Hartlepool Driving Test Centre
The Hartlepool driving test centre is located in Hartlepool, England (TS24 7EQ). 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
45.6K passed, 43.9K failed, 89.4K total
How Hartlepool compares
Hartlepool sits close to the UK average pass rate.
Where Hartlepool 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 Hartlepool have been gradually shortening as DVSA recovers post-pandemic capacity. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Hartlepool typically wait around 14 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 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, set up a cancellation alert and check often.
- Practising the test routes is the single thing that most reliably moves a candidate's pass odds. Most ADI instructors in Hartlepool will have a working knowledge of which routes Hartlepool uses.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Hartlepool, 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 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 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 show-me plus one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive. 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-three 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 recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre 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 tests are taken at Hartlepool each year?
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.