Bala Driving Test Centre
Bala in Y Bala, Wales has a current pass rate of 56.4%, 7.7 points above the UK average of 48.7%. This page breaks down the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, the waiting time and how it compares with the rest of the UK, all from the DVSA quarterly data.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Bala sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 29%, rank #93 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Bangor, about 30.9 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 6.0K passed, 6.2K failed, 12.2K total
How Bala compares
At 7.7 points above the UK figure and ranked 93 of 323 in its category, Bala offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.
Where Bala ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Bala has climbed 8.7 points across the series, 52.4% in 2017-18 to 61.1% now; the weakest year on record was 49.5% in 2019-20.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Bala
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 9 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Bala in May 2026 had waited 16.7 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, May 2026. The median is the time between booking and taking the test; for live availability use the DVSA booking service.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Bala
- car
Accessibility & facilities
Parking and toilet details aren't included in DVSA's published feed. For the current on-site facilities, check the DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode LL23 7SP, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Bala: a DVSA car test centre in Y Bala, Gwynedd. Local routes, local traffic patterns, no national standard for what "harder" or "easier" looks like beyond what the numbers below show. Sample size: 12.2K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. Enough that comparisons hold up; small enough that a quiet month or a route being temporarily diverted can show in the data.
The upper half of the UK by pass rate: Bala ranks #93 of 323 car centres at 56.4%, 7.7 points clear of the national figure of 48.7%. Across 842 first-attempt tests, Bala passes 55.2% of candidates, against 49% nationally. The centre is a relatively forgiving venue for a first booking, by the DVSA's own data.
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 Bala
- Above-average pass rate at Bala doesn't mean above-average ease. The fundamentals examiners mark are the same nationally: junctions, mirrors, observation, signal timing. A 65%+ pass rate means more candidates clear those, not that the bar is lower.
- 55.2% of first-timers pass at Bala, so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
- Ask any instructor working Bala about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- The only legitimate booking route is gov.uk. Anything calling itself a "test booking concierge" is reselling the same slots at a markup, the slots aren't theirs to control.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Bala
Arrive at Bala with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode LL23 7UT) maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 7 to 11 weeks at moderate demand, so you can usually pick a date without a long wait. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Rhyl is fully booked, Bala is the next closest centre, roughly 29 miles away.
Expect about 40 minutes once you set off, to the same national DVSA script. It opens with an eyesight check at 20 metres and one tell-me question, after which the examiner rides along for the drive and asks one show-me question on the move. Around 20 minutes of that is independent driving, guided either by a sat nav the examiner provides or by road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and a one-in-seven chance of an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
Results come immediately on return to the centre. The examiner talks you through any faults marked, prints the DL25 feedback form, and (if you passed) takes your provisional licence so the full one can be issued by post. A pass needs no more than 15 driving faults and zero serious or dangerous faults, the standard 56.4% of candidates at Bala meet under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Bala compare to the UK average?
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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: 2024-25.