Newtown driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Newtown's pass rate fell from 64% to 58% in a year.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Ladywell House, Newtown, SY16 1JB. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 58% overall (manual 62%, automatic 47%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 3 months. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? Easier than most. Only 42 of Britain's 276 bigger centres had a higher pass rate.
- What's nearby? None within half an hour. The nearest is Oswestry, about 26 miles away in a straight line.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 3 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 | Newtown | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 5½ months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 2 months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 2½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 3 months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 2½ 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 Newtown. The nearest is Oswestry, about 26 miles away in a straight line.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Newtown's pass rate was 58%, compared with 50% across Great Britain. It has been above Britain's pass rate every year since DVSA's figures began in 2007.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 47%, compared with 62%. That gap is wider than at most centres. Its automatic pass rate is around the middle of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests. 28% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 59%, compared with 57%. 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 | 2,256 | 58.0% | 62.1% | 47.4% | 43rd of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 1,740 | 63.7% | 66.4% | 53.0% | 11th of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 1,835 | 67.7% | 70.0% | 54.4% | 3rd of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 1,415 | 59.1% | - | - | 23rd of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 957 | 74.5% | - | - | 2nd 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 Newtown.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Newtown?
47% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Newtown?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Newtown test centre?
It ran 2,256 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Only 74 of Britain's 311 test centres ran fewer.
Can I move my test from Newtown 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 26 miles away in a straight line.
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.