Test Centre Stats

South West, England · DVSA car test centre

Chippenham driving test centre

Unit 11, Cavalier Court, Bumpers Farm, Chippenham, SN14 6LH

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

11.7 weeks

−2.2 wk on a year ago

Pass rate, 2025–26

56.4%

+6.4 pts vs GB 50.0%

Wait rank in Great Britain

138 of 314

1 = shortest wait; 14th of 22 South West

Weeks to 10% of slots free

17 weeks

GB 19.7 weeks

People who took a car test at Chippenham in September 2026 had booked it a median of 11.7 weeks earlier: about the same as the Great Britain figure (11.6 weeks), and 3.3 weeks longer than the South West figure (8.4 weeks). A year earlier, in September 2025, it was 13.9 weeks, so the wait has shortened by 2.2 weeks. Over the last 12 months it ranged from 4.4 weeks to 11.9 weeks.

On the last Monday of September 2026 it would have taken about 17 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, 34.9% 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.

  • Chippenham
  • South West
  • Great Britain
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Chippenham, October 2024 to September 2026Chippenham: 11.7 weeks in September 2026, against 11.6 weeks for Great Britain.051015Oct 24Jan 25Apr 25Jul 25Oct 25Jan 26Apr 26Jul 2611.7Weeks051015Jan 25Jul 25Jan 26Jul 2611.7Weeks
Show these figures as a table
Median weeks between booking and taking a test at Chippenham, October 2024 to September 2026
MonthChippenhamSouth WestGreat Britain
September 202611.78.411.6
August 20267.78.311.1
July 20267.78.111.1
June 20266.17.010.7
May 20265.37.19.7
April 20264.47.19.1
March 20266.17.19.0
February 20269.79.010.4
January 202611.99.910.1
December 202511.710.110.1
November 202510.710.410.4
October 20259.910.611.6
September 202513.912.012.4
August 202511.411.111.7
July 202512.411.712.0
June 202510.711.111.0
May 202511.611.711.3
April 202511.610.910.6
March 20258.410.610.4
February 202510.111.311.4
January 202511.410.611.0
December 20248.610.710.4
November 202410.710.49.9
October 202412.010.79.7

How far ahead people booked

Of tests taken at Chippenham in September 2026, 42.0% had been booked within 7 weeks and 22.4% more than 21 weeks before.

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

At Chippenham, 42.0% of tests in September 2026 were booked within 7 weeks and 22.4% 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
Chippenham42.0%14.9%20.8%22.4%
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 Chippenham, those three are below. Of the three, Trowbridge (5.6 weeks) and Bristol (Kingswood) (5.9 weeks) had median waits at least a week shorter than Chippenham in September 2026.

Centres a test booked at Chippenham can be moved to
CentreDriving distance (DVSA)Median waitvs ChippenhamPass rate 2025–26
Trowbridgeabout 15 miles by roadabout 15 mi5.6 weeks−6.1 wk55.2%
Bristol (Kingswood)about 17 miles by roadabout 17 mi5.9 weeks−5.8 wk51.9%
Swindonabout 19 miles by roadabout 19 mi12.1 weeks+0.4 wk51.1%

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), 9,629 car tests were taken here and 56.4% passed, 6.4 points above the Great Britain rate (50.0%). The year before it was 50.6%, so the rate rose by 5.8 points. First attempts did about the same: 56.0% of 4,870 first-time candidates passed, and 4.2% did it with no faults at all.

  • Chippenham
  • Great Britain average
  • All tests
    56.4%6.4 points above Great Britain (50.0%)
  • First attempts
    56.0%5.5 points above Great Britain (50.5%)
  • First attempt with zero faults
    4.2%1.3 points above Great Britain (2.9%)
  • Men
    57.2%6.4 points above Great Britain (50.8%)
  • Women
    55.6%6.5 points above Great Britain (49.1%)
  • 17-year-oldsGB figure is the sum of listed centres
    64.3%about the same as Great Britain (63.6%)
  • Automatic cars19% of tests here were in automatics
    50.6%6.0 points above Great Britain (44.6%)
Show these figures as a table
Pass rates at Chippenham compared with Great Britain, 2025–26
MeasureChippenhamGreat Britain
All tests56.4%50.0%
First attempts56.0%50.5%
First attempt with zero faults4.2%2.9%
Men57.2%50.8%
Women55.6%49.1%
17-year-olds64.3%63.6%
Automatic cars50.6%44.6%

Pass rate by year

  • Chippenham
  • Great Britain
Car test pass rate at Chippenham by financial yearPass rate at Chippenham in 2025–26: 56.4%; Great Britain 50.0%.020406080100Chippenham, 2019–20: 47.0%47Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%2019–20Chippenham, 2020–21: 50.2%50Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%2020–21Chippenham, 2021–22: 45.9%46Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%2021–22Chippenham, 2022–23: 46.4%46Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%2022–23Chippenham, 2023–24: 47.6%48Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%2023–24Chippenham, 2024–25: 50.6%51Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%2024–25Chippenham, 2025–26: 56.4%56Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%2025–26Pass rate, %020406080100Chippenham, 2019–20: 47.0%47Great Britain, 2019–20: 45.9%’19Chippenham, 2020–21: 50.2%50Great Britain, 2020–21: 49.8%’20Chippenham, 2021–22: 45.9%46Great Britain, 2021–22: 48.9%’21Chippenham, 2022–23: 46.4%46Great Britain, 2022–23: 48.4%’22Chippenham, 2023–24: 47.6%48Great Britain, 2023–24: 47.9%’23Chippenham, 2024–25: 50.6%51Great Britain, 2024–25: 48.7%’24Chippenham, 2025–26: 56.4%56Great Britain, 2025–26: 50.0%’25Pass rate, %
Show these figures as a table
Car test pass rate at Chippenham by financial year
YearChippenhamGreat Britain
2019–2047.0%45.9%
2020–2150.2%49.8%
2021–2245.9%48.9%
2022–2346.4%48.4%
2023–2447.6%47.9%
2024–2550.6%48.7%
2025–2656.4%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 64.3%. Ages with fewer than 20 tests are left out; DVSA suppresses some small groups.

  • Age 1764.3% of 2,482
  • Age 1857.1% of 1,431
  • Age 1952.1% of 693
  • Age 2056.7% of 467
  • Age 2159.2% of 387
  • Age 2258.0% of 357
  • Age 2360.1% of 293
  • Age 2456.1% of 271

Tests cancelled by DVSA

In 2025–26 DVSA cancelled 465 tests at Chippenham, about 48.3 for every 1,000 tests taken (Great Britain: 50.7). The biggest reason was examiner illness (351). These are cancellations by DVSA, not by learners; DVSA should rebook you and may owe you expenses.

  • Examiner illness351
  • Examiner leave95
  • Weather and other acts of nature19

The nearest theory test centre

The closest theory test centre DVSA publishes figures for is Swindon (Ground Floor, South Suite, Ambrose House, 30-33 Milton Road, SN1 5JA), 17 mi away. In 2025–26, 43.5% of its 20,767 car theory tests were passes, 1.3 points below 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 Trowbridge, 11 mi away, at 5.6 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 Chippenham, with median wait in September 2026 and 2025–26 pass rate
Centre24 months
TrowbridgeShorter wait11 mi5.6 weeks55.2%
Bristol (Kingswood)Shorter wait15 mi5.9 weeks51.9%
Swindon15 mi12.1 weeks51.1%
Bristol (Avonmouth)23 mi12.1 weeks55.5%
Gloucester26 mi16.2 weeks47.8%
Cheltenham30 mi17 weeks43.2%
SalisburyShorter wait31 mi6.1 weeks48.5%
MonmouthShorter wait34 mi4.7 weeks51.0%
  • This centre
  • Shorter wait
  • Other nearby
Trowbridge: 5.6 weeksBristol (Kingswood): 5.9 weeksSwindon: 12.1 weeksBristol (Avonmouth): 12.1 weeksGloucester: 16.2 weeksCheltenham: 17 weeksSalisbury: 6.1 weeksMonmouth: 4.7 weeksChippenhamChippenham

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.