Alnwick Driving Test Centre
Alnwick in Alnwick, England has a current pass rate of 51%, 2.3 points above the UK average of 48.7%. This page breaks down the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, the waiting time and how it compares with the rest of the UK, all from the DVSA quarterly data.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Alnwick sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 47%, rank #151 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Duns, about 35.4 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 8.0K passed, 5.6K failed, 13.6K total
How Alnwick compares
Alnwick sits 2.3 points above the UK average, ranked 151 of 323 in its category: close enough that centre choice matters far less than preparation.
Where Alnwick ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The longer arc at Alnwick points down: 63.5% in 2017-18 against 51% now, a 12.5-point slide, though 2022-23 showed what the routes allow at 68.7%.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Alnwick
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 18.5 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Alnwick in May 2026 had waited 12.1 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, May 2026. The median is the time between booking and taking the test; for live availability use the DVSA booking service.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Alnwick
- car
Accessibility & facilities
Parking and toilet details aren't included in DVSA's published feed. For the current on-site facilities, check the DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode NE66 1JX, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Alnwick is the DVSA car test centre in Alnwick, North East. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. Over 2017-18-2024-25, 13.6K candidates sat tests here. The figures are statistically usable for centre-to-centre comparisons, which is most of what people land on this page wanting to do.
Rank: #151 of 323. Pass rate: 51%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a upper half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. First-attempt pass rate at Alnwick: 58.1%, against 49% nationally. That's a 9.1-point lead. Well-prepared candidates with no prior test attempts pass here at a noticeably higher rate than the UK average.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Alnwick
- Alnwick doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
- First-time pass rate of 58.1% at Alnwick is on the forgiving side. A well-prepared first booking has a reasonable shot; don't over-correct by booking a "practice" test you don't actually need.
- Ask any instructor working Alnwick about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Alnwick. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Alnwick
Plan to arrive at Alnwick about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder a day or two ahead. Demand here is moderate with waits around 8 to 12 weeks, so there is usually a little more slot choice than at the busiest urban centres. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Blyth is fully booked, Alnwick is the next closest centre, roughly 21 miles away.
Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a tell-me vehicle-safety question, then the examiner joins you for the road section, with one show-me question while you drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around one in seven candidates get an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
There is no wait for the verdict, the examiner delivers it at the centre. They go over each fault recorded, hand you the DL25 feedback form, and on a pass retain your provisional licence so the full version arrives by post. To pass you need no more than 15 driving faults and not a single serious or dangerous one; 51% of candidates at Alnwick currently clear that. Candidates on their first attempt clear that bar more often here, 58.1% against the 51% overall figure.
Frequently asked questions
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Is Alnwick an easy or hard test centre?
How does Alnwick compare to the UK average?
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Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.