Aberporth Driving Test Centre
The Aberporth driving test centre is located in Aberporth, Wales (SA43 2DB). Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
148 passed, 45 failed, 193 total
How Aberporth compares
Aberporth performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Aberporth ranks among 80 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Aberporth have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Aberporth typically wait around 5 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Tests offered at Aberporth
- Motorcycle Module 1
For other test types at this location, search the DVSA centre finder with postcode SA43 2DB.
Accessibility & facilities
Parking, toilets, and disabled-access details vary by centre. Check the official DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode SA43 2DB, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
If you've got a test booked at SA43 2DB, that's Aberporth in Aberporth, Ceredigion. Examiners use a small set of fixed routes built around the roads immediately surrounding the centre. Be careful with the per-period numbers at Aberporth. With just 193 tests over 2013-14-2015-16, one or two unlucky candidates in a slow quarter can move the rate by five points.
Rank: #6 of 80. Pass rate: 76.7%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a top decile centre by the DVSA's own published figures. DVSA doesn't break out first-attempt figures for Aberporth in DRT122C, so the split between first-time and retake pass rates isn't published for this centre.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Aberporth
- Aberporth passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- With 193 tests on record at Aberporth, the per-quarter pass rates are noisy. The trend chart on this page is more informative than any specific number from a specific period.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Aberporth routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Aberporth. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Aberporth
Plan to arrive at Aberporth about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder (postcode SA43 2DB) a day or two ahead. Demand here is low with waits around 5 weeks, so there is usually a little more slot choice than at the busiest urban centres. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Cardigan is fully booked, Aberporth is the next closest centre, roughly 6 miles away.
The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in three tests includes an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Aberporth. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 76.7% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Aberporth?
Is Aberporth an easy or hard test centre?
How does Aberporth compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Aberporth each year?
Which driving test centres are near Aberporth?
When is the best time to book a test at Aberporth?
How do I book a test at Aberporth and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Aberporth?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2015-16.