Sheffield Middlewood Road driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Quick answers
- Where is it? 508 Middlewood Road, Sheffield, S6 1TQ. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 49% overall (manual 52%, automatic 43%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 4 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? Rotherham is the closest, 23 minutes away. Its pass rate is 53% and its typical wait about 1½ months. Sheffield Handsworth, 24 minutes away, has a shorter wait, about 1½ months, and a pass rate of 44%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 4 months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
The wait here has been longer than Britain's typical wait in six of the last eight years.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Sheffield Middlewood Road | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 3 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 4½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 3½ 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, Sheffield Handsworth has the shortest wait, about 1½ months, and Barnsley the highest pass rate, 59%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Rotherham 9 miles by road | 23 minutes | 53.1% | 54.9% | 48.8% | 1½ months |
| Sheffield (Handsworth) 8 miles by road | 24 minutes | 44.1% | 46.0% | 39.8% | 1½ months |
| Barnsley 13 miles by road | 25 minutes | 58.5% | 59.1% | 56.6% | 1½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Sheffield Middlewood Road's pass rate was 49%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been below Britain's pass rate for the last eight years. It wasn't always that way: when DVSA's figures began, in the 12 months to March 2008, it was 49%, above Britain's pass rate of 44%.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 43%, compared with 52%. That gap is about the same as at most centres. Its automatic pass rate is around the middle of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests. 36% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 51%, compared with 47%. That's a wider gap than across Great Britain, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 10,442 | 48.7% | 51.8% | 43.2% | 182nd of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 9,864 | 47.5% | 48.8% | 44.5% | 182nd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 10,612 | 42.7% | 44.7% | 38.4% | 231st of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 8,099 | 43.7% | 45.1% | 39.3% | 216th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 6,467 | 45.9% | 47.1% | 40.7% | 213th 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 Sheffield.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Sheffield Middlewood Road?
43% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Sheffield Middlewood Road?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Sheffield Handsworth, 24 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1½ months.
How busy is Sheffield Middlewood Road test centre?
It ran 10,442 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 61 of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Sheffield Middlewood Road 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 Rotherham, about 23 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.