Sunderland LGV Driving Test Centre
The Sunderland LGV driving test centre is located in Sunderland, 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
1.3K passed, 409 failed, 1.7K total
How Sunderland LGV compares
Sunderland LGV performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Sunderland LGV ranks among 152 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 Sunderland LGV have been gradually shortening as DVSA recovers post-pandemic capacity. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Sunderland LGV typically wait around 6 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 Sunderland LGV
- HGV/LGV
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 DG1 3PQ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Sunderland LGV: a DVSA hgv/lgv test centre in Sunderland, North East. Local routes, local traffic patterns, no national standard for what "harder" or "easier" looks like beyond what the numbers below show. 1.7K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. Sunderland LGV runs at a slower cadence than the major metro centres, which means the data on this page rewards looking at the long-run trend rather than any single quarter.
The top quarter of the UK by pass rate: Sunderland LGV ranks #18 of 152 hgv/lgv centres at 76.6%, 27.9 points clear of the national figure of 48.7%. For Sunderland LGV the DVSA suppresses first-attempt figures in DRT122C. Smaller centres get rolled up; this is one of them. The overall pass rate above is the only published 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 Sunderland LGV
- Sunderland LGV passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Sunderland LGV 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 Sunderland LGV
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Sunderland LGV, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder shows the exact location. Modelled waits here sit around 6 weeks at low demand, which tends to mean less competition for a date that suits you. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner.
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 covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. 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 Sunderland LGV. 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 76.6% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Sunderland LGV?
Is Sunderland LGV an easy or hard test centre?
How does Sunderland LGV compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Sunderland LGV each year?
Which driving test centres are near Sunderland LGV?
When is the best time to book a test at Sunderland LGV?
How do I book a test at Sunderland LGV and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Sunderland LGV?
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.