Sunderland driving test centre
River Bank Road, North Hylton Road Industrial Estate, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR5 3JJ
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 Sunderland 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.
Sunderland in numbers
51.1% of car tests at Sunderland end in a pass, 1.1 points above the national average of 50%. Within North-east England it ranks 6th of 12. It runs roughly 201 car tests a week, so there is a steady population of learners holding a slot here. The rate has moved noticeably too: up 4 points on the year before (47.1%).
Pass rate
Above average- Passed here
- 51.1%10,436 tests, Apr 2025 to Mar 2026
- National average
- 50%same period
- On last year
- +4.0points up (47.1% the year before)
Waiting time
Shorter than most- Median wait
- 9 weeks3.4 weeks shorter than the national median of 12.4
- Still free to book
- 21.2%of the next 24 weeks
- Already taken
- 3,677of 4,666 slots in that window
Centres you can swap with from Sunderland
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 Sunderland. Anywhere else is refused on the call.
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
Sunderland's own three nearest are Gateshead, Gosforth, Durham.
Same test type
Weekday with weekday; evening and weekend tests only with each other.
Getting to Sunderland, 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
River Bank Road
North Hylton Road Industrial Estate
Sunderland
Tyne and Wear
SR5 3JJ
- Car parking at the centre
- 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 Sunderland 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 Sunderland route videos
Swaps at Sunderland, 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 Sunderland 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.
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Show me, tell me
When is the "show me" question asked?
- Only if you make a mistake earlier
- While you are driving
- Before you set off, with the bonnet open
- At the end of the test, parked
Show the answer
While you are driving. The "tell me" question comes at the start. The "show me" question is asked while you are driving, so it also tests whether you can do it safely on the move.
-
Road signs
A direction sign with a green background points along which kind of road?
- A local road
- A tourist route
- A motorway
- A primary route
Show the answer
A primary route. Green backgrounds are primary routes, blue are motorways, white are other roads, and brown point to tourist attractions.
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Warning lights
A red warning light comes on while you are driving. What does red generally mean?
- Have it checked at your next service
- Nothing; red lights are only tested at start-up
- Something is switched on
- 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 Sunderland: questions
Can I swap a test at Sunderland 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 Sunderland the list is Gateshead, Gosforth, Durham. Anywhere else is refused on the call.
What is the pass rate at Sunderland?
51.1% of car tests at Sunderland ended in a pass between April 2025 and March 2026, from 10,436 tests. The national average over the same period was 50%, so Sunderland is 1.1 points above it, ranking 182nd of 314 centres in Great Britain. These are DVSA's own published figures and they describe the centre, not you.
Which nearby centre has a better pass rate than Sunderland?
Of the centres you can legally move a Sunderland test to, Durham has the highest pass rate at 53.2%, against 51.1% here. That is a difference in the centre, not a promise about your test, and a swap has to suit the other learner too.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Sunderland?
9 weeks. That is the median wait between booking and taking a test for people who sat one at Sunderland in September 2026, from DVSA's own monthly figures, so half of them waited longer. The national median that month was 12.4 weeks. 21.2% 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 Sunderland?
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 201 car tests a week at Sunderland, 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 Sunderland 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 Sunderland?
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 Sunderland 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.