Cardiff Llanishen driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Thornbury House, Unit 11 Lambourne Crescent, Cardiff business Park, Cardiff, CF14 5GF. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 47% overall (manual 49%, automatic 39%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 2 months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Harder than most. Only 62 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a lower pass rate.
- What's nearby? Llantrisant is the closest, 19 minutes away. Its pass rate is 54% and its typical wait about 1½ months.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 2 months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Cardiff Llanishen | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 2 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
Llantrisant is the only other centre within half an hour's drive. Its pass rate is higher than Cardiff Llanishen's, and its wait shorter.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Llantrisant 10 miles by road | 19 minutes | 54.0% | 56.6% | 45.0% | 1½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Cardiff Llanishen's pass rate was 47%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. The year before, it was above Britain's pass rate.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 39%, compared with 49%. That gap is about the same as at most centres, but only 51 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a lower automatic pass rate. 28% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 48%, compared with 45%. 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 16,401 | 46.5% | 49.4% | 39.2% | 214th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 14,852 | 51.3% | 53.3% | 44.5% | 99th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 16,178 | 50.4% | 52.1% | 43.6% | 113th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 15,160 | 57.7% | 58.4% | 54.0% | 38th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 10,305 | 57.0% | 57.9% | 50.5% | 58th 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 Cardiff.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Cardiff Llanishen?
39% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Cardiff Llanishen?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Cardiff Llanishen test centre?
It ran 16,401 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only four of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Cardiff Llanishen 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 closest other centre is Llantrisant, about 19 minutes away by road.
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.