Newtown Driving Test Centre
The Newtown driving test centre is located in Newtown, Wales (SY16 1AQ). 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
12.8K passed, 8.9K failed, 21.7K total
How Newtown compares
Newtown 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 Newtown ranks among 323 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 Newtown have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Newtown typically wait around 11 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 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 routes (less traffic, simpler junction geometry); the standard is national.
- 64.5% of first-timers pass at Newtown. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, that figure is a fair guide, the centre isn't the variable, your preparation is.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Newtown routes. Local instructors know which junctions are the centre's hardest and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Newtown, the DVSA's official cancellation pool refreshes constantly. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for better odds.
Other test centres nearby
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 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 Llandrindod Wells is fully booked, Newtown is the next closest centre, roughly 19 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 show-me and one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of four set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in three. 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.
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
What is the pass rate at Newtown?
Is Newtown an easy or hard test centre?
How does Newtown compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Newtown each year?
Which driving test centres are near Newtown?
When is the best time to book a test at Newtown?
How do I book a test at Newtown and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Newtown?
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.