Gateshead Driving Test Centre
The Gateshead driving test centre is located in Gateshead, England. Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
28.7K passed, 39.0K failed, 67.7K total
How Gateshead compares
Gateshead has a markedly lower pass rate than the UK average. This is typical of busy urban centres with complex routes, be prepared for multi-lane roundabouts, traffic and tight manoeuvring.
Where Gateshead ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Gateshead have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Gateshead typically wait around 16 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Gateshead
- car
- motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- 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 NE11 9HU, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Gateshead is one of the DVSA's car test sites in England, located in Gateshead, North East. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 67.7K tests over 2017-18-2024-25 is large enough that any rounding you see between sites is just rounding, not disagreement on the underlying data.
Gateshead is not where the easier car tests happen. The 37.4% pass rate sits 11.3 points below the UK average of 48.7%, putting the centre #319 of 323 nationally. Gateshead is one of the tougher venues for a first attempt. The DVSA reports 37.5% first-time pass against a UK average of 49%, 11.5 points down on the national figure.
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 Gateshead
- Gateshead runs a tougher-than-average pass rate. If you've trained somewhere quieter, take at least 2-3 lessons on the actual Gateshead test routes before your date. The difficulty is in the routes, not the marking sheet.
- 37.5% first-time pass at Gateshead means roughly six in ten first-timers fail and rebook. Plan for that possibility: keep your insurance going, don't return the L-plates after the test.
- Gateshead is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA cancellation feed daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Gateshead routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Gateshead, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Gateshead
Turn up at Gateshead ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder. Demand is high and waits are near 16 weeks, so an early booking plus a cancellation watch is the sensible approach. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror.
The test runs for around 40 minutes and follows the same DVSA format used at every centre. The examiner checks your eyesight at 20 metres, asks one show-me and one tell-me question, then sits in for the drive. About 20 minutes of it is independent driving, either following a sat nav the examiner sets up or following road signs to a named place. You will do one of four set manoeuvres, and roughly one in three candidates is asked to perform 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Gateshead. 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 37.4% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Gateshead?
Is Gateshead an easy or hard test centre?
How does Gateshead compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Gateshead each year?
Which driving test centres are near Gateshead?
When is the best time to book a test at Gateshead?
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How long is the wait for a driving test at Gateshead?
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.