Bala driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Bala's pass rate is the highest it has been since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Unit 4, Penllyn Workshops, Bala, LL23 7SP. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 62%, compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 20 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Oswestry, about a 45 minute drive away.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3½ months, down from about 4 months in the 12 months before. Waits here have been falling, so yours could be shorter.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Bala | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 3½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 4 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
2019 starts in May and 2026 runs to September.
See how waits have changed across Britain in our report on driving test waiting times.
Other test centres nearby
No other test centre is within half an hour's drive of Bala. The nearest is Oswestry, about a 45 minute drive away. Its pass rate is 52% and its typical wait about 2½ months.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Oswestry 31 miles by road | 45 minutes | 52.4% | 54.7% | 39.0% | 2½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Bala's pass rate was 62%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate for the last 11 years. It wasn't always that way: when DVSA's figures began, in the 12 months to March 2008, it was 38%, below Britain's pass rate of 44%.
15% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain. That's 94 automatic tests, too few to give a reliable automatic pass rate.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 65%, compared with 58%. That's a wider gap than across Great Britain, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 to 2026 | 607 | 61.6% | 21st of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 574 | 61.1% | 18th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 479 | 57.0% | - |
| 2022 to 2023 | 591 | 51.3% | 109th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 716 | 54.6% | 84th of 280 |
Each year runs from April to March.
Compare every centre in our report on driving test pass rates.
Before your test
In the weeks before your test, ask your instructor to take you round the roads near the centre, and practise the faults learners make most often. If you're still looking for an instructor, see who teaches in Shropshire.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Bala?
There were only 94 tests in automatic cars here in the 12 months to March 2026: too few for the pass rate to mean much.
How can I get a test sooner at Bala?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Bala test centre?
It ran 607 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 42 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Bala to another centre?
Yes. You can move it to any centre with a free date, on gov.uk. Before you do, check your instructor can take you there, and bear in mind it's harder to pass on roads you don't know. The nearest other centre is Oswestry, about a 45 minute drive away.
Figures from DVSA: pass rates for the 12 months to March 2026, waits for September 2026, published 14 October 2026. Driving times by road, from OpenRouteService. How we worked these out.