Alnwick driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Alnwick's pass rate has been above Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Roxburgh House, Green Batt, Alnwick, NE66 1JX. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 56% overall (manual 62%, automatic 33%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? About average: it's around the middle of Britain's 276 bigger test centres.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Blyth, about a 41 minute drive away.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3 months, up from about 2½ months in the 12 months before. Waits here have been rising, so yours could be longer.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 2 months.
| Year | Alnwick | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 3 months | 2½ months |
2019 starts in May and 2026 runs to September.
See how waits have changed across Britain in our report on driving test waiting times.
Other test centres nearby
No other test centre is within half an hour's drive of Alnwick. The nearest is Blyth, about a 41 minute drive away. Its pass rate is 51% and its typical wait about 2½ months.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Blyth 30 miles by road | 41 minutes | 50.9% | 54.9% | 39.4% | 2½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Alnwick's pass rate was 56%, compared with 50% across Great Britain.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 33%, compared with 62%. That gap is wider than at most centres. Only four of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a lower automatic pass rate. 22% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Women had a higher pass rate than men here: 58%, compared with 54%. Across Great Britain it was the other way round: men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 1,282 | 55.5% | 61.8% | 32.6% | 71st of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 1,093 | 51.0% | 54.7% | 33.8% | 109th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 1,233 | 55.0% | 56.7% | 45.7% | 56th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 968 | 68.7% | 70.6% | 55.7% | 1st of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 756 | 65.1% | - | - | 8th of 280 |
Each year runs from April to March.
Compare every centre in our report on driving test pass rates.
Before your test
In the weeks before your test, ask your instructor to take you round the roads near the centre, and practise the faults learners make most often. If you're still looking for an instructor, see who teaches in Northumberland.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Alnwick?
33% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Alnwick?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Alnwick test centre?
It ran 1,282 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 55 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Alnwick to another centre?
Yes. You can move it to any centre with a free date, on gov.uk. Before you do, check your instructor can take you there, and bear in mind it's harder to pass on roads you don't know. The nearest other centre is Blyth, about a 41 minute drive away.
Figures from DVSA: pass rates for the 12 months to March 2026, waits for September 2026, published 14 October 2026. Driving times by road, from OpenRouteService. How we worked these out.