Merthyr Tydfil Driving Test Centre
The Merthyr Tydfil driving test centre is located in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales (CF47 8BS). Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
2.4K passed, 656 failed, 3.1K total
How Merthyr Tydfil compares
Merthyr Tydfil performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Merthyr Tydfil ranks among 194 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Merthyr Tydfil have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is comparatively quick: learners booking at Merthyr Tydfil typically wait around 9 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
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
If you've got a test booked at CF47 8BS, that's Merthyr Tydfil in Merthyr Tydfil. Examiners use a small set of fixed routes built around the roads immediately surrounding the centre. 3.1K tests across 2016-17-2024-25, a workable sample but on the lighter side. Single-period swings can look dramatic without actually meaning much, the multi-year aggregate is the more honest number.
Rank: #37 of 194. Pass rate: 74.1%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a top quartile centre by the DVSA's own published figures. First-attempt data for Merthyr Tydfil is missing from the DVSA's DRT122C release. It's not a low number, it's no number, the centre is small enough that DVSA omits it from that particular table.
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
- Above-average pass rate at Merthyr Tydfil 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Merthyr Tydfil routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Merthyr Tydfil. Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Merthyr Tydfil
Plan to arrive at Merthyr Tydfil about ten minutes before your slot. Parking varies between DVSA centres, so check the route and the surrounding streets on the DVSA centre finder (postcode CF47 8BS) a day or two ahead. Demand here is moderate with waits around 9 weeks, so there is usually a little more slot choice than at the busiest urban centres. Bring your provisional photocard licence; the examiner will not start without it, and you will need a roadworthy car with L plates and a working interior mirror.
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 three tests includes an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Merthyr Tydfil. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 74.1% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
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 tests are taken at Merthyr Tydfil each year?
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.