L learners insurance

Poole driving test centre pass rate

Official DVSA figures for car practical tests, April 2025 to March 2026.

53.4% of car driving tests at Poole were passes from April 2025 to March 2026: 5,538 of 10,375 tests. That is 3.3 points above the Great Britain rate of 50.0%.

At a glance

Poole
Tests conducted10,375
Passes5,538
Pass rate53.4%
Men54.6%
Women52.1%
Rank in Great Britain83 of 260
Rank in South West9 of 20
Median wait from booking to test7.1 weeks (August 2026)
Tests taken within 7 weeks of booking49%

Pass rate by age, 17 to 25

DVSA publishes the age breakdown for younger candidates only. Figures for April 2025 to March 2026.

AgeTestsPass rate
172,54861.9%
181,72354.6%
1977556.8%
2054152.5%
2147654.8%
2245752.1%
2334852.6%
2427550.2%

Pass rate over the years

YearTestsPooleGreat Britain
Apr 2025 to Mar 202610,37553.4%50.0%
Apr 2024 to Mar 20259,63948.4%48.7%
Apr 2023 to Mar 202411,66247.7%47.9%
Apr 2022 to Mar 202311,22149.8%48.4%
Apr 2021 to Mar 20227,80454.1%48.9%
Apr 2019 to Mar 20209,43852.8%45.9%
Apr 2018 to Mar 20194,61557.4%45.8%
Apr 2017 to Mar 20183,95256.3%46.3%
Apr 2016 to Mar 20176,48154.5%47.1%

Other test centres in South West

CentrePass rateTestsMedian wait
Barnstaple51.4%5,5628.0 weeks
Bodmin47.5%6,3923.6 weeks
Bristol (Avonmouth)55.5%9,4008.0 weeks
Bristol (Kingswood)51.9%14,8635.3 weeks
Camborne40.6%6,2715.6 weeks
Cheltenham43.2%5,16113.5 weeks
Chippenham56.4%9,6297.7 weeks
Dorchester69.0%4,35310.9 weeks
Exeter46.8%8,6797.6 weeks
Gloucester47.8%7,42019.0 weeks
Isles of Scilly75.0%8not published
Launceston46.3%3,9917.0 weeks
Newton Abbot53.8%6,5916.8 weeks
Penzance46.5%50721.0 weeks
Plymouth40.7%11,1677.0 weeks
Salisbury48.5%6,6305.3 weeks
Swindon51.1%12,85711.7 weeks
Taunton59.5%8,25911.9 weeks
Trowbridge55.2%3,0748.9 weeks
Weston-super-Mare61.0%4,4435.0 weeks
Yeovil63.4%7,49316.3 weeks

A high pass rate does not mean an easier test. Every centre tests to the same standard. The rate reflects who tests there: how much practice they have had, how many are on a first attempt, and the roads they learned on. Choosing a centre for its pass rate rarely helps if the roads are unfamiliar.

Before your test

Most learners who pass have had plenty of practice on top of their lessons, and practising in a family car means the car needs to insure you. Which kind of learner cover fits your situation and how short-term learner cover works are explained here, and every provider is compared side by side.

Source: DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: cars, Open Government Licence v3.0. Car practical tests, April 2025 to March 2026. DVSA leaves out centres where one examiner conducted every test (they still count in the national figure). Waiting times are DVSA's monthly figures. Every centre.