Merthyr Tydfil Driving Test Centre
Merthyr Tydfil posts a 53.5% pass rate, with Brecon the nearest alternative about 14 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Merthyr Tydfil sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 37%, rank #119 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Barry, about 23.9 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 26.5K passed, 22.0K failed, 48.6K total
How Merthyr Tydfil compares
Merthyr Tydfil runs 4.8 points ahead of the national average, ranked 119 of 323 in its category. Margins in this range usually track route difficulty: fewer multi-lane roundabouts and less dense traffic.
Where Merthyr Tydfil ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Merthyr Tydfil ends the series about where it started, yet the spread between 2021-22 (58.3%) and 2023-24 (49.8%) runs to 8.5 points; read a single year here with caution.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Merthyr Tydfil
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 10.5 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Merthyr Tydfil in May 2026 had waited 5.3 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 Merthyr Tydfil
- car
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- 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 CF48 4DR, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Merthyr Tydfil sits in Merthyr Tydfil, just inside the CF47 8BS postcode. It's a DVSA-run car test centre, and the routes from here work outward into the streets and arterial roads that learners from Merthyr Tydfil tend to know already. Merthyr Tydfil sees moderate volume: 48.6K practical tests through 2017-18-2024-25. Year-on-year percentages here are meaningful, but watch the trend line rather than fixating on any single period.
53.5% at Merthyr Tydfil, against a UK car average of 48.7%. That puts the centre 4.8 points above the national figure and ranks it #119 of 323 car centres in the DVSA's network. 51.8% of first-timers pass at Merthyr Tydfil, 2.8 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 Merthyr Tydfil
- Merthyr Tydfil 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Merthyr Tydfil area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- 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 Merthyr Tydfil
Turn up at Merthyr Tydfil 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 CF47 8BS). At moderate demand and roughly 11 to 15 weeks' wait, getting a date that works for you is usually straightforward. 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 Brecon is fully booked, Merthyr Tydfil is the next closest centre, roughly 14 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 seven tests includes an emergency stop, a frequency the DVSA reduced in late 2025. 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.
The result is given immediately when you get back. Whatever the outcome, the examiner reads through the marked faults and prints your DL25 feedback form; pass and they take the provisional licence to trigger your full one by post. The threshold is the national one, 15 driving faults at most and zero serious or dangerous, which 53.5% of Merthyr Tydfil's candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Merthyr Tydfil?
Is Merthyr Tydfil an easy or hard test centre?
How does Merthyr Tydfil compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Merthyr Tydfil record?
Which driving test centres are near Merthyr Tydfil?
When is the best time to book a test at Merthyr Tydfil?
How do I book a test at Merthyr Tydfil and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Merthyr Tydfil?
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.