Newtown Driving Test Centre
At Newtown, 63.7% of candidates pass, one of the 323 test centres we rank from the DVSA data. Below you will find the full pass-rate history, the demographic split, the official DVSA waiting time and a comparison with the nearest centres.
DVSA data last updated September 2026
Newtown sits in the top 10% of UK car pass rates nationally (Top 10%, rank #31 of 323). No nearby car centre currently posts a higher pass rate.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 12.8K passed, 8.9K failed, 21.7K total
How Newtown compares
A 15-point lead over the national figure puts Newtown ranked 31 of 323 in its category. Gaps this large usually come from the roads, not the examiners: fewer complex junctions and lighter traffic on the local routes.
Where Newtown ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The direction of travel here is upward: Newtown has added 9.8 points since 2017-18, from 53.9% to 63.7%, with its strongest year at 74.5% in 2021-22.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Newtown
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 16.2 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Newtown in August 2026 had waited 14 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, August 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 Newtown
- 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 SY16 1JB, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Newtown is one of the DVSA's car test sites in Wales, located in Newtown, Powys at SY16 1AQ. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. Across 2017-18-2024-25 the DVSA recorded 21.7K tests at Newtown. A solid mid-range sample, the data is reliable enough that the rank position below isn't an artefact of small numbers.
Newtown passes higher than most. At 63.7% versus a UK average of 48.7%, it ranks #31 of 323 car centres, the top ten percent of the network. The DVSA's first-attempt figure for Newtown sits at 64.5%, 15.5 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 Newtown
- Newtown passes higher than the UK average, but the marking sheet is identical to every other DVSA centre. The bias is in the local road mix (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- 64.5% of first-timers pass at Newtown, so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Newtown area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Newtown, 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.
Whether you pass at Newtown is not decided by the centre. It is decided by the 15 things an examiner can mark you on, and control, steering is one of the ones that ends attempts early.
Take control, steering. Pull-push steering technique not consolidated; gripping the wheel at the top rather than 9-and-3; late turn-in because of looking too close to the front of the car. Most of the argument about what is a minor and what is a serious comes down to cases like that one, so it is worth knowing which side of the line yours falls on before an examiner decides it for you.
Look further ahead. Practise pull-push on a quiet residential loop with a continuous commentary. never steer while stationary; always inch forward first. Free to use, no sign up. Everything for the day itself is on the practical test hub.
Other test centres nearby
You cannot book a practical test at Newtown until you hold a theory pass, and it has to still be valid on the day you sit it. Nationally 44.8% of candidates pass the theory.
Spotting developing hazards, plus the effects of alcohol, tiredness and medicines. All 14 DVSA topics are free to practise, with no sign up. See the theory pass rate by centre or the full practice hub.
On the day at Newtown
Arrive at Newtown with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode SY16 1AQ) maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 7 to 11 weeks at moderate demand, so you can usually pick a date without a long wait. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Oswestry is fully booked, Newtown is the next closest centre, roughly 26 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 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; 63.7% of candidates at Newtown currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
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How does Newtown compare to the UK average?
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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.