Cardiff (Llanishen) Driving Test Centre
Cardiff (Llanishen) in Cardiff records a 51.3% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 9.4 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
Cardiff (Llanishen) sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 45%, rank #144 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Barry, about 6.4 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 64.3K passed, 61.2K failed, 125.5K total
How Cardiff (Llanishen) compares
The 2.6-point edge at Cardiff (Llanishen) (ranked 144 of 323 in its category) is real but small; local route familiarity moves your odds more than the venue does.
Where Cardiff (Llanishen) ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Cardiff (Llanishen) has held a narrow 7.6-point range across the whole series (50.1% at the low in 2017-18, 57.7% at the high in 2022-23); what you see is what you get.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Cardiff (Llanishen)
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 19.3 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Cardiff (Llanishen) in May 2026 had waited 9.4 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 Cardiff (Llanishen)
- car
- ADI part 2
- 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 CF14 5GF, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Cardiff (Llanishen) is one of the DVSA's car test sites in Wales, located in Cardiff at CF10 2AF. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. The DVSA has logged 125.5K tests at this centre over 2017-18-2024-25. At that scale, the year-on-year shifts you see in the chart correspond to genuine changes in how the centre is performing, not statistical wobble.
Cardiff (Llanishen) runs close to the national curve: 51.3% pass rate, 2.6 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The rank is #144 of 323 car centres. The DVSA's first-attempt figure for Cardiff (Llanishen) sits at 53.3%, 4.3 points clear of the 49% UK average. The gap is wide enough to matter when you're deciding which local centre to book.
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 Cardiff (Llanishen)
- Centre difficulty is roughly average at Cardiff (Llanishen). The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
- 125.5K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page often.
- Ask any instructor working Cardiff (Llanishen) 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.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Cardiff (Llanishen), cancellations appear on the official DVSA booking service throughout the day. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for the best chance of catching one.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Cardiff (Llanishen)
Turn up at Cardiff (Llanishen) ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder (postcode CF10 2AF). Demand is high and waits are near 13 to 17 weeks, so an early booking plus a cancellation watch is the sensible approach. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror. If Barry is fully booked, Cardiff (Llanishen) is the next closest centre, roughly 6 miles away.
Once underway the test takes around 40 minutes and is the same wherever you sit it. The examiner verifies your eyesight at 20 metres, puts one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive and asks one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of the set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in seven. 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; 51.3% of candidates at Cardiff (Llanishen) currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Cardiff (Llanishen)?
Is Cardiff (Llanishen) an easy or hard test centre?
How does Cardiff (Llanishen) compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Cardiff (Llanishen) record?
Which driving test centres are near Cardiff (Llanishen)?
When is the best time to book a test at Cardiff (Llanishen)?
How do I book a test at Cardiff (Llanishen) and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Cardiff (Llanishen)?
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.