What is the pass rate at Cardiff (Llanishen)?

DVSA figures show 46.5% of car driving tests taken at Cardiff (Llanishen) were passed, 7,634 passes from 16,401 tests. That is 3.5 percentage points below the 50.0% national average, ranking it 252nd of 317 car test centres in Great Britain, and 4.8 points lower than 51.3% in 2024/25.

How long is the wait for a driving test at Cardiff (Llanishen)?

DVSA reports a median wait of 11.1 weeks, compared with 12.4 weeks a year earlier. 1,487 of 5,273 appointment slots in the current booking window remain open.

Does DVSA publish the Cardiff driving test routes?

No. DVSA does not publish routes used for real driving tests at Cardiff or any other test centre. Practise a varied mix of suitable roads and junctions rather than memorising an unofficial route.

How long does the car driving test at Cardiff take?

GOV.UK says you drive for around 35 minutes. The test also includes an eyesight check, two vehicle-safety questions, independent driving, and one reversing exercise.

What should I bring to my Cardiff driving test?

Bring your UK driving licence, your theory test pass certificate if you have it, and a suitable car. If you use your own car, it must meet the DVSA rules for driving tests.

What tests can I take at Cardiff (Llanishen)?

You can take practical driving tests at Cardiff (Llanishen).

Who runs Cardiff (Llanishen)?

Cardiff (Llanishen) is run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). DVSA publishes the pass-rate and waiting-time figures shown on this page.

Where do I take the theory test if I use Cardiff (Llanishen)?

Cardiff (Llanishen) does not run the theory test. The nearest theory test centre is Cardiff, 4.1 miles away.

Which other practical test centres are near Cardiff (Llanishen)?

The closest are Llantrisant (7.5 miles), Barry (9.3 miles), Newport (Gwent) LGV (10 miles). 6 of the 6 nearest are within 25 miles.

How do I get into Cardiff (Llanishen)?

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes this note for Cardiff (Llanishen): You cannot access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.

Cardiff (Llanishen) Practical Driving Test Centre

Listed as active

Information checked 13 July 2026

Centre details

Address: Cardiff (Llanishen), Cardiff Business Park, Cardiff, CF14 5GF
Run by: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Official website: View official office page

Before you travel

Listed in the official practical test-centre dataset at the snapshot time. This directory status is not real-time opening-hours confirmation. Check the official office page for same-day changes before travelling.

Tests available

Practical test

Available here

You can take your practical test at this location.

Test types: car, adi part 2, adi part 3

Practical test · Official requirements

Cardiff driving test centre guide

Cardiff follows the standard DVSA car-test format. Build reliable observation, speed, positioning, and independent-driving habits across a varied road mix instead of trying to predict the route.

Before test day

Plan the arrival before test day

The published address is Cardiff (Llanishen), Cardiff Business Park, Cardiff, CF14 5GF. Check the map, your booking confirmation, and any reporting instructions before you travel; this listing does not assume that candidate parking is available.

Local access, parking, and reception arrangements can change. Follow current signs and official appointment instructions when you arrive.

Useful skills and road types to practise

Treat these as preparation themes, not published test routes. Change the direction, timing, and traffic conditions with your instructor so you practise reading the road.

Vehicle control

Make moving off, stopping, steering, speed changes, and safe clearance feel routine enough that your attention stays on the road around you.

Junction observations

Vary the junctions and roundabouts you practise. Look early, judge gaps without pressure, and choose the correct lane before the decision becomes rushed.

Independent decisions

Follow signs or sat-nav directions while continuing safely. If you miss a turn, respond to the road in front of you instead of making a sudden correction.

A complete road mix

Practise residential, urban, rural, and higher-speed roads that are appropriate locally. The aim is adaptable driving, not predicting a route.

What happens on the day

01
Eyesight and safety question
Read a number plate from 20 metres away (or 20.5 metres for an old-style plate), then answer a “tell me” vehicle-safety question before driving.
02
Around 35 minutes of driving
GOV.UK says the driving portion lasts around 35 minutes. You drive in varied road and traffic conditions while the examiner assesses observation, control, and safe decisions.
03
Independent driving
Follow a sat nav, traffic signs, or both for 20 to 35 minutes. A wrong turn is not a fault if you continue safely.
04
Reversing and vehicle safety
Complete one reversing exercise and answer a “show me” question while driving. You might also be asked for an emergency stop.

Routes change. Good decisions travel.

DVSA does not publish real driving-test routes. If you take a wrong turn during independent driving, the examiner helps you get back on route; the turn itself is not marked as a fault. Use local practice to build adaptable habits, not to learn a script.

Test-day checklist

Bring your physical UK driving licence and your theory test pass certificate if you have it.
Use a suitable car—most learners use their instructor’s—and check the DVSA rules if you bring your own.
Recheck the appointment time, published address, route to the centre, and any instructions in your confirmation.
Allow for normal travel disruption while following any centre-specific arrival time in your booking confirmation.

Official guidance: what happens during the car test, what to take to a car test, book or manage a practical test and driving-test faults and results. Always recheck the official requirements before the appointment.

Pass rate at this centre

DVSA recorded 16,401 car driving tests at Cardiff (Llanishen) in 2025/26, of which 7,634 passed, a 46.5% pass rate, 3.5 points below the 50.0% national average. That is 252nd of 317 car test centres in Great Britain. The rate is 4.8 points lower than the 51.3% recorded in 2024/25.

Pass rate

46.5%

-3.5vs national

Tests conducted

16,401

Tests passed

7,634

National rank

252nd

of 317

Among the 5 nearest driving test centres with published figures, Weston-super-Mare has the highest pass rate at 61.0% and Newport (Gwent) the lowest at 48.9%. Cardiff (Llanishen)'s own 46.5% is lower than all 5 of them.

Source: DVSA table DRT122A, financial year 2025/26 and 2024/25. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Waiting time and appointment availability

DVSA reports a median wait of 11.1 weeks for a car driving test at Cardiff (Llanishen), 1.3 weeks shorter than a year earlier. 1,487 of 5,273 appointment slots in the current booking window are still open. Figures are for July 2026.

Median wait

11.1 wks

-1.3 wksvs last year

Slots still open

1,487

28.2% of capacity

Booked slots

3,786

First availability

16.5 wks

until 10% free

12-month waiting-time trend

August 2025 to July 2026

Median wait in weeks

Latest: 11.1 wks
Peak: 11.9 wks
Lowest: 5.6 wks

Ranged from 5.6 to 11.9 weeks over the period. Each point is the DVSA-published monthly median, not a live appointment quote.

The longest wait for a driving test at Cardiff (Llanishen) in this period was 11.9 weeks in August 2025, and the shortest was 5.6 weeks in February 2026. DVSA measures this as the median wait across appointments booked at the test centre, so it moves as examiner capacity and demand change.

Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published 2026-08-12.

What the numbers say about Cardiff (Llanishen)

Booking here means accepting the longer queue and the lower pass rate at the same time. Llantrisant, 7.5 miles away, recorded a 54% pass rate against 46.5% at Cardiff (Llanishen), a gap of 7.5 percentage points, and its median wait of 8.6 weeks runs 2.5 weeks shorter than Llanishen's 11.1. Barry (57%, 10 weeks, 9.3 miles) and Newport (Gwent) (48.9%, 6.2 weeks, 10 miles) point the same way, so the usual rate-versus-wait trade-off never really arises: every nearby centre with published data does better on both measures, and on these two measures the only trade is travel distance.

The centre's own record sharpens that choice rather than softening it. Its pass rate fell from 51.3% in 2024/25 to 46.5% in 2025/26, a drop of 4.8 percentage points that leaves it 3.5 points below the national figure of 50% and ranked 252 of 317 centres. The sample behind that figure is large (16,401 tests and 7,634 passes over the year), so the rate reflects a substantial body of results rather than a small-sample swing.

Waiting time offers no offset. As of July 2026 the median wait stood at 11.1 weeks, 1.3 weeks shorter than a year earlier, with availability at 28.2% in the DVSA booking data: the queue is easing, but slowly. If you are set on testing at this centre, that argues for booking well ahead. If you can travel, the comparison is straightforward: each neighbouring centre with published figures pairs a shorter wait with a higher recorded pass rate, so the decision turns on distance rather than on any balancing of rate against wait.

Analysis by the Drivings editorial team, drafted with AI assistance and checked against the DVSA figures on this page on 14 August 2026. Every figure is tested against the published datasets before release.

Accessibility and arrival information

Before you arrive

You cannot access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.

Where you take the theory test

Cardiff (Llanishen) does not run that test. The nearest theory test centre is Cardiff, 4.1 miles away.

Cardiff

4.1 miles away

Other theory test centres nearby

Nearest alternative practical test centres

The closest is Llantrisant, 7.5 miles from Cardiff (Llanishen); the furthest listed here is 15.7 miles. 4 of the 6 are within 10 miles.

Distances are straight-line, not driving routes.

Common questions about this centre

What is the pass rate at Cardiff (Llanishen)?: DVSA figures show 46.5% of car driving tests taken at Cardiff (Llanishen) were passed, 7,634 passes from 16,401 tests. That is 3.5 percentage points below the 50.0% national average, ranking it 252nd of 317 car test centres in Great Britain, and 4.8 points lower than 51.3% in 2024/25.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Cardiff (Llanishen)?: DVSA reports a median wait of 11.1 weeks, compared with 12.4 weeks a year earlier. 1,487 of 5,273 appointment slots in the current booking window remain open.
Does DVSA publish the Cardiff driving test routes?: No. DVSA does not publish routes used for real driving tests at Cardiff or any other test centre. Practise a varied mix of suitable roads and junctions rather than memorising an unofficial route.
How long does the car driving test at Cardiff take?: GOV.UK says you drive for around 35 minutes. The test also includes an eyesight check, two vehicle-safety questions, independent driving, and one reversing exercise.
What should I bring to my Cardiff driving test?: Bring your UK driving licence, your theory test pass certificate if you have it, and a suitable car. If you use your own car, it must meet the DVSA rules for driving tests.
What tests can I take at Cardiff (Llanishen)?: You can take practical driving tests at Cardiff (Llanishen).
Who runs Cardiff (Llanishen)?: Cardiff (Llanishen) is run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). DVSA publishes the pass-rate and waiting-time figures shown on this page.
Where do I take the theory test if I use Cardiff (Llanishen)?: Cardiff (Llanishen) does not run the theory test. The nearest theory test centre is Cardiff, 4.1 miles away.
Which other practical test centres are near Cardiff (Llanishen)?: The closest are Llantrisant (7.5 miles), Barry (9.3 miles), Newport (Gwent) LGV (10 miles). 6 of the 6 nearest are within 25 miles.
How do I get into Cardiff (Llanishen)?: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency publishes this note for Cardiff (Llanishen): You cannot access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.