Test Centre Stats

Wales · DVSA car test centre

Barry driving test centre

Unit 16, Business Support Centre, Hood Road, Innovation Quarter, The Waterfront, Barry, CF62 5QN

Tests here: car, ADI part 3.

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

Median wait, September 2026

9.1 weeks

−3.3 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

57.0%

+7.0 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

101 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 15th of 21 Wales

Weeks to 10% of slots free

–

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Barry in September 2026 had booked it a median of 9.1 weeks earlier: 2.5 weeks shorter than the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 1.7 weeks longer than the Wales figure (7.4 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 12.4 weeks, so the wait has shortened by 3.3 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 8.9 weeks to 12.9 weeks.

Waiting time over the last two years

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

  • Barry
  • Wales
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Barry, October 2024 to September 2026Barry: 9.1 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.05101520Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 269.1Weeks05101520Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 269.1Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Barry, October 2024 to September 2026
MonthBarryWalesGreat Britain
September 20269.17.411.6
August 202610.07.311.1
July 202610.07.611.1
June 20268.97.710.7
May 202611.37.49.7
April 202612.97.69.1
March 20269.06.19.0
February 202611.37.710.4
January 202610.08.010.1
December 202510.47.610.1
November 202511.48.410.4
October 202510.08.611.6
September 202512.49.312.4
August 202511.610.111.7
July 202511.110.912.0
June 202517.09.311.0
May 202512.49.611.3
April 202512.49.010.6
March 202517.67.910.4
February 202514.08.711.4
January 202516.38.111.0
December 202416.48.610.4
November 202413.78.69.9
October 202411.08.79.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Barry in September 2026, 41.6% had been booked within 7 weeks and 14.3% more than 21 weeks before.

  • Within 7 weeks
  • 7 to 14 weeks
  • 14 to 21 weeks
  • Over 21 weeks
Barry
Wales
Great Britain

At Barry, 41.6% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 14.3% 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
Barry41.6%31.2%12.9%14.3%
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 Barry, those three are below. Of the three, Llantrisant (6.4 weeks), Bridgend (7.3 weeks) and Cardiff (Llanishen) (7.7 weeks) had median waits at least a week shorter than Barry in September 2026.

Centres a test booked at Barry can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs BarryPass rate 2025–26
Llantrisantabout 11 miles by roadabout 11 mi6.4 weeks−2.7 wk54.0%
Cardiff (Llanishen)about 13 miles by roadabout 13 mi7.7 weeks−1.4 wk46.5%
Bridgendabout 18 miles by roadabout 18 mi7.3 weeks−1.8 wk53.3%

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), 2,244 car tests were taken here and 57.0% passed, 7.0 points above the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 61.8%, so the rate fell by 4.8 points. First attempts did worse: 55.5% of 1,244 first-time candidates passed, and 3.0% did it with no faults at all.

  • Barry
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    57.0%7.0 points above Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    55.5%5.0 points above Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    3.0%about the same as Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    56.8%6.0 points above Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    57.3%8.2 points above Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    65.3%1.7 points above Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars18% of tests here were in automatics
    49.8%5.2 points above Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Barry compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasureBarryGreat Britain
All tests57.0%50.0%
First attempts55.5%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults3.0%2.9%
Men56.8%50.8%
Women57.3%49.1%
17-year-olds65.3%63.6%
Automatic cars49.8%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Barry
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Barry by financial yearPass rate at Barry in 2025–26: 57.0%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Barry, 2019–20: 55.3%55Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Barry, 2020–21: 64.2%64Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Barry, 2021–22: 63.7%64Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Barry, 2022–23: 61.1%61Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Barry, 2023–24: 56.1%56Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Barry, 2024–25: 61.8%62Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Barry, 2025–26: 57.0%57Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Barry, 2019–20: 55.3%55Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Barry, 2020–21: 64.2%64Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Barry, 2021–22: 63.7%64Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Barry, 2022–23: 61.1%61Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Barry, 2023–24: 56.1%56Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Barry, 2024–25: 61.8%62Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Barry, 2025–26: 57.0%57Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Barry by financial year
YearBarryGreat Britain
2019–2055.3%45.9%
2020–2164.2%49.8%
2021–2263.7%48.9%
2022–2361.1%48.4%
2023–2456.1%47.9%
2024–2561.8%48.7%
2025–2657.0%50.0%

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

By age, 17 to 25 (2025–26)

Candidates aged 23 did best here, at 66.3%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.

  • Age 1765.3% of 608
  • Age 1861.8% of 338
  • Age 1958.6% of 128
  • Age 2058.8% of 68
  • Age 2153.5% of 86
  • Age 2254.5% of 88
  • Age 2366.3% of 80
  • Age 2460.0% of 55
  • Age 2549.4% of 81

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 219 tests at Barry, about 97.6 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was examiner illness (199). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Examiner illness199
  • Examiner leave20

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), 7.0 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 Cardiff (Llanishen), 9.3 mi away, at 7.7 weeks. Within the same list, Weston-super-Mare (14 mi) had a pass rate of 61.0%. 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 Barry, with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
Cardiff (Llanishen)Shorter wait9.3 mi7.7 weeks46.5%
LlantrisantShorter wait9.4 mi6.4 weeks54.0%
Weston-super-MareShorter waitHigher pass rate14 mi4 weeks61.0%
BridgendShorter wait15 mi7.3 weeks53.3%
Newport (Gwent)Shorter wait18 mi6.7 weeks48.9%
Merthyr Tydfil22 mi8.9 weeks51.2%
Bristol (Avonmouth)27 mi12.1 weeks55.5%
TauntonHigher pass rate27 mi12.6 weeks59.5%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Cardiff (Llanishen): 7.7 weeksLlantrisant: 6.4 weeksWeston-super-Mare: 4 weeksBridgend: 7.3 weeksNewport (Gwent): 6.7 weeksMerthyr Tydfil: 8.9 weeksBristol (Avonmouth): 12.1 weeksTaunton: 12.6 weeksBarryBarry

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.