Sale (Manchester) Driving Test Centre
The Sale (Manchester) driving test centre is located in Poplar Grove, England (M33 3AX). 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, 46.5K failed, 92.0K total
How Sale (Manchester) compares
Sale (Manchester) sits very close to the UK average, within 1 percentage point.
Where Sale (Manchester) 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 Sale (Manchester) have been lengthening as demand outpaces examiner capacity. Booking requires patience: learners booking at Sale (Manchester) typically wait around 19 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 Sale (Manchester)
- 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 M33 7ER, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Sale (Manchester) sits in Poplar Grove, Greater Manchester, just inside the M33 3AX postcode. It's a DVSA-run car test centre, and the routes from here work outward into the streets and arterial roads that learners from Poplar Grove tend to know already. By volume, Sale (Manchester) is at the upper end of the DVSA's network. With 92.0K tests across 2017-18-2024-25, the figures on this page are about as statistically settled as DVSA data gets.
49.1% at Sale (Manchester), against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre within a point of the national figure and ranks it #197 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. The first-time pass figure here is 48.5%, which lines up almost exactly with the UK average of 49%. If you're a first-timer, the centre is neither lucky nor unlucky ground, it's average.
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 Sale (Manchester)
- Sale (Manchester) 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.
- 92.0K 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Sale (Manchester) routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- 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 Sale (Manchester)
Arrive at Sale (Manchester) 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 M33 3AX) maps the centre and its surroundings. With high demand and waits near 19 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 West Didsbury (Manchester) is fully booked, Sale (Manchester) is the next closest centre, roughly 3 miles away.
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 Sale (Manchester). 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 49.1% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Sale (Manchester)?
Is Sale (Manchester) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Sale (Manchester) compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Sale (Manchester) each year?
Which driving test centres are near Sale (Manchester)?
When is the best time to book a test at Sale (Manchester)?
How do I book a test at Sale (Manchester) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Sale (Manchester)?
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.