Penzance Driving Test Centre
At Penzance, 49.4% 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 July 2026
Penzance sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 42%, rank #188 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Isles of Scilly, about 37.1 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 12.0K passed, 11.7K failed, 23.6K total
How Penzance compares
Statistically Penzance is about as neutral as a venue gets, under a point from the national average and ranked 188 of 323 in its category. Preparation, not postcode, decides the outcome here.
Where Penzance ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Penzance has given up 3.5 points since 2016-17 (52.7% then, 49.2% now); the low water mark was 47.3% in 2019-20.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Penzance
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 19 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Penzance in May 2026 had waited 13.4 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
Accessibility & facilities
Parking, toilets, and disabled-access details vary by centre. Check the official DVSA find a driving test centre tool, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Penzance is one of the DVSA's car test sites in England, located in Penzance, Cornwall. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. Penzance sees moderate volume: 23.6K practical tests through 2016-17-2024-25. Year-on-year percentages here are meaningful, but watch the trend line rather than fixating on any single period.
Penzance runs close to the national curve: 49.4% pass rate, within a point of the UK average of 48.7%. The rank is #188 of 323 car centres. Penzance is one of the tougher venues for a first attempt. The DVSA reports 45.9% first-time pass against a UK average of 49%, 3.1 points down on the national figure.
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 Penzance
- Pass rate at Penzance sits close to the UK average. Prepare for an ordinary level of difficulty: examiners apply the standard DVSA marking sheet, and the routes are a representative mix of local conditions.
- Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Penzance will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Penzance, 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.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Penzance
Arrive at Penzance 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 maps the centre and its surroundings. Waits here run around 9 to 13 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 Camborne is fully booked, Penzance is the next closest centre, roughly 13 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; 49.4% of candidates at Penzance currently clear that. First-time candidates pass less often than the headline suggests, 45.9% versus 49.4% overall, so a first booking is worth preparing thoroughly.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Penzance?
Is Penzance an easy or hard test centre?
How does Penzance compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Penzance record?
Which driving test centres are near Penzance?
When is the best time to book a test at Penzance?
How do I book a test at Penzance and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Penzance?
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.