England, Driving test centres

Driving Test Pass Rates in Poole

Poole has 4 DVSA driving test centres with a volume-weighted average car pass rate of 48.4% 0.3 pp below the UK national average of 48.7%. The full ranking, gender split, first-time pass rate and centre-by-centre data is below.

Centres
4
in Poole
Avg car pass rate
48.4%
-0.3 pp vs UK
UK average
48.7%
national benchmark
Total tests
96.4K
lifetime, all centres

About Poole

Poole is an English city served by a sizeable concentration of 4 DVSA practical driving test centres. Together, these centres have processed 96.4K tests on record, every result tracked here is sourced from the DVSA's quarterly statistical release and aggregated to give a like-for-like view of how each centre performs.

As a whole, Poole tracks the UK national average closely. With a city-wide car pass rate of 48.4%, within a percentage point of the 48.7% UK figure, candidates here can expect a typical level of difficulty.

Within the city the spread between the easiest and hardest centre is 33 percentage points: Poole leads at 81.4% (2024-25), while Poole sits at 48.4%. That gap matters when you book, the same candidate can have a meaningfully different experience depending on which routes they drive on test day. Most learners pick the centre closest to where they take their lessons, but it's worth a few mock runs at your shortlisted centre's actual routes before the real thing.

Poole vs the UK average

Poole
volume-weighted average
48.4%
-0.3 pp vs UK
UK 48.7%
0%25%50%75%100%

Poole below the UK average pass rate by 0.3 percentage points. Pass rates in Poole sit close to the UK norm, expect a typical level of difficulty.

Easiest & hardest centres in Poole

All centres compared

Pass rate by gender across Poole

Male pass rate
59.9%
weighted city average
Female pass rate
54.9%
weighted city average

Across Poole's test centres, men pass at 59.9% and women at 54.9% a gender gap of 5.1 percentage points in favour of male candidates. Across the UK, the gap is around 5 percentage points on average.

By test category

Car (1)
64.9K tests on record
Motorcycle Mod 1 (1)
13.8K tests on record
Motorcycle Mod 2 (1)
8.8K tests on record
HGV / LGV (1)
9.0K tests on record

All test centres in Poole

About these statistics

Pass rates shown above are aggregated across all available years of DVSA quarterly statistical data for each centre. Rates are volume-weighted across the city, larger centres carry proportionally more weight than smaller ones. Centres with fewer than 1,000 tests in the current period are flagged as low-sample to avoid statistically noisy comparisons. The best-performing centre in Poole is Poole at 81.4% (2024-25), and the toughest is Poole at 48.4% (2024-25). Always factor in your own preparation, instructor recommendations, and route familiarity, pass rates are a useful signal, not a guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

How many driving test centres are in Poole?
There are 4 DVSA driving test centres in Poole, England.
What is the average driving test pass rate in Poole?
Across Poole's car (category B) test centres, the volume-weighted average pass rate is 48.4%, compared to a UK national average of 48.7%. That puts Poole below the UK average by 0.3 percentage points.
Which is the easiest driving test centre in Poole?
Poole currently has the highest pass rate in Poole at 81.4% (2024-25 DVSA data), based on 2.8K tests in the period.
Which is the hardest driving test centre in Poole?
Poole has the lowest pass rate in Poole at 48.4% (2024-25 DVSA data), based on 9.6K tests in the period. Its routes may be more demanding than the city average.
Which Poole centre has the best first-time pass rate?
Poole has the highest first-time pass rate in Poole at 47.8% (2024-25 DVSA data). First-time pass rate measures the percentage of candidates who pass on their first attempt, a useful indicator of difficulty for new candidates.
How do I book a driving test in Poole?
All UK driving tests are booked via the official DVSA service at gov.uk/book-driving-test. You'll need your provisional licence number, a theory test pass certificate, and a payment method. Choose any of the centres listed above when selecting your location.
What does a UK driving test cost in Poole?
The standard DVSA car practical driving test fee in Poole is £62 on weekdays and £75 on weekends and evenings, the same across all UK test centres. There are no additional location-based fees. Always book through gov.uk to avoid third-party markups.
Is the pass rate higher at smaller centres in Poole?
Not always. Smaller centres in Poole can show higher percentages but also fluctuate more year to year because of small sample sizes, centres with fewer than 1,000 tests in the current period are flagged as "Low sample" above. Volume-weighted averages give a fairer picture.

Other cities you might compare

Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government License v3.0. 56.1K passes recorded across 4 Poole centres.