Barnstaple driving test centre
Barnstaple passed 51.4% of car driving tests in April 2025 to March 2026, 1.4 points above the national average. That ranks it 151 of 289 centres with enough tests to compare.
Facts checked against GOV.UK and DVSA sources on 8 September 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.
What the numbers mean for you
Of the 5,562 car tests taken at Barnstaple between April 2025 and March 2026, 2,859 ended in a pass. That is better than the 50% average across every centre in the country, by 1.4 percentage points.
Against the year before, the pass rate fell 3.3 points from 54.7%.
A pass rate is not a difficulty score. It measures who passed, not how hard the routes are. Centres serving mostly well-prepared candidates score higher, and a quiet rural centre with few tests can swing several points on a handful of results. Use it to compare options, not to predict your own result.
Month by month at Barnstaple
The best month was April 2025 at 55.4%, the weakest October 2025 at 45.7%. Monthly figures bounce around at smaller centres because each month rests on a few hundred tests or fewer.
| Month | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2025 | 413 | 229 | 55.4% |
| May 2025 | 484 | 266 | 55% |
| June 2025 | 434 | 221 | 50.9% |
| July 2025 | 474 | 260 | 54.9% |
| August 2025 | 576 | 276 | 47.9% |
| September 2025 | 448 | 246 | 54.9% |
| October 2025 | 449 | 205 | 45.7% |
| November 2025 | 396 | 204 | 51.5% |
| December 2025 | 436 | 211 | 48.4% |
| January 2026 | 468 | 250 | 53.4% |
| February 2026 | 519 | 255 | 49.1% |
| March 2026 | 465 | 236 | 50.8% |
Getting an earlier test at Barnstaple
Waiting times are set locally, and the national picture (a 20.2 week average) hides a big spread between centres. Whatever the queue at Barnstaple, the route to a sooner date is the same: hold a booking, then watch for cancellations.
- Book whatever slot Barnstaple has, even months out. You cannot swap to a cancellation without an existing booking.
- Watch the free GOV.UK change service, especially just after 6am when the booking system reopens.
- Take an earlier slot when one appears, remembering car tests allow only 2 changes.
The full method, including what the paid cancellation checker apps do and where the scams are, is on our driving test cancellations guide.
Centres of a similar size
The DVSA table carries no locations, so this compares Barnstaple with centres running a similar number of tests rather than ones close by.
| Test centre | Pass rate | Tests conducted |
|---|---|---|
| Pontefract | 46.9% | 5,544 |
| Ashford (Kent) | 46.2% | 5,475 |
| Heckmondwike | 45.8% | 5,471 |
| Loughborough | 42.3% | 5,502 |
| Dunfermline (Vine) | 36.4% | 5,529 |
Common questions
What is the pass rate at Barnstaple driving test centre?
Barnstaple passed 51.4% of car driving tests in April 2025 to March 2026, from 5,562 tests conducted. The national average across all centres over the same period was 50%.
Is Barnstaple a hard test centre?
Its pass rate is 1.4 points above the national average, so on the DVSA numbers it is an easier centre than most. Pass rates reflect who takes tests there as much as the routes themselves, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise.
How do I get an earlier test at Barnstaple?
Book any available slot at Barnstaple first, then watch the free change service on GOV.UK for cancellations. Slots freed by other candidates reappear in the booking calendar within minutes and go quickly, so check early mornings around 6am. Car tests allow only 2 changes, so save them for a date you would genuinely keep.
How many driving tests does Barnstaple conduct?
5,562 car tests in April 2025 to March 2026, which makes it one of the busier centres in the country. Busier centres tend to release more cancellation slots, but they also have more people chasing them.