Hartlepool Driving Test Centre
Hartlepool in Hartlepool currently passes 49.7% of tests, 1 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The sections below cover the year-by-year trend, who passes most often, how long learners wait, and how it stacks up against neighbouring centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Hartlepool sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 45%, rank #180 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Northallerton, about 25.5 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 45.6K passed, 43.9K failed, 89.4K total
How Hartlepool compares
Hartlepool sits 1 point above the UK average, ranked 180 of 323 in its category: close enough that centre choice matters far less than preparation.
Where Hartlepool ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Hartlepool has given up 4.7 points since 2017-18 (54.4% then, 49.7% now); the low water mark was 48.2% in 2023-24.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Hartlepool
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 16.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Hartlepool in May 2026 had waited 11 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 Hartlepool
- 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 TS25 1TZ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Hartlepool is the one covering Hartlepool, Tees Valley and the surrounding TS24 7EQ area. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. The DVSA has logged 89.4K tests at this centre over 2017-18-2024-25. At that scale, the year-on-year shifts you see in the chart correspond to genuine changes in how the centre is performing, not statistical wobble.
If you've been told Hartlepool is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 49.7% is 1 points above the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #180 out of 323. Across 3.1K first-attempt tests, Hartlepool passes 51.2% of candidates, against 49% nationally. The centre is a relatively forgiving venue for a first booking, by the DVSA's own data.
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 Hartlepool
- Centre difficulty is roughly average at Hartlepool. The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
- 89.4K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page often.
- Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Hartlepool will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Hartlepool, cancellations appear on the official DVSA booking service throughout the day. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for the best chance of catching one.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Hartlepool
Arrive at Hartlepool with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode TS24 7EQ) maps the centre and its surroundings. With high demand and waits near 14 to 18 weeks, take any earlier slot the booking service offers rather than holding out. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Middlesbrough is fully booked, Hartlepool is the next closest centre, roughly 8 miles away.
Expect about 40 minutes once you set off, to the same national DVSA script. It opens with an eyesight check at 20 metres and one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive and asks one show-me question on the move. Around 20 minutes of that is independent driving, guided either by a sat nav the examiner provides or by road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and a one-in-seven chance of 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.
Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 49.7% of candidates at Hartlepool meet under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Hartlepool?
Is Hartlepool an easy or hard test centre?
How does Hartlepool compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Hartlepool record?
Which driving test centres are near Hartlepool?
When is the best time to book a test at Hartlepool?
How do I book a test at Hartlepool and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Hartlepool?
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.