Northumberland · Yorkshire & the North East
Blyth driving test centre
50.9% of car practical tests taken at Blyth passed in 2025-26, from 6,973 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Blyth pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
50.9%
3,551 passes
National average
50%
+0.9 points here
Tests conducted
6,973
about 581 a month
Best published year
60.7%
2021-22
6,973 car practical tests were taken at Blyth in 2025-26 and 50.9% of them passed. The national average that year was 50%, so this centre sits in line with the rest of Great Britain. That is down from 55.7% in 2019-20.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 47.2% in 2024-25 and 60.7% in 2021-22, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. In 2025-26 the rate was 49.7% for male candidates and 52.4% for female candidates. That works out at roughly 581 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Blyth depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Blyth
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 6,973 | 3,551 | 50.9% | 50% | 49.7% | 52.4% |
| 2024-25 | 6,493 | 3,066 | 47.2% | 48.7% | 45.3% | 49.7% |
| 2023-24 | 7,781 | 3,741 | 48.1% | 47.9% | 46.1% | 50.6% |
| 2022-23 | 8,507 | 4,799 | 56.4% | 48.4% | 56.4% | 56.4% |
| 2021-22 | 4,551 | 2,764 | 60.7% | 48.9% | 61.1% | 60.4% |
| 2019-20 | 5,455 | 3,040 | 55.7% | 45.9% | 57.9% | 53.7% |
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, car practical driving test pass rates by test centre, published on GOV.UK. Figures are financial years running April to March.
Where Blyth test centre is
Arrive ten minutes early and park where you can pull out easily. The waiting room is small at most centres, so your instructor will normally wait in the car park while you take the test.
Driving out of Blyth
The local network around Blyth is fast rural a-road, slow-moving agricultural traffic and village high street, and test routes are built from it. You cannot cover that range on one street, so the pre-test sessions move between them.
Sharp, poorly signed junctions mean planning has to start well before the give-way line. Blind bends and hidden entrances mean the drive is about reading the road ahead. Most candidates here travel in from around Northumberland, so allow for the journey when you pick a slot.
Blyth takes candidates from across Northumberland, so plenty arrive having learned on a different road mix. That usually shows in the first five minutes of the drive.
Most learners who retake at Blyth say the driving was fine and the pressure was not.
Roads you are likely to meet
Fast rural A-road
Slow-moving agricultural traffic
Village high street
- Sharp, poorly signed junctions mean planning has to start well before the give-way line.
- Blind bends and hidden entrances mean the drive is about reading the road ahead.
- Most candidates here travel in from around Northumberland, so allow for the journey when you pick a slot.
Test routes are no longer published by the DVSA, and examiners vary them. Treat this as a guide to the local road types rather than a route list. Book your test and check availability on GOV.UK.
Where marks are lost at Blyth
Bends, crests and sightlines
Drive to what you can see stopping in. Cresting a rise at 60 with no forward view reads as a lack of planning, not confidence.
Busy-centre awareness
Progress matters here too. Sitting at a clear crossing waiting for nobody is marked as undue hesitancy.
How we prepare you for this centre
Local route practice
The last hours of your course are spent on fast rural a-road and slow-moving agricultural traffic near the centre, because that is what the examiner will put you on.
One rehearsal, examiner-style
Marked the way an examiner marks it, on a Blyth route, with a written debrief of every fault.
All four manoeuvres
Every manoeuvre practised with traffic present, because that is the version that appears on the day.
Test-day rehearsal
Licence and theory certificate checked, show me / tell me covered, and the sat-nav section practised before the day.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Blyth test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Blyth?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Blyth draw on fast rural a-road, slow-moving agricultural traffic, village high street, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Blyth?
bends, crests and sightlines, busy-centre awareness — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Blyth?
Yes. We match you with a DVSA approved instructor who teaches on these roads day to day, and we look for the earliest practical slot at Blyth.
How do I book a practical test at Blyth?
Practical tests are booked through GOV.UK with your provisional licence and theory certificate numbers. We can check cancellations for you once your course dates are set.
What do I need to bring to Blyth?
Aim to be there ten minutes before your slot with your provisional licence. Your instructor will normally use the half hour beforehand for a warm-up drive on nearby roads rather than sitting in the car park.
Does Blyth have a good pass rate?
Travelling for a higher published pass rate usually backfires: you arrive tired, on roads you have never driven. Preparing properly for Blyth is the better use of the same hours.
Not sure how many hours you need?
Answer four quick questions and we will recommend a course based on your experience, not a sales target.