Car Test Centre, England

Cheetham Hill (Manchester) Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BCheetham HillM8 8JATougher than average

Cheetham Hill (Manchester) posts a 43.7% pass rate, with West Didsbury (Manchester) the nearest alternative about 6 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.

Pass rate (2024-25)
43.7%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
10.8K
2024-25
National rank
#285
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
42.7%
below UK avg

DVSA data last updated July 2026

Compare and decide

Cheetham Hill (Manchester) sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 12%, rank #285 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Bolton (Manchester), about 9.0 miles away.

Bolton (Manchester)Best nearby
9.0 mi away
56.7%
+13.0 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

43.7%passed
failed56.3%

All-time 40.3K passed, 63.8K failed, 104.1K total

How Cheetham Hill (Manchester) compares

Cheetham Hill (Manchester)
43.7%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
-5 pp

Cheetham Hill (Manchester) sits 5 points under the national average, ranked 285 of 323 in its category. Routes here are likely more demanding than at rural centres; extra time on the local roads pays back directly.

Where Cheetham Hill (Manchester) ranks among 323 centres

Bottom 12%
Cheetham Hill (Manchester) sits in the bottom quarter of car pass rates
Rank
#285
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

The direction of travel here is upward: Cheetham Hill (Manchester) has added 10 points since 2017-18, from 33.7% to 43.7%, with its strongest year at 46.3% in 2021-22.

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 7.9 pp
Male42.6%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female34.7%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults0.2%
155 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Cheetham Hill (Manchester)

Median wait, booking to test
5 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
23.8 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
4.6%
Share of the 24-week window still open

The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 23.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Cheetham Hill (Manchester) in May 2026 had waited 5 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

Alderglen Road
Cheetham
Manchester
M8 0AL
England

Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.

Tests offered at Cheetham Hill (Manchester)

  • car
  • ADI part 2
  • ADI part 3

Accessibility & facilities

Wheelchair accessible per DVSA

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 M8 0AL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Cheetham Hill (Manchester): a DVSA car test centre in Cheetham Hill, Greater Manchester. Local routes, local traffic patterns, no national standard for what "harder" or "easier" looks like beyond what the numbers below show. By volume, Cheetham Hill (Manchester) is at the upper end of the DVSA's network. With 104.1K tests across 2017-18-2024-25, the figures on this page are about as statistically settled as DVSA data gets.

The bottom quarter of the UK by pass rate: Cheetham Hill (Manchester) ranks #285 of 323 car centres at 43.7%, 5 points below the national figure of 48.7%. First-attempt pass rate at Cheetham Hill (Manchester): 42.7%, against 49% nationally. That's 6.3 points below the UK average. Many candidates need a second go, and local-road familiarity is one of the most consistent things that improves the second attempt.

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 Cheetham Hill (Manchester)

  • A lower pass rate at Cheetham Hill (Manchester) usually means specific local junctions or road types that catch out candidates trained elsewhere. Book local-area familiarisation lessons with an instructor who works this centre, not one who covers a different patch.
  • Cheetham Hill (Manchester) is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
  • Ask any instructor working Cheetham Hill (Manchester) 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.
  • The only legitimate booking route is gov.uk. Anything calling itself a "test booking concierge" is reselling the same slots at a markup, the slots aren't theirs to control.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at Cheetham Hill (Manchester)

Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Cheetham Hill (Manchester), and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder (postcode M8 8JA) shows the exact location. This is a very high-demand centre, modelled at roughly 18 to 22 weeks to a slot, so book as far ahead as you can and keep an eye on cancellations. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner. If West Didsbury (Manchester) is fully booked, Cheetham Hill (Manchester) is the next closest centre, roughly 6 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 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 find out there and then, back at Cheetham Hill (Manchester). The examiner runs through the faults on the DL25 feedback form and, on a pass, keeps your provisional licence so a full licence follows in the post. Clearing the test means staying under 16 driving faults, that is 15 or fewer, with no serious or dangerous fault; 43.7% of candidates here manage it on the current marking.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Cheetham Hill (Manchester)?
The current pass rate at Cheetham Hill (Manchester) driving test centre is 43.7%, calculated from 10.8K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 42.7%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 38.7% (from 104.1K tests).
Is Cheetham Hill (Manchester) an easy or hard test centre?
Cheetham Hill (Manchester) is ranked #285 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the bottom quarter of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 43.7% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Much of the spread comes down to route geography: lighter traffic and simpler junctions lift a centre, dense city driving and complex roundabouts pull it down.
How does Cheetham Hill (Manchester) compare to the UK average?
Cheetham Hill (Manchester)'s pass rate is 5 percentage points below the UK national average of 48.7%. Cheetham Hill (Manchester) sits 5 points under the national average, ranked 285 of 323 in its category. Routes here are likely more demanding than at rural centres; extra time on the local roads pays back directly.
How many driving tests does Cheetham Hill (Manchester) record?
Cheetham Hill (Manchester) has recorded 104.1K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 40.3K passed and 63.8K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Cheetham Hill (Manchester)?
The closest DVSA test centres to Cheetham Hill (Manchester) are West Didsbury (Manchester) (50.9%), Chadderton (44.9%), Sale (Manchester) (49.1%) and Bredbury (Manchester) (54.2%). Of these, West Didsbury (Manchester), Chadderton, Sale (Manchester), Bredbury (Manchester) have higher current pass rates than Cheetham Hill (Manchester)'s 43.7%. You can compare every nearby centre in the "Other test centres nearby" section above, or see them all on the interactive PassRates map.
When is the best time to book a test at Cheetham Hill (Manchester)?
Cheetham Hill (Manchester) currently sees very high demand with an estimated wait of about 18 to 22 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. Where you can be flexible on dates, targeting one of the quieter months tends to bring a shorter wait and a wider choice of slots. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Cheetham Hill (Manchester) and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Cheetham Hill (Manchester) as your centre. You will need your provisional licence number and your theory test pass certificate number. To pass, you must finish with no more than 15 driving (minor) faults and zero serious or dangerous faults. Our guides cover how to book step by step and how faults are marked.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Cheetham Hill (Manchester)?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Cheetham Hill (Manchester) had waited about 5 weeks between booking and test day. DVSA's older measure, the number of weeks until at least 10% of slots are free, was 23.8 weeks. About 4.6% of appointments in the 24-week booking window were still available. For live availability, check the official DVSA booking service.
Source

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.