Staffordshire · Midlands
Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) driving test centre
41.6% of car practical tests taken at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) passed in 2025-26, from 6,646 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
41.6%
2,768 passes
National average
50%
-8.4 points here
Tests conducted
6,646
about 554 a month
Best published year
45.4%
2021-22
6,646 car practical tests were taken at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) in 2025-26. 41.6% passed, 8.4 percentage points below the national average of 50%. It is up on 2019-20, when 38.8% passed.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 38.8% in 2019-20 and 45.4% in 2021-22, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. In 2025-26 the rate was 43.4% for male candidates and 40% for female candidates. That works out at roughly 554 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 6,646 | 2,768 | 41.6% | 50% | 43.4% | 40% |
| 2024-25 | 7,098 | 2,891 | 40.7% | 48.7% | 41.2% | 40.2% |
| 2023-24 | 6,999 | 2,957 | 42.2% | 47.9% | 43.5% | 40.9% |
| 2022-23 | 4,864 | 2,176 | 44.7% | 48.4% | 46.2% | 43.3% |
| 2021-22 | 6,320 | 2,870 | 45.4% | 48.9% | 46.7% | 43.9% |
| 2019-20 | 5,199 | 2,015 | 38.8% | 45.9% | 41.3% | 36.6% |
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.
Driving out of Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)
Instructors who teach out of Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) report the same road mix on most routes: shopping-street traffic, national-speed-limit link roads and hilly residential turns. Learners who have only driven quiet estate roads tend to find the pace higher than they expect.
Routes leave the built-up area quickly, so speed adjustment between limits is heavily assessed. Sat-nav sections usually run on the wider through-routes rather than the back streets. If your lessons have been in a different part of Staffordshire, plan at least a couple of sessions on these roads before the test.
Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) covers learners in and around Stoke-on-Trent, and it is where most of our Stoke-on-Trent course students sit the test. If you are choosing between centres, practise the road types listed above rather than picking on pass-rate figures alone.
The aim is simple: nothing on the drive should be new on the day.
Roads you are likely to meet
Shopping-street traffic
National-speed-limit link roads
Hilly residential turns
- Routes leave the built-up area quickly, so speed adjustment between limits is heavily assessed.
- Sat-nav sections usually run on the wider through-routes rather than the back streets.
- If your lessons have been in a different part of Staffordshire, plan at least a couple of sessions on these roads before the test.
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 Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)
Moving off uphill
Stopping on a hill is the easy half. The marked half is moving away again without rolling back into the car behind.
Meeting traffic and clearance
Whose priority it is, how much room you leave for parked cars, and whether you wait in a safe place — all marked closely on these streets.
How we prepare you for this centre
Time on the real roads
We plan the final sessions around Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) itself, so the shopping-street traffic you meet on test day are ones you have already driven.
A full mock test
A full-length mock from the Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) area, scored on the DVSA sheet so you see exactly where the marks went.
Manoeuvres in real locations
All four test manoeuvres, practised in the kind of streets examiners around Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) actually use.
The paperwork and the routine
We walk the whole sequence — arrival, documents, eyesight check, independent drive — so nothing on the day is new.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) draw on shopping-street traffic, national-speed-limit link roads, hilly residential turns, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)?
moving off uphill, meeting traffic and clearance — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)?
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 Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) or a nearby centre serving Stoke-on-Trent.
How do I book a practical test at Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)?
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 happens when I get to Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme)?
Arrive with your provisional licence and a car that is legal, insured for the test and has no warning lights showing. We handle that side if you use one of our instructors' cars.
Is Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) an easy test centre?
Pass rates are published by the DVSA, but they say more about the mix of candidates than the difficulty of the routes. Practising the road types above will move your odds more than switching centres.
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.