Swansea · Wales
Swansea driving test centre
48.2% of car practical tests taken at Swansea passed in 2025-26, from 12,375 tests. Pass rates, local road types and how we prepare you for this centre.
Swansea pass rates
Pass rate 2025-26
48.2%
5,970 passes
National average
50%
-1.8 points here
Tests conducted
12,375
about 1,031 a month
Best published year
53.4%
2023-24
12,375 car practical tests were taken at Swansea in 2025-26. 48.2% passed, 1.8 percentage points below the national average of 50%. That is down from 52.5% in 2019-20.
Over the published years the rate has moved between 48.2% in 2025-26 and 53.4% in 2023-24, so a single year's figure is a weak guide on its own. That works out at roughly 1,031 tests a month, which is what waiting times at Swansea depend on more than the pass rate does.
- Swansea
- National average
| Year | Tests | Passes | Pass rate | National | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 12,375 | 5,970 | 48.2% | 50% | 48.8% | 47.6% |
| 2024-25 | 10,590 | 5,521 | 52.1% | 48.7% | 51.3% | 53.3% |
| 2023-24 | 10,403 | 5,551 | 53.4% | 47.9% | 54.3% | 52.2% |
| 2022-23 | 7,880 | 4,158 | 52.8% | 48.4% | 54% | 51.5% |
| 2021-22 | 6,836 | 3,371 | 49.3% | 48.9% | 49.7% | 48.9% |
| 2019-20 | 6,377 | 3,350 | 52.5% | 45.9% | 53.2% | 51.9% |
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 Swansea 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 Swansea
Tests from Swansea run mostly on steep hills, seafront and a4067. Those road types sit close together, so several of them can appear in the first ten minutes.
Hill starts on residential gradients.
Swansea covers learners in and around Swansea, and it is where most of our Swansea course students sit the test. If you are choosing between centres, practise the road types listed above rather than picking on pass-rate figures alone.
A marked mock test on these roads is the most useful thing you can do in the week before your slot.
Roads you are likely to meet
Steep hills
Seafront
A4067
- Hill starts on residential gradients.
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 Swansea
Clutch control on gradients
On a gradient the margin for a slipped biting point disappears. Handbrake held until the car is genuinely pulling, every time.
How we prepare you for this centre
Local route practice
The last hours of your course are spent on steep hills and seafront near the centre, because that is what the examiner will put you on.
One rehearsal, examiner-style
Marked the way an examiner marks it, on a Swansea route, with a written debrief of every fault.
All four manoeuvres
Every manoeuvre practised with traffic present, because that is the version that appears on the day.
Test-day rehearsal
Licence and theory certificate checked, show me / tell me covered, and the sat-nav section practised before the day.
Courses that suit test-centre prep
Swansea test centre FAQs
What are the test routes like at Swansea?
The DVSA stopped publishing official routes, and examiners vary them. In practice, routes from Swansea draw on steep hills, seafront, a4067, so those are the conditions to rehearse rather than a fixed sequence of streets.
What do learners most often fail on at Swansea?
clutch control on gradients — all of which come directly from the road types on the local network.
Can I take an intensive course and test at Swansea?
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 Swansea or a nearby centre serving Swansea.
How do I book a practical test at Swansea?
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.
How early should I arrive at Swansea?
Ten minutes early is enough. Bring your provisional licence; the eyesight check happens outside before you get in the car, so know which plate you can read.
Should I travel to a different centre instead?
We will not sell you a pass rate. Published DVSA figures reflect who books there as much as the roads, and a centre an hour away that you cannot practise around is a worse bet than the one your instructor drives every week.
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.