Swindon Driving Test Centre
Swindon posts a 49.3% pass rate, with Chippenham the nearest alternative about 17 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Swindon sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 41%, rank #190 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Salisbury, about 34.0 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 55.9K passed, 54.0K failed, 109.9K total
How Swindon compares
Swindon sits within a percentage point of the UK figure and is ranked 190 of 323 in its category: the venue itself is unlikely to move your odds either way.
Where Swindon ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Swindon has given up 3.5 points since 2017-18 (52.8% then, 49.3% now); the low water mark was 46.6% in 2021-22.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Swindon
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Swindon in May 2026 had waited 10 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 Swindon
- car
- motorcycle module 1 (off-road)
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- 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 SN5 5BL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Swindon is one of the DVSA's car test sites in England, located in Swindon at SN1 1JZ. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 109.9K tests over 2017-18-2024-25 is large enough that any rounding you see between sites is just rounding, not disagreement on the underlying data.
Swindon runs close to the national curve: 49.3% pass rate, within a point of the UK average of 48.7%. The rank is #190 of 323 car centres. 48.9% first-attempt pass at Swindon, UK is 49%. The two numbers move together; whatever edge or drag the centre has on overall pass rate doesn't show up at the first-attempt level.
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 Swindon
- Swindon doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
- Swindon is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- Ask any instructor working Swindon 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.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Swindon, 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 Swindon
Turn up at Swindon ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder (postcode SN1 1JZ). Demand is high and waits are near 15 to 19 weeks, so an early booking plus a cancellation watch is the sensible approach. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror. If Chippenham is fully booked, Swindon is the next closest centre, roughly 17 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 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.
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; 49.3% of candidates at Swindon currently clear that.
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.