Northampton driving test centre

England • East MidlandsAbout 8 weeks

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Driving Test Centre Northampton

Gladstone Business Centre

Gladstone Road

NN5 7QA

52.1%

2025/26 pass rate · all attempts

2.0 percentage points above average

Out of every 100 car tests at Northampton last year, about 52 passed (2.0 points above the 50.0% UK average).

DVSA DRT122A · OGL v3
First-time pass

51.8%

1.2 points above the national first-attempt average.

Reported wait

8 weeks

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

This centre in numbers

136

13,539 published tests in April 2025 - March 2026 · 52.1% overall pass rate

Waiting times at Northampton

The reported wait was 8 weeks in July 2026. It is a reported centre figure, not a promise of when a test will be available.

The pass rate was 52.1% from 13,539 tests in April 2025 - March 2026.

A good place to sit it

52.1% of tests here end in a pass, about 136 people a week.

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
5,832
marks
Rate
43.1
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

East Midlands centres by current pass rate.

  • Melton Mowbray69.7%
  • Wellingborough60%
  • Buxton58.7%
  • Grantham (Somerby)57.9%
  • Ashfield57.3%
  • Chesterfield56.2%
  • Skegness55.9%
  • Northampton52.1%

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

Men have the higher published pass rate here in April 2025 - March 2026; no wider explanation is inferred from these figures. On 13,539 tests the difference is small enough to move year to year.

Axis starts at 49%.

How faults are marked

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

  • Serious · 81.8
  • Dangerous · 6.5
  • Driving · 449.4

Faults that end tests

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

  • Move off - safely5,832
  • Maintain progress - speed5,422
  • Maintain progress - undue hesitation4,950
  • Control - steering4,532
  • Use of speed3,358
  • Move off - control3,214
  • Junctions - observation3,111
  • Reverse park - Control2,846
Serious Dangerous Driving

Named categories

Counts per 100 tests.

Top 10 fault categories
FaultSerious / 100Dangerous / 100Driving / 100All / 100
Move off - safely4.40.138.643.1
Maintain progress - speed3.40.036.640.0
Maintain progress - undue hesitation3.50.033.036.6
Control - steering2.70.530.333.5
Use of speed5.20.019.624.8
Move off - control1.90.121.723.7
Junctions - observation6.81.414.823.0
Reverse park - Control2.60.118.321.0
Positioning - normal driving3.70.116.420.2
Mirrors - change direction5.81.612.419.9
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

0.7%

As of July 2026

Weeks to 10%+ availability

24 weeks

DRT122F · July 2026

Overtime slots added

223

Automatic transmission

5,142 automatic tests in April 2025 - March 2026.

Pass rate

45.9%

5,142 automatic tests

Male

46.2%

2,033 tests

Female

45.7%

3,109 tests

First-time passes

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

Faultless passes

335

Zero-fault first-time passes

First vs overall

+0.3 pts

All-attempt rate vs first-attempt rate

DVSA cancellations

About 5.1% of tests attempted here. DVSA-initiated, not learner no-shows.

Tests cancelled

723

DRT122B · April 2025 - March 2026

  • Medical absences386
  • Leave172
  • Acts of nature165

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