Merthyr Tydfil driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Merthyr Tydfil's pass rate has been above Britain's pass rate every year since 2011, the first year DVSA has figures for it.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Merthyr Industrial Park, Pentrebach, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 4DR. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 51% overall (manual 53%, automatic 43%), 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? About average: it's around the middle of Britain's 276 bigger test centres.
- What's nearby? Abergavenny is the closest, 27 minutes away. Its pass rate is 64% and its typical wait about 1 month.
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. 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 | Merthyr Tydfil | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2 months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 3 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
Abergavenny is the only other centre within half an hour's drive. Its pass rate is higher than Merthyr Tydfil's, and its wait shorter.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Abergavenny 21 miles by road | 27 minutes | 64.2% | 65.7% | 54.8% | 1 month |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Merthyr Tydfil's pass rate was 51%, compared with 50% across Great Britain.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 43%, compared with 53%. That gap is about the same as at most centres. Its automatic pass rate is around the middle of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests. 16% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 52%, compared with 51%. 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 | 4,446 | 51.2% | 52.7% | 42.7% | 146th of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 3,703 | 53.5% | 54.3% | 48.7% | 75th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 3,365 | 49.8% | 50.0% | 48.1% | 126th of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 3,231 | 52.6% | 52.7% | 50.7% | 87th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 3,273 | 58.3% | 58.3% | 56.1% | 48th 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 Merthyr Tydfil.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Merthyr Tydfil?
43% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Merthyr Tydfil?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there. Or book a centre nearby: Abergavenny, 27 minutes away, had a typical wait of about 1 month.
How busy is Merthyr Tydfil test centre?
It ran 4,446 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. That's around the middle for Britain's test centres.
Can I move my test from Merthyr Tydfil 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 Abergavenny, about 27 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.