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Sale (Manchester) Driving Test Centre

36 - 38 Poplar Grove, Sale, Greater Manchester, M33 7ER

Median wait
15.4 wks
3.5 wks longer than the 11.9-wk national median
Month on month
↓ 14%
Waits are getting shorter at this centre
Slots still bookable
4.9%
Of the tests released in the booking window

Sale driving test centre is a DVSA practical test centre in the North West, on 36 - 38 Poplar Grove.

As of July 2026 the median wait here is 15.4 weeks, 3.5 weeks longer than the 11.9-week national median — which is why learners often look to swap a driving test in Sale rather than wait it out.

It sits in a tight cluster: West Didsbury (Manchester) is only 2.6 miles away, so all three of the centres you are allowed to move to are within reach.

Sale driving test waiting times, August 2025 to July 2026

Median weeks between booking and taking a driving test at Sale (Manchester). Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published monthly. Latest month: July 2026.

0 12 24 Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul
Median waiting time in weeks by month at Sale (Manchester)
MonthMedian waitStill bookable
July 2026 15.4 wks 4.9%
June 2026 17.9 wks 4.4%
May 2026 18.1 wks 4.5%
April 2026 20.9 wks 5.3%
March 2026 15 wks 5.4%
February 2026 14 wks 3.6%
January 2026 12.9 wks 4.9%
December 2025 8.3 wks 5.5%
November 2025 8.1 wks 3.6%
October 2025 19.3 wks 1.9%
September 2025 21.4 wks 6%
August 2025 20.4 wks 6.2%

The 3 centres you can move this test to

Since 9 June 2026, DVSA only lets you move a car test to one of your 3 nearest test centres, or the centre you first booked at. If you are booked at Sale (Manchester), these are those three — measured as straight-line distance from the centre itself.

Cheetham Hill (Manchester) is currently 5 weeks quicker than Sale (Manchester). Moving a test there is allowed under the location rule, and it is one of the changes a learner-to-learner swap can achieve.

How to swap a driving test in Sale

1
Both of you need a spare change. Learners get 2 changes per booking, and a swap uses one each.
2
At least 10 full working days' notice before the earlier of the two tests.
3
Same test type and price band. A weekday test (£62) can only swap with another weekday test; evening, weekend and bank holiday tests (£75) swap with each other.
4
The location rule must work for both of you — see the three centres above.
5
By phone only. One of you calls DVSA, they put you on hold and call the other learner, and you both confirm. It cannot be done online, by email or over WhatsApp.

Zwitch introduces the two learners and stops there — you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for anyone else to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf. Never give another learner your driving licence number or booking reference.

Getting to the centre

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Address
36 - 38 Poplar Grove, Sale, Greater Manchester, M33 7ER
Postcode
M33 7ER
Coordinates
53.41942, -2.32020
Region
North West, England
Parking
There are parking spaces available at this centre
Accessibility
You can get into the test centre in a wheelchair
Toilets
Male, female and disabled toilets are available

Where these numbers come from

  • Waiting times and availability — DVSA table DRT122F: car driving test availability by driving test centre, published monthly on the second Wednesday. Latest month in this dataset: July 2026. "Median wait" is DVSA's own measure of the middle waiting time between booking and taking a test.
  • Address, postcode, coordinates and facilities — the DVSA test centre list behind the GOV.UK find a driving test centre service.
  • Distances — great-circle distance calculated from the published coordinates. Straight-line, not driving distance.
  • Known limitation — the DVSA centre list lags the live GOV.UK finder, so a centre that has recently been renamed or split may appear here in its older form. Closed centres are excluded using DRT122F. Always confirm on GOV.UK before booking.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Zwitch is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Page data last updated 2026-08-18.