England · practical testing
Barnstaple
Driving test centre.
Official results, the context behind them and a practical way to plan your next step.
51.4%
All-car pass rate · 2025/26 5,562
Tests taken · 2025/26 8.0 weeks
Median completed wait 11.0 weeks
Forward availability measure Results: official source tables. Waiting measures: August 2026, DRT122F. Missing values are not zero. Definitions and limitations.
Plan the practicalities
Address and visiting information
- Agree readiness and test-day car use with your instructor.
- Check the current venue address, facilities and offered services.
- Use the correct official booking service for your nation.
- Check any support or adjustments before the appointment.
Published address: Unit 1A, Benning Court (off Riverside Road), Pottington Industrial Estate, Barnstaple, EX31 1AB Official instructions and service notes: This test centre provides these types of tests: car, motorcycle module 2 (on-road), You can access this test centre if you use a wheelchair.
Services in the published venue record: car · motorcycle module 2 (on-road) · You can access this test centre if you use a wheelchair
Venue information dated 2026-09-12. Read the venue source These services and the historical results above refer to different dates.
A centre’s statistical name may not identify the latest building. Any address must be checked against your booking confirmation.
The wider picture
Pass rates over time
Compare the same test group across published periods.
View annual results and test counts
| Period | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 851 | 510 | 59.9% |
| 2021/22 | 3,044 | 1,682 | 55.3% |
| 2022/23 | 3,221 | 1,749 | 54.3% |
| 2023/24 | 3,842 | 2,108 | 54.9% |
| 2024/25 | 3,583 | 1,961 | 54.7% |
| 2025/26 | 5,562 | 2,859 | 51.4% |
Candidate mix and repeated attempts affect these figures. The highest rate does not identify the easiest test for you.
Where can you move your car test?
Explore permitted movesDVSA publishes these destinations for Barnstaple. Your original booked centre may also be an option. The booking service confirms the choices available for your booking.
DVSA permitted destination list · checked 2026-09-29. These are directed permission relationships, not a straight-line nearest-centre calculation or live appointments.
Two different measures
Understand the wait.
A completed wait describes past test takers. The availability measure describes the published booking outlook at that time.
Explore the last 12 published months
| Month | Median completed wait | Forward availability | Completed within 7 weeks | Completed after 21 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 4.7 weeks | 24.0 weeks | 63.6% | 7.8% |
| October 2025 | 5.0 weeks | 23.8 weeks | 59.0% | 11.4% |
| November 2025 | 6.1 weeks | 23.5 weeks | 54.8% | 16.2% |
| December 2025 | 6.7 weeks | 23.4 weeks | 53.2% | 12.2% |
| January 2026 | 5.4 weeks | 11.8 weeks | 56.6% | 13.7% |
| February 2026 | 3.4 weeks | 19.8 weeks | 61.1% | 11.8% |
| March 2026 | 4.6 weeks | 19.0 weeks | 58.1% | 13.5% |
| April 2026 | 9.1 weeks | 14.3 weeks | 44.5% | 19.9% |
| May 2026 | 7.0 weeks | 12.0 weeks | 50.7% | 15.1% |
| June 2026 | 8.0 weeks | 11.0 weeks | 46.6% | 10.0% |
| July 2026 | 8.0 weeks | 11.8 weeks | 45.8% | 7.9% |
| August 2026 | 8.0 weeks | 11.0 weeks | 41.8% | 7.1% |
This is not a live appointment search. The
forward measure concerns when at least 10% of weekly appointments
are available in the published snapshot. It is not the earliest
slot. Use the official booking service for current appointments.
Automatic transmission
A separate candidate group.
Automatic pass rate · 2025/26
41.8%
Automatic tests
1,081
Automatic-only outcomes use a different group of tests from the all-car rate. They do not establish which transmission is easier for you. Source: DRT122E.
Choosing manual or automaticFirst-attempt results
These figures describe people recorded as taking their first car test. They are a different test group from the all-attempt results above.
First-attempt pass rate
53.8%
2025/26 · 1,367 passes from 2,540 tests.
First tests with zero faults
97
Published count for 2025/26. A zero-fault test is a separate measure from passing.
Use the right comparison
A centre’s candidate mix, experience and repeated attempts affect its overall rate. Neither figure measures an individual instructor’s performance or predicts your result.
Assess your readinessFirst-attempt history and source definitions
| Period | First attempts | Passes | Pass rate | Zero-fault first tests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 552 | 323 | 58.5% | 16 |
| 2021/22 | 1,687 | 922 | 54.7% | 48 |
| 2022/23 | 1,665 | 857 | 51.5% | 43 |
| 2023/24 | 1,941 | 1,017 | 52.4% | 57 |
| 2024/25 | 1,848 | 988 | 53.5% | 60 |
| 2025/26 | 2,540 | 1,367 | 53.8% | 97 |
Suppressed values remain unavailable. DVSA notes that licence-number changes can affect first-attempt identification. Single-examiner centres may be withheld from centre-level tables; published national totals include additional withheld records.
Read DRT122C and its notesSource: DVSA DRT122C, total columns. These are source figures, not an inferred first-time pass rate.
When DVSA cancelled tests
73 cancellations were recorded for 2025/26. The table records the date DVSA cancelled a booking, which can differ from the intended test date.
| Published reason | Cancellations |
|---|---|
| Leave | 5 |
| Disputes | 0 |
| Acts of nature | 18 |
| Medical absences | 50 |
| Pandemic | 0 |
“Acts of nature” covers adverse weather and bad light. Medical absences refer to examiners. The counts cover all DVSA cancellations, including advance notice; they do not count learners cancelling and cannot be read as the probability of your appointment being cancelled.
Published monthly cancellation counts
| Recorded month | Total cancellations |
|---|---|
| June 2025 | 3 |
| October 2025 | 3 |
| November 2025 | 16 |
| January 2026 | 39 |
| February 2026 | 7 |
| March 2026 | 5 |
Only months present in the source appear. Missing rows are not filled with zero.
Source: DVSA DRT122B and full cancellation definitions. Plan booking and changes.
Recorded driving faults: what to practise
Source months: January 2026 and February 2026. These are fault counts from tests at this centre, grouped by the examiner’s recorded category. Start a discussion with your instructor about the skills behind the figures.
| Source category | Serious faults | Dangerous faults | Driving faults |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirrors - change direction | 94 | 12 | 163 |
| Response to signs - traffic signs | 85 | 6 | 80 |
| Junctions - observation | 71 | 30 | 193 |
| Awareness/planning | 50 | 6 | 83 |
| Response to signs - road markings | 40 | 1 | 44 |
| Use of speed | 39 | 0 | 155 |
| Reverse park - Control | 34 | 5 | 154 |
| Move off - control | 27 | 2 | 301 |
A test can contain multiple faults. These counts are not failed-test totals, fault rates or a prediction of your result. Learn the full syllabus; this is not a list of test routes or shortcuts.
Source: DVSA FOI 2606-112694, Annex H, released July 2026. Only clearly labelled January–February rows are included; later or unlabelled blocks are excluded. Category names are retained from the source and may include legacy labels.
Build a realistic budget
Include lessons, official fees and test-day car use.
Check your readiness
Use a structured conversation with your instructor.
Plan travel and conditions
Official road, public transport and weather sources.
Suggest a correction to this record. For a booking issue, contact the official test authority.
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These are regional comparisons, not a list of permitted booking transfers or the closest centres by travel time.