Bristol (Kingswood) Driving Test Centre
Bristol (Kingswood) in Bristol currently passes 52% of tests, 3.3 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The sections below cover the year-by-year trend, who passes most often, how long learners wait, and how it stacks up against neighbouring centres.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Bristol (Kingswood) sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 41%, rank #133 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Monmouth, about 25.3 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 52.5K passed, 51.6K failed, 104.1K total
How Bristol (Kingswood) compares
At 3.3 points above the UK figure and ranked 133 of 323 in its category, Bristol (Kingswood) offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.
Where Bristol (Kingswood) ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Since 2017-18 the rate at Bristol (Kingswood) has risen from 47.1% to 52%, a 4.9-point gain, peaking at 54.3% in 2019-20.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Bristol (Kingswood)
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 23.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Bristol (Kingswood) in May 2026 had waited 8.6 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 (Kingswood)
- 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 (Kingswood) is the DVSA car test centre in Bristol, West of England. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. 104.1K 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.
Rank: #133 of 323. Pass rate: 52%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a upper half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. 52.9% of first-timers pass at Bristol (Kingswood), 3.9 points above the UK figure of 49%. A prepared first attempt has a real shot here in a way it doesn't at every 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 Bristol (Kingswood)
- Bristol (Kingswood) doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
- Volume at Bristol (Kingswood) is among the highest in the network. Don't take the first available date on faith, refreshing the DVSA booking page across a few days regularly turns up cancellations.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Bristol (Kingswood) area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Bristol (Kingswood). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Bristol (Kingswood)
Ten minutes early is the right target at Bristol (Kingswood). Parking differs between DVSA centres, so it pays to scout the route on the DVSA centre finder the day before. This centre sees high demand, modelled at roughly 15 to 19 weeks to a slot; booking well ahead and watching for cancellations both help. Bring the provisional photocard licence, the examiner checks for it first, and make sure your car is roadworthy with L plates and a working interior mirror. If Bristol (Avonmouth) is fully booked, Bristol (Kingswood) 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; 52% of candidates at Bristol (Kingswood) currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Bristol (Kingswood)?
Is Bristol (Kingswood) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Bristol (Kingswood) compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Bristol (Kingswood) record?
Which driving test centres are near Bristol (Kingswood)?
When is the best time to book a test at Bristol (Kingswood)?
How do I book a test at Bristol (Kingswood) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Bristol (Kingswood)?
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.