Bristol (Avonmouth) Driving Test Centre
Bristol (Avonmouth) in Bristol records a 53.7% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 4.5 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Bristol (Avonmouth) sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 36%, rank #116 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Monmouth, about 20.3 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 28.5K passed, 23.7K failed, 52.2K total
How Bristol (Avonmouth) compares
At 5 points above the UK figure and ranked 116 of 323 in its category, Bristol (Avonmouth) offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.
Where Bristol (Avonmouth) ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The headline barely moved (54.4% in 2017-18, 53.7% now) but the ride was not smooth: Bristol (Avonmouth) has swung 16.1 points between its best year (67.5%, 2020-21) and its worst (51.4%, 2019-20).
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Bristol (Avonmouth)
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 19 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Bristol (Avonmouth) in May 2026 had waited 4.5 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 Bristol (Avonmouth)
- car
- ADI part 3
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 BS11 8AQ, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Bristol (Avonmouth) is in Bristol, West of England and runs DVSA car tests for learners across the local area. Your examiner picks the route on the day without telling you which, and the DVSA does not publish them. 52.2K tests over 2017-18-2024-25. That's enough volume that the headline pass rate here moves slowly, a single bad quarter shifts it by a fraction of a percentage point rather than visibly.
Out of 323 UK car test centres, Bristol (Avonmouth) ranks 116, which lands it in the upper half nationally. The 53.7% pass rate is 5 points clear of the UK figure of 48.7%. First-attempt pass rate at Bristol (Avonmouth): 54.7%, against 49% nationally. That's a 5.7-point lead. Well-prepared candidates with no prior test attempts pass here at a noticeably higher rate than the UK average.
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 Bristol (Avonmouth)
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Bristol (Avonmouth)'s rate reflects route geography more than examiner discretion, DVSA marking is centrally trained. Prepare for the same fault categories you'd prepare for anywhere.
- Bristol (Avonmouth) is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Bristol (Avonmouth) area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Bristol (Avonmouth). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Bristol (Avonmouth)
Aim to be at Bristol (Avonmouth) ten minutes early. Because parking and waiting facilities are not the same at every DVSA centre, check the approach on the DVSA centre finder before the day. Demand is high and the modelled wait is close to 15 to 19 weeks, so an early booking and a cancellation alert are both worth setting up. The examiner needs to see your provisional photocard licence to begin, and the car you bring must be roadworthy, fitted with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Bristol (Kingswood) is fully booked, Bristol (Avonmouth) is the next closest centre, roughly 9 miles away.
Plan for a drive of roughly 40 minutes, identical in structure to every other DVSA centre. First comes the 20-metre eyesight check and a tell-me vehicle-safety question, then the examiner joins you for the road section, with one show-me question while you drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving by sat nav or by following signs to a named target, you tackle one of four set manoeuvres, and around one in seven candidates get an emergency stop. The drive works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
There is no wait for the verdict, the examiner delivers it at the centre. They go over each fault recorded, hand you the DL25 feedback form, and on a pass retain your provisional licence so the full version arrives by post. To pass you need no more than 15 driving faults and not a single serious or dangerous one; 53.7% of candidates at Bristol (Avonmouth) currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Bristol (Avonmouth)?
Is Bristol (Avonmouth) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Bristol (Avonmouth) compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Bristol (Avonmouth) record?
Which driving test centres are near Bristol (Avonmouth)?
When is the best time to book a test at Bristol (Avonmouth)?
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How long is the wait for a driving test at Bristol (Avonmouth)?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
DVSA data period: 2024-25.