Chippenham driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Chippenham's pass rate rose from 51% to 56% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Unit 11, Cavalier Court, Bumpers Farm, Chippenham, SN14 6LH. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 56% overall (manual 58%, automatic 51%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 2½ months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 60 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? Swindon is the closest, 28 minutes away. Its pass rate is 51% and its typical wait about 3 months. Trowbridge, 30 minutes away, has a shorter wait, about 1½ months, and a pass rate of 55%.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 2 months, down from about 2½ months in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months.
| Year | Chippenham | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 3 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 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
There are three other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Trowbridge has the shortest wait, about 1½ months, and the highest pass rate too, 55%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Swindon 21 miles by road | 28 minutes | 51.1% | 53.2% | 45.4% | 3 months |
| Bristol (Kingswood) 18 miles by road | 29 minutes | 51.9% | 54.1% | 43.8% | 1½ months |
| Trowbridge 15 miles by road | 30 minutes | 55.2% | 56.0% | 51.5% | 1½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Chippenham's pass rate was 56%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate for the last two years.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 51%, compared with 58%. That gap is about the same as at most centres, but only 48 of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests had a higher automatic pass rate. 19% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 57%, compared with 56%. That's a similar gap to Great Britain's, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 9,629 | 56.4% | 57.8% | 50.6% | 61st of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 7,641 | 50.6% | 51.8% | 44.2% | 114th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 7,066 | 47.6% | 48.4% | 41.4% | 171st of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 8,229 | 46.4% | 47.1% | 41.1% | 180th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 6,610 | 45.9% | 46.4% | 39.3% | 215th 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 Chippenham.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Chippenham?
51% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Chippenham?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Trowbridge, 30 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1½ months.
How busy is Chippenham test centre?
It ran 9,629 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 72 of Britain's 311 test centres ran more.
Can I move my test from Chippenham 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 Swindon, about 28 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.