Cardigan driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Cardigan's pass rate fell from 50% to 41% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Crown Buildings, Napier Street, Cardigan, SA43 1ED. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 41%, compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 1½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Harder than most. Only 18 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a lower pass rate.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Carmarthen, about a 50 minute drive away.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 2½ months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
The wait here has been shorter than Britain's typical wait in seven of the last eight years.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1 month.
| Year | Cardigan | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 month | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 3 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 1½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 2½ 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
No other test centre is within half an hour's drive of Cardigan. The nearest is Carmarthen, about a 50 minute drive away. Its pass rate is 54% and its typical wait about 2½ months.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Carmarthen 29 miles by road | 50 minutes | 54.2% | 55.9% | 44.1% | 2½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Cardigan's pass rate was 41%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. The year before, it was above Britain's pass rate.
Women had a higher pass rate than men here: 42%, compared with 40%. Across Great Britain it was the other way round: men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 1,192 | 41.0% | - | - | 258th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 1,340 | 49.8% | 51.0% | 38.2% | 134th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 1,360 | 50.4% | - | - | 117th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 1,475 | 51.5% | - | - | 107th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 1,405 | 52.3% | - | - | 117th 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 Pembrokeshire.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Cardigan?
38% in the 12 months to March 2025, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 44%.
How can I get a test sooner at Cardigan?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Cardigan test centre?
It ran 1,192 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 54 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Cardigan 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 Carmarthen, about a 50 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.