Ceredigion · Wales
Cardigan driving test centre
41% of car practical tests taken at Cardigan passed in 2025-26, from 1,192 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Cardigan pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
41%
489 passes
National average
50%
-9 points here
Tests conducted
1,192
about 99 a month
Best published year
52.3%
2021-22
1,192 car practical tests were taken at Cardigan in 2025-26. 41% passed, 9 percentage points below the national average of 50%. That is down from 49.7% in 2019-20.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 41% in 2025-26 and 52.3% in 2021-22, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. In 2025-26 the rate was 40% for male candidates and 42.1% for female candidates. That works out at roughly 99 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Cardigan depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Cardigan
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 1,192 | 489 | 41% | 50% | 40% | 42.1% |
| 2024-25 | 1,340 | 667 | 49.8% | 48.7% | 48.9% | 50.9% |
| 2023-24 | 1,360 | 685 | 50.4% | 47.9% | 47.9% | 53.2% |
| 2022-23 | 1,475 | 759 | 51.5% | 48.4% | 52.6% | 50% |
| 2021-22 | 1,405 | 735 | 52.3% | 48.9% | 52.8% | 51.7% |
| 2019-20 | 1,127 | 560 | 49.7% | 45.9% | 54.1% | 46.2% |
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, car practical driving test pass rates by test centre, published on GOV.UK. Figures are financial years running April to March.
Where Cardigan test centre is
Arrive ten minutes early and park where you can pull out easily. The waiting room is small at most centres, so your instructor will normally wait in the car park while you take the test.
Driving out of Cardigan
Routes out of Cardigan use the roads around the centre: town-centre streets, a-roads and residential estates. Each of them is marked differently, which is why the last few hours of tuition are worked around the centre.
Progress is marked as well as caution: hanging back on clear A-road stretches reads as hesitancy. Sat-nav sections usually run on the wider through-routes rather than the back streets. Cardigan covers a wide slice of Ceredigion, and instructors who teach it weekly know which approach roads back up.
Cardigan takes candidates from across Ceredigion, so plenty arrive having learned on a different road mix. That usually shows in the first five minutes of the drive.
Most learners who retake at Cardigan say the driving was fine and the pressure was not.
Roads you are likely to meet
Town-centre streets
A-roads
Residential estates
- Progress is marked as well as caution: hanging back on clear A-road stretches reads as hesitancy.
- Sat-nav sections usually run on the wider through-routes rather than the back streets.
- Cardigan covers a wide slice of Ceredigion, and instructors who teach it weekly know which approach roads back up.
Test routes are no longer published by the DVSA, and examiners vary them. Treat this as a guide to the local road types rather than a route list. Book your test and check availability on GOV.UK.
Where marks are lost at Cardigan
Meeting traffic and clearance
Whose priority it is, how much room you leave for parked cars, and whether you wait in a safe place — all marked closely on these streets.
How we prepare you for this centre
Practice where you will be marked
Your instructor works the roads around Cardigan in the sessions before your test — town-centre streets included — not generic estate roads.
A marked mock run
Run silently and scored properly — no coaching mid-drive — then debriefed fault by fault.
Manoeuvres to standard
Bay park, parallel park, pull up on the right and forward bay — rehearsed on live roads near the centre rather than an empty car park.
Everything around the drive
Paperwork, show me / tell me questions and the independent drive, run through in advance.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Cardigan test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Cardigan?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Cardigan draw on town-centre streets, a-roads, residential estates, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Cardigan?
meeting traffic and clearance — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Cardigan?
Yes. We match you with a DVSA approved instructor who teaches on these roads day to day, and we look for the earliest practical slot at Cardigan.
How do I book a practical test at Cardigan?
Practical tests are booked through GOV.UK with your provisional licence and theory certificate numbers. We can check cancellations for you once your course dates are set.
What do I need to bring to Cardigan?
Aim to be there ten minutes before your slot with your provisional licence. Your instructor will normally use the half hour beforehand for a warm-up drive on nearby roads rather than sitting in the car park.
Does Cardigan have a good pass rate?
Travelling for a higher published pass rate usually backfires: you arrive tired, on roads you have never driven. Preparing properly for Cardigan is the better use of the same hours.
Not sure how many hours you need?
Answer four quick questions and we will recommend a course based on your experience, not a sales target.