Test Centre Stats

South West, England · DVSA car test centre

Penzance driving test centre

Driving Test Centre Penzance, 1 Alverton Terrace, Penzance, TR18 4JH

Tests here: car, SC, ADI part 3.

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

Median wait, September 2026

10.7 weeks

−3.4 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

46.5%

−3.5 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

126 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 13th of 22 South West

Weeks to 10% of slots free

–

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Penzance in September 2026 had booked it a median of 10.7 weeks earlier: 0.9 weeks shorter than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 2.3 weeks longer than the South West figure (8.4 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 14.1 weeks, so the wait has shortened by 3.4 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 10.7 weeks to 21 weeks.

Waiting time over the last two years

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

  • Penzance
  • South West
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Penzance, October 2024 to September 2026Penzance: 10.7 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.0102030Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 2610.7Weeks0102030Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 2610.7Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Penzance, October 2024 to September 2026
MonthPenzanceSouth WestGreat Britain
September 202610.78.411.6
August 202621.08.311.1
July 202621.08.111.1
June 202614.47.010.7
May 202613.47.19.7
April 202616.97.19.1
March 202613.07.19.0
February 202616.49.010.4
January 202614.49.910.1
December 202514.110.110.1
November 202517.910.410.4
October 202518.710.611.6
September 202514.112.012.4
August 202513.011.111.7
July 202519.311.712.0
June 202517.011.111.0
May 2025–11.711.3
April 202520.910.910.6
March 202516.610.610.4
February 202517.011.311.4
January 202514.110.611.0
December 202414.110.710.4
November 202413.810.49.9
October 202416.410.79.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Penzance in September 2026, 25.9% had been booked within 7 weeks and 14.1% more than 21 weeks before.

  • Within 7 weeks
  • 7 to 14 weeks
  • 14 to 21 weeks
  • Over 21 weeks
Penzance
South West
Great Britain

At Penzance, 25.9% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 14.1% 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
Penzance25.9%47.1%12.9%14.1%
South West46.7%17.4%15.8%20.1%
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 Penzance, those three are below. Of the three, Camborne (4.4 weeks), Bodmin (5.4 weeks) and Launceston (6.4 weeks) had median waits at least a week shorter than Penzance in September 2026.

Centres a test booked at Penzance can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs PenzancePass rate 2025–26
Camborneabout 17 miles by roadabout 17 mi4.4 weeks−6.3 wk40.6%
Bodminabout 49 miles by roadabout 49 mi5.4 weeks−5.3 wk47.5%
Launcestonabout 72 miles by roadabout 72 mi6.4 weeks−4.3 wk46.3%

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), 507 car tests were taken here and 46.5% passed, 3.5 points below the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 49.2%, so the rate fell by 2.7 points. First attempts did worse: 43.4% of 251 first-time candidates passed, and 0.0% did it with no faults at all.

  • Penzance
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    46.5%3.5 points below Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    43.4%7.1 points below Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    0.0%2.9 points below Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    47.5%3.3 points below Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    45.8%3.3 points below Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    48.5%15.1 points below Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars11% of tests here were in automatics
    37.7%6.9 points below Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Penzance compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasurePenzanceGreat Britain
All tests46.5%50.0%
First attempts43.4%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults0.0%2.9%
Men47.5%50.8%
Women45.8%49.1%
17-year-olds48.5%63.6%
Automatic cars37.7%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Penzance
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Penzance by financial yearPass rate at Penzance in 2025–26: 46.5%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Penzance, 2019–20: 47.3%47Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Penzance, 2021–22: 51.5%52Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Penzance, 2022–23: 47.6%48Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Penzance, 2023–24: 52.2%52Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Penzance, 2024–25: 49.2%49Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Penzance, 2025–26: 46.5%47Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Penzance, 2019–20: 47.3%47Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Penzance, 2021–22: 51.5%52Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Penzance, 2022–23: 47.6%48Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Penzance, 2023–24: 52.2%52Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Penzance, 2024–25: 49.2%49Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Penzance, 2025–26: 46.5%47Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Penzance by financial year
YearPenzanceGreat Britain
2019–2047.3%45.9%
2020–21–49.8%
2021–2251.5%48.9%
2022–2347.6%48.4%
2023–2452.2%47.9%
2024–2549.2%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 19 did best here, at 62.5%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.

  • Age 1748.5% of 130
  • Age 1839.4% of 109
  • Age 1962.5% of 32
  • Age 2050.0% of 28

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 9 tests at Penzance, about 17.8 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was examiner illness (7). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Examiner illness7
  • Examiner leave2

The nearest theory test centre

The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Penzance (The Old Dairy, Bread Street, (Corner of Bread Street & Belgravia Street), TR18 2EG), 0.3 mi away. In 2025–26, 48.9% of its 1,909 car theory tests were passes, 4.1 points above 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 Camborne, 14 mi away, at 4.4 weeks. No nearby centre had a pass rate more than 2 points higher. 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 Penzance, with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
CamborneShorter wait14 mi4.4 weeks40.6%
Isles of Scilly37 mi15.9 weeks75.0%
BodminShorter wait44 mi5.4 weeks47.5%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Camborne: 4.4 weeksIsles of Scilly: 15.9 weeksBodmin: 5.4 weeksPenzancePenzance

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.
  • DVSA left out the median wait for 1 of the last 24 months at this centre (gaps in the chart), usually because too few tests were taken or the centre was closed.
  • With 507 tests in a year, a handful of results moves the pass rate by several points. Treat small differences with caution.
  • 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.