Hartlepool driving test centre
Unit 20, Newburn Bridge Industrial Estate, Mainsforth Terrace, Hartlepool, County Durham, TS25 1TZ
A swap only works when one of you moves forward and the other moves back, so the date somebody cannot use is worth as much as the date somebody wants. DVSA will exchange the two bookings over the phone, free. What they will not do is put the two of you in touch, and that is the part this page is for. Not ready for your Hartlepool date? How to postpone it without losing the fee.
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Tell us where your test is booked and which way you want to move it. When a learner who could swap with you joins, we email you. Your email is never shown to anyone.
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No test booked yet? There is nothing to swap until you have one. Book on GOV.UK, then come back.
Hartlepool in numbers
51% of car tests at Hartlepool end in a pass, 1 points above the national average of 50%. Within North-east England it ranks 7th of 12. It runs roughly 112 car tests a week, so there is a steady population of learners holding a slot here.
Pass rate
Above average- Passed here
- 51%5,847 tests, Apr 2025 to Mar 2026
- National average
- 50%same period
- On last year
- +1.3points up (49.7% the year before)
Waiting time
Longer than most- Median wait
- 15.1 weeks2.7 weeks longer than the national median of 12.4
- Still free to book
- 12.5%of the next 24 weeks
- Already taken
- 2,060of 2,353 slots in that window
Centres you can swap with from Hartlepool
GOV.UK allows a swap with a learner booked at the same centre as you, at one of your three nearest, or at a centre you first booked at. Three nearest is measured by driving distance avoiding motorways, and DVSA publishes the list. A swap moves both learners, so the condition has to hold from each side, and the centres below are the ones that work in both directions from Hartlepool. Anywhere else is refused on the call.
| Centre | Distance | Wait, weeks | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesbrough | about 15 miles | 15.9 | 47.7% -3.3 |
| Darlington | about 20 miles | 7.6 | 47.1% -3.9 |
The four rules, applied here
You both need a change left
Two changes per car test, and a swap spends one of them. How changing a test works.
10 working days' notice
To whichever of the two tests is first. Monday to Saturday count; Sundays and public holidays do not.
Centres near each other
Hartlepool's own three nearest are Middlesbrough, Darlington, Durham.
Same test type
Weekday with weekday; evening and weekend tests only with each other.
Getting to Hartlepool, and what to take
Straight from DVSA's own list of test centres. Worth reading the week before rather than the morning of.
Where it is
Unit 20, Newburn Bridge Industrial Estate
Mainsforth Terrace
Hartlepool
County Durham
TS25 1TZ
- No parking listed at the centre, so plan where to leave the car
- Toilets
- Step-free access
What to take
- Your UK driving licence. No photocard means a valid passport and your paper licence.
- Your theory test pass certificate if you have it. If it is lost the examiner can look the pass up.
- A car. Most people use their instructor's.
Driving around Hartlepool before test day
Nobody can give you the examiner's route. DVSA stopped publishing routes in 2010, and four tests in five are led by a sat nav the examiner sets up, so there is no sequence to learn. The roads are a different matter: which roundabout, which multi-lane junction, where the limit changes. Instructors film those, and watching them is the cheapest practice available.
Find Hartlepool route videos
Swaps at Hartlepool, month by month
Most people know the month they need rather than the date. Each of these says how much of that month can still be swapped into under the ten working day rule, and which centres a Hartlepool booking can move to. DVSA releases slots in a rolling 24-week window, so these are the months anybody can be holding a test in.
Three quick questions
One each on the car safety questions, road signs and warning lights: the parts of the test you can learn off the page. Have a guess, then open the answer.
-
Show me, tell me
Show me: which of these is a "show me" question you could be asked while driving?
- Show me how you would adjust the head restraint
- Show me how you would check the tread depth
- Show me how you would check the oil level
- Show me how you would set the rear demister
Show the answer
Show me how you would set the rear demister. The "show me" questions are things done from the driving seat on the move: washing the screens, dipped headlights, rear demister, the horn, demisting the front screen, opening a window.
-
Road signs
What shape are most warning signs?
- A triangle
- A circle
- An octagon
- A rectangle
Show the answer
A triangle. Warning signs are mostly red-bordered triangles, point up.
-
Warning lights
A red warning light comes on while you are driving. What does red generally mean?
- Something is switched on
- Have it checked at your next service
- Nothing; red lights are only tested at start-up
- Stop as soon as it is safe and find out why
Show the answer
Stop as soon as it is safe and find out why. Red means a problem that should not be driven on: oil pressure, brakes, overheating, charging. Stop when safe and find out why.
Swapping at Hartlepool: questions
Can I swap a test at Hartlepool for one at another centre?
Only if it is the same centre, one of your three nearest, or a centre you first booked at. A swap moves both learners, so it has to work from each side. From Hartlepool the list is Middlesbrough, Darlington. Anywhere else is refused on the call.
What is the pass rate at Hartlepool?
51% of car tests at Hartlepool ended in a pass between April 2025 and March 2026, from 5,847 tests. The national average over the same period was 50%, so Hartlepool is 1 points above it, ranking 186th of 314 centres in Great Britain. These are DVSA's own published figures and they describe the centre, not you.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Hartlepool?
15.1 weeks. That is the median wait between booking and taking a test for people who sat one at Hartlepool in September 2026, from DVSA's own monthly figures, so half of them waited longer. The national median that month was 12.4 weeks. 12.5% of the slots in DVSA's 24-week booking window here were still free to book. A swap sidesteps that queue entirely, because you are moving into a date another learner has already booked.
How long does it take to find a swap at Hartlepool?
That depends on how many learners hold a slot here and whether any of them want the opposite of what you want. DVSA runs about 112 car tests a week at Hartlepool, so the pool holding a slot is reasonable. Join the list at the top of this page and we email you when a learner who could swap with you joins. A three-way chain often resolves faster than waiting for a perfect pair.
Does swapping at Hartlepool cost anything?
No. You exchange slots rather than rebooking, so you keep your original booking reference and payment. Matching here is free, and DVSA does the swap on the phone at no charge.
How much notice do I need?
At least 10 full working days before whichever of the two tests comes first. Monday to Saturday count as working days; Sundays and public holidays do not, so the real deadline falls earlier than the calendar suggests.
Can my instructor arrange it for me?
No. Since 12 May 2026 only the candidate can book or manage their own test, and that applies to instructors too. Yours can sit next to you while you make the call.
Is this the same as a cancellation app for Hartlepool?
No. A cancellation app scans the booking service for unclaimed appointments, and since 12 May 2026 learners are not allowed to use services that do that. A swap works the other way round: the date you want is already booked by another learner, the two of you agree to exchange, and you make the call yourself.
Your Hartlepool date is somebody's dream date
Somewhere there is a learner holding the slot you want, who would rather have yours. Join the list and we email you when a learner who could swap with you joins. Free, no card, nothing to pay when it works.