FaultSerious / 100Dangerous / 100Driving / 100All / 100
Move off - safely5.50.350.856.6
Maintain progress - speed4.60.047.652.2
Mirrors - change direction12.81.728.543.0
Maintain progress - undue hesitation2.80.038.841.6
Junctions - observation10.72.721.034.5
Mirrors - signalling1.00.032.833.9
Positioning - normal driving3.30.427.431.2
Control - steering2.00.426.328.8
Move off - control2.00.224.426.6
Response to signs - traffic signs11.50.411.223.0
About these figures
Fault categories are self-reported by DVSA examiners; a single test can record more than one fault, so these describe examiner records, not route difficulty.

More about this centre

Waiting time, automatic and first-attempt detail, and DVSA-initiated cancellations - only the slices this centre publishes.

Waiting time

Median wait and slot availability as of July 2026.

Slots still bookable

37.2%

As of July 2026

Weeks to 10%+ availability

16 weeks

DRT122F · July 2026

Overtime slots added

342

Automatic transmission

3,565 automatic tests in April 2025 - March 2026.

Pass rate

40.5%

3,565 automatic tests

Male

37.6%

1,847 tests

Female

43.7%

1,718 tests

First-time passes

First attempts in April 2025 - March 2026. Cleaner than the all-attempt rate when published.

Faultless passes

212

Zero-fault first-time passes

First vs overall

-1.8 pts

All-attempt rate vs first-attempt rate

DVSA cancellations

About 3.3% of tests attempted here. DVSA-initiated, not learner no-shows.

Tests cancelled

418

DRT122B · April 2025 - March 2026

  • Medical absences285
  • Leave78
  • Acts of nature55

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