Car Test Centre, England

Newport (Isle of Wight) Driving Test Centre

Car, Cat BNewportModerate

Newport (Isle of Wight) in Newport records a 52.4% pass rate against a UK average of 48.7%, with a median wait of 10.4 weeks. This page covers the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, and a like-for-like comparison with other centres.

Pass rate (2024-25)
52.4%
vs 48.7% UK avg
Tests in period
3.9K
2024-25
National rank
#127
of 323 centres
1st-time pass
53.1%
above UK avg

DVSA data last updated August 2026

Compare and decide

Newport (Isle of Wight) sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 39%, rank #127 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Chichester, about 24.1 miles away.

ChichesterBest nearby
24.1 mi away
64.2%
+11.8 pp

Pass vs fail at a glance

52.4%passed
failed47.6%

All-time 5.6K passed, 5.5K failed, 11.1K total

How Newport (Isle of Wight) compares

Newport (Isle of Wight)
52.4%
UK national average
48.7%
Difference
+3.7 pp

At 3.7 points above the UK figure and ranked 127 of 323 in its category, Newport (Isle of Wight) offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.

Where Newport (Isle of Wight) ranks among 323 centres

Top 39%
Newport (Isle of Wight) ranks higher than 61% of UK car test centres
Rank
#127
BestMedianHardest

Pass-rate trend by year

Pass rate by demographic

Male vs female pass rate gap 1.2 pp
Male51.2%
0%UK avg 52.0%100%
Female50.0%
0%UK avg 48.0%100%
Zero faults0.9%
69 candidates have passed without a single recorded fault across all DVSA periods

Waiting time at Newport (Isle of Wight)

Median wait, booking to test
10.4 weeks
What the typical learner who tested here had waited
Weeks to 10% availability
19.5 weeks
The older headline measure
Window appointments free
13.2%
Share of the 24-week window still open

The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 19.5 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Newport (Isle of Wight) in May 2026 had waited 10.4 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

Innovation Centre
St Cross Business Park
Newport
Newport
PO30 5WB
England

Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.

Tests offered at Newport (Isle of Wight)

  • car
  • motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
  • ADI part 3

Accessibility & facilities

Not wheelchair accessible per DVSA

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 PO30 5WB, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.

About this test centre

Newport (Isle of Wight) is the DVSA car test centre in Newport. Examiners drive a mix of the roads immediately surrounding the centre; the DVSA does not publish its test routes. Over 2022-23-2024-25, 11.1K candidates sat tests here. The figures are statistically usable for centre-to-centre comparisons, which is most of what people land on this page wanting to do.

Rank: #127 of 323. Pass rate: 52.4%. UK average: 48.7%. That's a upper half centre by the DVSA's own published figures. The DVSA's first-attempt figure for Newport (Isle of Wight) sits at 53.1%, 4.1 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.

Country
England
Test category
Car

What learners should know about Newport (Isle of Wight)

  • Centre difficulty is roughly average at Newport (Isle of Wight). The same fault categories that fail candidates nationally (junctions, mirrors, observation) are what fail candidates here, in similar proportions.
  • If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Newport (Isle of Wight) area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
  • Don't pay third-party sites for booking access at Newport (Isle of Wight). Use gov.uk/book-driving-test directly; cancellations show up on the same booking flow.

Other test centres nearby

On the day at Newport (Isle of Wight)

Aim to be at Newport (Isle of Wight) 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. At moderate demand and about 9 to 13 weeks' wait, securing a convenient date here is usually less of a scramble. 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 Lee On The Solent is fully booked, Newport (Isle of Wight) is the next closest centre, roughly 7 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 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.

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; 52.4% of candidates at Newport (Isle of Wight) currently clear that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pass rate at Newport (Isle of Wight)?
The current pass rate at Newport (Isle of Wight) driving test centre is 52.4%, calculated from 3.9K tests in 2024-25. The first-time pass rate, candidates passing on their initial attempt, is 53.1%. Across all DVSA reporting periods on record, the lifetime average is 50.7% (from 11.1K tests).
Is Newport (Isle of Wight) an easy or hard test centre?
Newport (Isle of Wight) is ranked #127 of 323 UK car test centres by pass rate, placing it in the top half of car pass rates nationally. Its pass rate of 52.4% compares to a UK average of 48.7%. Much of the spread comes down to route geography: lighter traffic and simpler junctions lift a centre, dense city driving and complex roundabouts pull it down.
How does Newport (Isle of Wight) compare to the UK average?
Newport (Isle of Wight)'s pass rate is 3.7 percentage points above the UK national average of 48.7%. At 3.7 points above the UK figure and ranked 127 of 323 in its category, Newport (Isle of Wight) offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.
How many driving tests does Newport (Isle of Wight) record?
Newport (Isle of Wight) has recorded 11.1K tests in the available DVSA data, of which 5.6K passed and 5.5K failed. The trend chart on this page plots how both volume and pass rate have changed across the recent DVSA reporting periods.
Which driving test centres are near Newport (Isle of Wight)?
The closest DVSA test centres to Newport (Isle of Wight) are Lee On The Solent (59.6%), Southampton (Maybush) (47.1%), Portsmouth (51.8%) and Winchester (47.9%). Of these, Lee On The Solent has a higher current pass rate than Newport (Isle of Wight)'s 52.4%. Southampton (Maybush), Portsmouth, Winchester sit lower. You can compare every nearby centre in the "Other test centres nearby" section above, or see them all on the interactive PassRates map.
When is the best time to book a test at Newport (Isle of Wight)?
Newport (Isle of Wight) currently sees moderate demand with an estimated wait of about 9 to 13 weeks. Across the UK, waits tend to ease in November, December, January, when fewer learners are booking, and peak in June, July, August. If your test date is flexible, aiming for a quieter month can mean a shorter wait and more slot choice. Always confirm live availability on the DVSA booking service.
How do I book a test at Newport (Isle of Wight) and what do I need?
Book your practical test through the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test, then choose Newport (Isle of Wight) as your centre. You will need your provisional licence number and your theory test pass certificate number. To pass, you must finish with no more than 15 driving (minor) faults and zero serious or dangerous faults. Our guides cover how to book step by step and how faults are marked.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Newport (Isle of Wight)?
In the latest DVSA figures (May 2026), the median learner who took their test at Newport (Isle of Wight) had waited about 10.4 weeks between booking and test day. DVSA's older measure, the number of weeks until at least 10% of slots are free, was 19.5 weeks. About 13.2% of appointments in the 24-week booking window were still available. For live availability, check the official DVSA booking service.
Source

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.

By Vikas DulgundeUpdated MethodologySources