Plymouth driving test centre

England • South WestAbout 7 weeks

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Driving test centre Plymouth

Ernsettle Lane

Plymouth

PL5 2EY

40.7%

2025/26 pass rate · all attempts

9.3 percentage points below average

Out of every 100 car tests at Plymouth last year, about 41 passed (9.3 points below the 50.0% UK average).

DVSA DRT122A · OGL v3
First-time pass

38.8%

11.8 points below the national first-attempt average.

Reported wait

7 weeks

Reported in July 2026 (DRT122F); this centre median is not a booking promise.

This centre in numbers

87

11,167 published tests in April 2025 - March 2026 · 40.7% overall pass rate

Waiting times at Plymouth

The reported wait was 7 weeks in July 2026. It is a reported centre figure, not a promise of when a test will be available.

The pass rate was 40.7% from 11,167 tests in April 2025 - March 2026.

What a lower rate actually means

Busier roads and trickier junctions push the rate down. About 87 people still pass here every week, and they practised the same roads you can.

Fault snapshot

Junctions - observation

This was the most commonly recorded fault here in April 2025 - March 2026. It is a useful place to start a conversation, not a prediction for your test.

Recorded
5,211
marks
Rate
46.7
marks per 100 tests

Before the day, take a calm look at the parts of moving off that feel least settled: observations, control and choosing a safe gap. Your instructor can help you practise the bits that need another go.

Explore the full fault breakdown

National pass rates also move with the calendar - see UK seasonality.

Across the region

South West centres by current pass rate.

  • Dorchester69%
  • Yeovil63.4%
  • Taunton59.5%
  • Chippenham56.4%
  • Bristol (Avonmouth)55.5%
  • Trowbridge55.2%
  • Newton Abbot53.8%
  • Plymouth40.7%

Pass rate · last 12 months

Overall, male and female monthly rates for this centre. Gaps bridge months with no tests.

Men and women breakdown

Men and women here

Women have the higher published pass rate here in April 2025 - March 2026; no wider explanation is inferred from these figures. On 11,167 tests the difference is small enough to move year to year.

Axis starts at 36%.

How faults are marked

Every mark is serious, dangerous, or a driving (minor) fault. Shown per 100 tests.

  • Serious · 119.8
  • Dangerous · 6.2
  • Driving · 601.3

Faults that end tests

Top categories by total marks in April 2025 - March 2026. Colour shows severity mix within each bar.

  • Junctions - observation5,211
  • Move off - safely5,108
  • Mirrors - change direction4,840
  • Maintain progress - speed4,684
  • Control - steering4,395
  • Maintain progress - undue hesitation4,283
  • Move off - control3,230
  • Mirrors - change speed3,206
Serious Dangerous Driving

Named categories

Counts per 100 tests.

Top 10 fault categories
FaultSerious / 100Dangerous / 100Driving / 100All / 100
Junctions - observation13.81.931.046.7
Move off - safely4.30.241.245.7
Mirrors - change direction11.61.530.343.3
Maintain progress - speed3.30.038.641.9
Control - steering3.70.235.439.4
Maintain progress - undue hesitation3.40.035.038.4
Move off - control2.30.126.628.9
Mirrors - change speed2.70.126.028.7
Positioning - normal driving5.10.119.524.6
Mirrors - signalling0.50.023.423.9
About these figures
Fault categories are self-reported by DVSA examiners; a single test can record more than one fault, so these describe examiner records, not route difficulty.

More about this centre

Waiting time, automatic and first-attempt detail, and DVSA-initiated cancellations - only the slices this centre publishes.

Waiting time

Median wait and slot availability as of July 2026.

Slots still bookable

36.6%

As of July 2026

Weeks to 10%+ availability

15 weeks

DRT122F · July 2026

Overtime slots added

140

Automatic transmission

2,442 automatic tests in April 2025 - March 2026.

Pass rate

34.5%

2,442 automatic tests

Male

30.8%

1,126 tests

Female

37.7%

1,316 tests

First-time passes

First attempts in April 2025 - March 2026. Cleaner than the all-attempt rate when published.

Faultless passes

75

Zero-fault first-time passes

First vs overall

+1.9 pts

All-attempt rate vs first-attempt rate

DVSA cancellations

About 1.2% of tests attempted here. DVSA-initiated, not learner no-shows.

Tests cancelled

140

DRT122B · April 2025 - March 2026

  • Medical absences140

Nearby test centres