Key points
- 22 test centres in South West conducted car practical tests in 2025-26.
- Regions are as DVSA assigns them in its waiting-time table (DRT122F).
- A centre's pass rate reflects who tests there as well as its roads — it doesn't tell you how easy or hard the test is.
The 12-month pass rate is a PassNav calculation: we add up DVSA's published monthly tests and passes for South West (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026). The centre table below uses DVSA's yearly figures for 2025-26, so the two can differ.
Test centres in South West
| Test centre | Tests 2025-26 | Pass rate 2025-26 | Median wait Sep 2026 (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barnstaple | 5,562 | 51.4% | 7.4 |
| Bodmin | 6,392 | 47.5% | 5.4 |
| Bristol (Avonmouth) | 9,400 | 55.5% | 12.1 |
| Bristol (Kingswood) | 14,863 | 51.9% | 5.9 |
| Camborne | 6,271 | 40.6% | 4.4 |
| Cheltenham | 5,161 | 43.2% | 17.0 |
| Chippenham | 9,629 | 56.4% | 11.7 |
| Dorchester | 4,353 | 69.0% | 10.6 |
| Exeter | 8,679 | 46.8% | 6.4 |
| Gloucester | 7,420 | 47.8% | 16.2 |
| Isles of Scilly | 8 | 75.0% | 15.9 |
| Launceston | 3,991 | 46.3% | 6.4 |
| Newton Abbot | 6,591 | 53.8% | 16.0 |
| Penzance | 507 | 46.5% | 10.7 |
| Plymouth | 11,167 | 40.7% | 7.1 |
| Poole | 10,375 | 53.4% | 8.8 |
| Salisbury | 6,630 | 48.5% | 6.1 |
| Swindon | 12,857 | 51.1% | 12.1 |
| Taunton | 8,259 | 59.5% | 12.6 |
| Trowbridge | 3,074 | 55.2% | 5.6 |
| Weston-super-Mare | 4,443 | 61.0% | 4.0 |
| Yeovil | 7,493 | 63.4% | 13.1 |
Fewer than 200 tests in a year means a rate can swing a lot on small numbers. Waiting times are published monthly statistics, not live availability.
Video
Waiting times over the last two years
Show the data as a table
| Month | South West | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2026 | 8.4 weeks | 11.6 weeks |
| Aug 2026 | 8.3 weeks | 11.1 weeks |
| Jul 2026 | 8.1 weeks | 11.1 weeks |
| Jun 2026 | 7.0 weeks | 10.7 weeks |
| May 2026 | 7.1 weeks | 9.7 weeks |
| Apr 2026 | 7.1 weeks | 9.1 weeks |
| Mar 2026 | 7.1 weeks | 9.0 weeks |
| Feb 2026 | 9.0 weeks | 10.4 weeks |
| Jan 2026 | 9.9 weeks | 10.1 weeks |
| Dec 2025 | 10.1 weeks | 10.1 weeks |
| Nov 2025 | 10.4 weeks | 10.4 weeks |
| Oct 2025 | 10.6 weeks | 11.6 weeks |
| Sep 2025 | 12.0 weeks | 12.4 weeks |
| Aug 2025 | 11.1 weeks | 11.7 weeks |
| Jul 2025 | 11.7 weeks | 12.0 weeks |
| Jun 2025 | 11.1 weeks | 11.0 weeks |
| May 2025 | 11.7 weeks | 11.3 weeks |
| Apr 2025 | 10.9 weeks | 10.6 weeks |
| Mar 2025 | 10.6 weeks | 10.4 weeks |
| Feb 2025 | 11.3 weeks | 11.4 weeks |
| Jan 2025 | 10.6 weeks | 11.0 weeks |
| Dec 2024 | 10.7 weeks | 10.4 weeks |
| Nov 2024 | 10.4 weeks | 9.9 weeks |
| Oct 2024 | 10.7 weeks | 9.7 weeks |
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See plansSources
- Car driving test pass rates by gender and month: test centres (DRT122A)
- Car driving tests conducted, passed and pass rates by financial quarter and financial year: Great Britain (DRT121A)
- Car driving test waiting times and availability by driving test centre, January 2019 to date: Great Britain (DRT122F)
- Car driving test waiting times and availability by country and region, January 2019 to date: Great Britain (DRT121G)
Last checked against the cited sources on 14 October 2026. PassNav is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA, DVLA or TomTom. Our guides are prepared with AI assistance and checked against the official sources cited on each page. Rules and fees change — for current legal requirements and booking rules, always check GOV.UK. This is general guidance and does not replace professional driving instruction. Figures are published historical statistics, not live test availability, and a centre's pass rate is not a measure of how easy or hard its test is. Spotted something out of date? Email passnav@smartaisolution.co.uk — see our editorial policy.