Blyth Driving Test Centre
Blyth in Blyth, England has a current pass rate of 47.2%, 1.5 points below 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 September 2026
Blyth sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 29%, rank #231 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Alnwick, about 21.2 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 52.3K passed, 46.5K failed, 98.8K total
How Blyth compares
Blyth is 1.5 points behind the national figure and ranked 231 of 323 in its category, a difference most candidates will not feel on the day.
Where Blyth ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Blyth has given up 7.8 points since 2017-18 (55% then, 47.2% now); the low water mark was 47.2% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Blyth
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 23.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Blyth in August 2026 had waited 13.5 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, August 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 Blyth
- car
- ADI part 2
- ADI part 3
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 NE24 3BA, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Drivers booked at Blyth report to a DVSA centre in Blyth, North East. The car routes used here are drawn from the streets the centre's examiners drive every week, so the test reflects local conditions rather than a generic syllabus. Blyth runs at high volume: 98.8K tests across 2017-18-2024-25 put it among the busier DVSA centres in the country. The headline numbers carry weight because the sample carries weight.
By raw pass rate Blyth sits at 47.2%, with the DVSA's national car average over the same window running at 48.7%. The gap (1.5 points below the UK figure) places the centre at rank #231 of 323, inside the lower half of the country's car test centres. The DVSA's first-attempt figure for Blyth sits at 51.9%, 2.9 points clear of the 49% UK average. The gap is wide enough to matter when you're deciding which local centre to book.
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 Blyth
- Blyth 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.
- Volume at Blyth is among the highest in the network. Don't take the first available date on faith, refreshing the DVSA booking page across a few days regularly turns up cancellations.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Blyth area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the official DVSA booking service is free.
Whether you pass at Blyth is not decided by the centre. It is decided by the 15 things an examiner can mark you on, and mirrors, change direction is one of the ones that ends attempts early.
Take mirrors, change direction. Routine MSM (Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre) drilled in lessons not surviving under test-day stress; signal flashed before mirror checked. Most of the argument about what is a minor and what is a serious comes down to cases like that one, so it is worth knowing which side of the line yours falls on before an examiner decides it for you.
Verbalise MSM out loud on every lane change for two full lessons. Slow down the sequence so each step is deliberate, then speed it back up while keeping the order. Free to use, no sign up. Everything for the day itself is on the practical test hub.
Other test centres nearby
You cannot book a practical test at Blyth until you hold a theory pass, and it has to still be valid on the day you sit it. Nationally 44.8% of candidates pass the theory.
Pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders and the 2022 hierarchy of road users. All 14 DVSA topics are free to practise, with no sign up. See the theory pass rate by centre or the full practice hub.
On the day at Blyth
Aim to be at Blyth ten minutes early. Because parking and waiting facilities are not the same at every DVSA centre, check the approach on the DVSA centre finder before the day. Demand is high and the modelled wait is close to 14 to 18 weeks, so an early booking and a cancellation alert are both worth setting up. The examiner needs to see your provisional photocard licence to begin, and the car you bring must be roadworthy, fitted with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Gateshead is fully booked, Blyth is the next closest centre, roughly 12 miles away.
The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in seven tests includes an emergency stop, a frequency the DVSA reduced in late 2025. The drive works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Blyth. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 47.2% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking. Candidates on their first attempt clear that bar more often here, 51.9% against the 47.2% overall figure.
Frequently asked questions
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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.
DVSA data period: 2024-25.