Rhyl Driving Test Centre
Rhyl posts a 55.9% pass rate, with Bala the nearest alternative about 29 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Rhyl sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 29%, rank #95 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Southport (Liverpool), about 30.2 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 27.2K passed, 33.6K failed, 60.9K total
How Rhyl compares
The 7.2-point advantage at Rhyl (ranked 95 of 323 in its category) is worth having but not decisive; a well-prepared candidate passes at either kind of centre.
Where Rhyl ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The direction of travel here is upward: Rhyl has added 8 points since 2017-18, from 47.9% to 55.9%, with its strongest year at 55.9% in 2024-25.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Rhyl
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 15.5 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Rhyl in May 2026 had waited 3.9 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
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Rhyl
- car
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- ADI part 2
- 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 LL18 2EL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Drivers booked at Rhyl report to a DVSA centre in Rhyl, Denbighshire, postcode LL18 1RG. The car routes used here are drawn from the streets the centre's examiners drive every week, so the test reflects local conditions rather than a generic syllabus. Rhyl runs at high volume: 60.9K tests across 2017-18-2024-25 put it among the busier DVSA centres in the country. The headline numbers carry weight because the sample carries weight.
By raw pass rate Rhyl sits at 55.9%, with the DVSA's national car average over the same window running at 48.7%. The gap (7.2 points clear of the UK figure) places the centre at rank #95 of 323, inside the upper half of the country's car test centres. First-time pass rate: 55.6%. UK average: 49%. Rhyl is 6.6 points to the good on first attempts, a meaningful gap, not a rounding artefact.
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 Rhyl
- Rhyl 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.
- First-time pass rate of 55.6% at Rhyl is on the forgiving side. A well-prepared first booking has a reasonable shot; don't over-correct by booking a "practice" test you don't actually need.
- 60.9K tests through this centre over the published window. At that throughput, competition for short-notice slots is constant, so make a habit of checking the official booking page often.
- Ask any instructor working Rhyl about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- Book through the official DVSA service (gov.uk/book-driving-test). Third-party "fast-track" sites charge a premium for the same booking; the official DVSA booking service is free.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Rhyl
Plan to arrive at Rhyl 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 LL18 1RG) a day or two ahead. Demand here is moderate with waits around 11 to 15 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. If Bala is fully booked, Rhyl is the next closest centre, roughly 29 miles away.
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 seven tests includes an emergency stop, a frequency the DVSA reduced in late 2025. The drive works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Rhyl. 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 55.9% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
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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.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.