Test Centre Stats

Wales · DVSA car test centre

Cardiff (Llanishen) driving test centre

Cardiff (Llanishen), Cardiff Business Park, Cardiff, CF14 5GF · wheelchair accessible

Tests here: car, ADI part 2, ADI part 3.

Waiting times to September 2026 and pass rates for 2025–26, from DVSA statistics published .

Median wait, September 2026

7.7 weeks

−1.6 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

46.5%

−3.5 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

79 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 13th of 21 Wales

Weeks to 10% of slots free

13 weeks

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Cardiff (Llanishen) in September 2026 had booked it a median of 7.7 weeks earlier: 3.9 weeks shorter than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and about the same as the Wales figure (7.4 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 9.3 weeks, so the wait has shortened by 1.6 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 5.6 weeks to 11.1 weeks.

On the last Monday of September 2026 it would have taken about 13 weeks to reach a week with at least 10% of its test slots free (Great Britain: 19.7 weeks). Across the whole 24-week window, 34.1% of standard slots were still unbooked (Great Britain: 13.3%).

Waiting time over the last two years

Median weeks between booking a test and taking it, for tests taken each month.

  • Cardiff (Llanishen)
  • Wales
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Cardiff (Llanishen), October 2024 to September 2026Cardiff (Llanishen): 7.7 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.051015Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 267.7Weeks051015Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 267.7Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Cardiff (Llanishen), October 2024 to September 2026
MonthCardiff (Llanishen)WalesGreat Britain
September 20267.77.411.6
August 202611.17.311.1
July 202611.17.611.1
June 202610.77.710.7
May 20269.47.49.7
April 20269.07.69.1
March 20265.66.19.0
February 20265.67.710.4
January 20266.98.010.1
December 20257.07.610.1
November 20256.78.410.4
October 20259.08.611.6
September 20259.39.312.4
August 202511.910.111.7
July 202512.410.912.0
June 202511.19.311.0
May 20259.79.611.3
April 20256.39.010.6
March 20256.37.910.4
February 20256.38.711.4
January 20256.98.111.0
December 20247.38.610.4
November 20247.08.69.9
October 20249.48.79.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Cardiff (Llanishen) in September 2026, 48.0% had been booked within 7 weeks and 9.5% more than 21 weeks before.

  • Within 7 weeks
  • 7 to 14 weeks
  • 14 to 21 weeks
  • Over 21 weeks
Cardiff (Llanishen)
Wales
Great Britain

At Cardiff (Llanishen), 48.0% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 9.5% more than 21 weeks ahead.

Show these figures as a table
How far ahead tests taken in September 2026 were booked
Within 7 weeks7 to 14 weeks14 to 21 weeksOver 21 weeks
Cardiff (Llanishen)48.0%18.4%24.1%9.5%
Wales47.9%28.2%13.7%10.3%
Great Britain41.1%14.2%15.2%29.5%

If your test is booked here

Since 9 June 2026 a car test can only be moved to one of the three centres DVSA lists as nearest by road (or back to the centre where you first booked), and you get two changes in total. For a test booked at Cardiff (Llanishen), those three are below. Of the three, Llantrisant (6.4 weeks) and Newport (Gwent) (6.7 weeks) had median waits at least a week shorter than Cardiff (Llanishen) in September 2026.

Centres a test booked at Cardiff (Llanishen) can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs Cardiff (Llanishen)Pass rate 2025–26
Barryabout 13 miles by roadabout 13 mi9.1 weeks+1.4 wk57.0%
Llantrisantabout 14 miles by roadabout 14 mi6.4 weeks−1.3 wk54.0%
Newport (Gwent)about 15 miles by roadabout 15 mi6.7 weeks−1.0 wk48.9%

From DVSA's list of centres you can move your test to, which it says may change. The change service shows your actual options.

Pass rates

In 2025–26 (April 2025 to March 2026), 16,401 car tests were taken here and 46.5% passed, 3.5 points below the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 51.3%, so the rate fell by 4.8 points. First attempts did better: 48.4% of 7,552 first-time candidates passed, and 3.0% did it with no faults at all.

  • Cardiff (Llanishen)
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    46.5%3.5 points below Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    48.4%2.1 points below Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    3.0%about the same as Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    48.1%2.7 points below Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    44.7%4.4 points below Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    62.4%1.2 points below Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars28% of tests here were in automatics
    39.2%5.4 points below Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Cardiff (Llanishen) compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasureCardiff (Llanishen)Great Britain
All tests46.5%50.0%
First attempts48.4%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults3.0%2.9%
Men48.1%50.8%
Women44.7%49.1%
17-year-olds62.4%63.6%
Automatic cars39.2%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Cardiff (Llanishen)
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Cardiff (Llanishen) by financial yearPass rate at Cardiff (Llanishen) in 2025–26: 46.5%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Cardiff (Llanishen), 2019–20: 52.3%52Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Cardiff (Llanishen), 2020–21: 57.2%57Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Cardiff (Llanishen), 2021–22: 57.0%57Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Cardiff (Llanishen), 2022–23: 57.7%58Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Cardiff (Llanishen), 2023–24: 50.4%50Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Cardiff (Llanishen), 2024–25: 51.3%51Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Cardiff (Llanishen), 2025–26: 46.5%47Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Cardiff (Llanishen), 2019–20: 52.3%52Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Cardiff (Llanishen), 2020–21: 57.2%57Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Cardiff (Llanishen), 2021–22: 57.0%57Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Cardiff (Llanishen), 2022–23: 57.7%58Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Cardiff (Llanishen), 2023–24: 50.4%50Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Cardiff (Llanishen), 2024–25: 51.3%51Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Cardiff (Llanishen), 2025–26: 46.5%47Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Cardiff (Llanishen) by financial year
YearCardiff (Llanishen)Great Britain
2019–2052.3%45.9%
2020–2157.2%49.8%
2021–2257.0%48.9%
2022–2357.7%48.4%
2023–2450.4%47.9%
2024–2551.3%48.7%
2025–2646.5%50.0%

Years run April to March; ’20 is 2020–21.

By age, 17 to 25 (2025–26)

Candidates aged 17 did best here, at 62.4%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.

  • Age 1762.4% of 2,394
  • Age 1852.8% of 1,376
  • Age 1949.8% of 995
  • Age 2050.4% of 752
  • Age 2150.5% of 663
  • Age 2252.7% of 662
  • Age 2353.7% of 624
  • Age 2450.6% of 599

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 1,012 tests at Cardiff (Llanishen), about 61.7 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was examiner illness (718). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Examiner illness718
  • Examiner leave293
  • Weather and other acts of nature1

The nearest theory test centre

The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Cardiff (Ground Floor, 1 Caspian Point, Caspian Way, Pierhead Street, CF10 4DQ), 4.1 mi away. In 2025–26, 44.9% of its 31,891 car theory tests were passes, close to the Great Britain rate (44.8%). You can sit the theory test at any centre.

Nearby centres

The nearest centre with a shorter wait is Llantrisant, 7.5 mi away, at 6.4 weeks. Within the same list, Llantrisant (7.5 mi) had a pass rate of 54.0%. You can book a new test at any centre in Great Britain, but once it's booked a car test can only be moved to the three centres DVSA names for that centre. Distances here are straight-line.

Centres near Cardiff (Llanishen), with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
LlantrisantShorter waitHigher pass rate7.5 mi6.4 weeks54.0%
BarryHigher pass rate9.3 mi9.1 weeks57.0%
Newport (Gwent)Shorter waitHigher pass rate9.9 mi6.7 weeks48.9%
Merthyr TydfilHigher pass rate15 mi8.9 weeks51.2%
Weston-super-MareShorter waitHigher pass rate16 mi4 weeks61.0%
BridgendHigher pass rate17 mi7.3 weeks53.3%
AbergavennyShorter waitHigher pass rate22 mi3.9 weeks64.2%
Bristol (Avonmouth)Higher pass rate22 mi12.1 weeks55.5%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Llantrisant: 6.4 weeksBarry: 9.1 weeksNewport (Gwent): 6.7 weeksMerthyr Tydfil: 8.9 weeksWeston-super-Mare: 4 weeksBridgend: 7.3 weeksAbergavenny: 3.9 weeksBristol (Avonmouth): 12.1 weeksCardiff (Llanishen)Cardiff (Llanishen)

Reading these figures

  • The waiting time is a median for tests taken that month: half of candidates booked closer to their test date, half further ahead. It is not the earliest date you could book today, which can be sooner when tests are cancelled or extra ones are added.
  • DVSA marks figures from April 2025 onwards as provisional; they can be revised at the quarterly update.
  • Pass rates are published once a year; the latest cover April 2025 to March 2026. Waiting times are monthly, to September 2026.
  • The figures cover DVSA car tests only, not tests run by delegated examiners (such as some fleet and emergency service tests).

To book or move a test, use the official services: book your driving test or change your driving test on GOV.UK. DVSA explains when new tests are released. We have no link with DVSA and no access to its booking system.

Sources

DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: cars: tables DRT122F (waiting times), DRT121G (regional and national), DRT122A to DRT122E (pass rates), DRT122B (cancellations) and DRT112A (theory tests). Address and coordinates from GOV.UK's Find a driving test centre. Open Government Licence v3.0. Checked 3 November 2026.