Middlesbrough driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Middlesbrough's pass rate has been below Britain's pass rate for the last two years, after mostly being above it before then.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Maxwell Road, Middlesbrough, TS3 8TE. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 48% overall (manual 49%, automatic 44%), 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? Darlington is the closest, 26 minutes away. Its pass rate is 47% and its typical wait about 1½ months.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3½ months, down from about 4 months in the 12 months before. Waits here have been falling, so yours could be shorter.
The wait here has been longer than Britain's typical wait in seven of the last eight years.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 2 months.
| Year | Middlesbrough | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 3½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 4 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
There are three other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Darlington has the shortest wait, about 1½ months, and Northallerton the highest pass rate, 60%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Darlington 17 miles by road | 26 minutes | 47.1% | 49.9% | 40.5% | 1½ months |
| Hartlepool 15 miles by road | 27 minutes | 51.0% | 52.6% | 45.3% | 3½ months |
| Northallerton 24 miles by road | 30 minutes | 60.4% | 62.1% | 51.0% | 3½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Middlesbrough's pass rate was 48%, compared with 50% across Great Britain.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 44%, compared with 49%. That gap is narrower than at most centres. Its automatic pass rate is around the middle of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests. 18% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 48%, compared with 47%. That's a similar gap to Great Britain's, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 8,854 | 47.7% | 48.5% | 43.6% | 197th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 8,952 | 48.3% | 48.2% | 48.6% | 166th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 8,865 | 51.0% | 50.8% | 54.1% | 105th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 10,130 | 49.7% | 49.6% | 51.6% | 132nd of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 8,346 | 52.6% | 52.9% | 48.4% | 109th 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 Middlesbrough.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Middlesbrough?
44% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Middlesbrough?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Darlington, 26 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1½ months.
How busy is Middlesbrough test centre?
It ran 8,854 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. That's around the middle for Britain's test centres.
Can I move my test from Middlesbrough 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 closest other centre is Darlington, about 26 minutes away by road.
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.