# Best Driving Test Centre in Cardiff — Pass Rates & Wait Times

> Cardiff has one DVSA driving test centre, Cardiff (Llanishen) — 46.5% pass rate, 11.1 weeks wait. Compare it with the 5 centres nearby on official DVSA data.

Source: https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/guides/best-driving-test-centre-cardiff/

# Best driving test centre in Cardiff

The one DVSA centre in Cardiff and the 5 nearest alternatives, on the figures that decide your test date.

By Yigit Yilmaz · Last updated 14 September 2026

-   1
    
    Test centres
    
    in Cardiff
    
-   46.5%
    
    Average pass rate
    
    GB average 50.1%
    
-   11.1 weeks
    
    Average wait
    
    GB average 12.8 weeks
    
-   46.5%
    
    Best pass rate
    
    Cardiff (Llanishen)
    

Cardiff has a single test centre, at Llanishen in the north of the city, and it is one of the busiest in Wales. That makes the south Wales centres within half an hour genuinely worth comparing rather than a fallback.

## The Cardiff test centre

Car practical pass rates for April 2025 to March 2026, with waiting times to August 2026. Open it for the monthly trend, nearby alternatives and full history.

| Centre | Pass rate | Wait | Tests a year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Cardiff (Llanishen)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/cardiff-llanishen/) | 46.5% | 11.1 weeks | 16,401 |

A dash means DVSA published no figure for that centre — usually because its test volume is low enough that reporting one could identify candidates.

## Worth the drive from Cardiff

There is no catchment area for the practical test — you can book anywhere in Great Britain. These centres near Cardiff and south Wales currently beat everything inside it on pass rate or on wait:

| Centre | Pass rate | Wait |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Barry](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/barry/) | 57% | 10 weeks |
| [Llantrisant](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/llantrisant/) | 54% | 8.6 weeks |
| [Bridgend](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/bridgend/) | 53.3% | 5.7 weeks |
| [Merthyr Tydfil](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/merthyr-tydfil/) | 51.2% | 8.9 weeks |
| [Newport (Gwent)](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/newport-gwent/) | 48.9% | 6.2 weeks |

## How to choose between them

Three things should decide it, roughly in this order.

1.  **The wait.** If you need a licence for work or a course, three extra months is rarely worth a couple of percentage points of pass rate. Waits across Great Britain average 12.8 weeks, and DVSA only releases slots 24 weeks ahead, so a centre quoting close to that is full to the end of its window.
2.  **The pass rate.** Among centres with a workable wait, lean toward the higher rate. The gaps between centres are real and they persist year on year — they reflect the roads on the test routes far more than the examiners.
3.  **How well you know the roads.** This is the one you control. Each centre works a fixed set of routes around it, and driving those exact roads beforehand is the single most useful thing you can do. It is also why booking a distant centre for a shorter wait can backfire.

Most learners book the centre nearest home, which is a fair default. But if your local centre has a five-month wait and a below-average pass rate while one forty minutes away has neither, the arithmetic is not close. Compare the lot on [pass rates by centre](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/pass-rates/) and [waiting times by centre](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/waiting-times/), and read [how to get an earlier test date](https://ukdrivingtestcentres.co.uk/guides/how-to-get-an-earlier-driving-test/) before you commit to a booking.

## Frequently asked

### Which driving test centre in Cardiff has the highest pass rate?

Cardiff (Llanishen) has the highest car pass rate of the Cardiff centres at 46.5%, against a Great Britain average of 50.1%. That figure covers April 2025 to March 2026, the most recent full year DVSA has published.

### Which Cardiff test centre has the shortest waiting time?

Cardiff (Llanishen), at about 11.1 weeks as of August 2026. DVSA releases slots 24 weeks ahead, so any centre near that mark is effectively booked to the end of the window.

### How many driving test centres are there in Cardiff?

Cardiff has 1 DVSA car test centre, with 5 more within a reasonable drive. There is no catchment area for the practical test, so you can book at any of them — or anywhere else in Great Britain.

### Is it worth travelling outside Cardiff for a driving test?

Often, yes. Barry currently beats every Cardiff centre on pass rate. The trade-off is the routes: each centre tests on its own roads, so a centre you have never driven cancels out much of the advantage unless you practise there first.

### Where do these figures come from?

DVSA statistical tables DRT122A (pass rates by centre) and DRT122F (test availability and waiting times), published on GOV.UK under the Open Government Licence. Pass rates are for April 2025 to March 2026; waiting times are to August 2026. Nothing on this page is estimated.