Waterford rates: 42.1% (6,805)
Test centre in County Waterford, with every figure from the CSO tables the Road Safety Authority publishes.- 6,805car tests
- 57 of 57car rank
- 16weeks to invite (August 2026)
How Waterford compares
Waterford finished 10.3 points below the national car rate of 52.4%, with 42.1% across 6,805 tests. That puts the centre among the five lowest rates of 57 centres with at least 500 car tests, at 1st lowest. Compared with the County Waterford car rate of 45.1%, the figure here is 3.0 points lower.
Car driving test pass rate at Waterford, month by month
Waterford rose 6.6 points between the first and last six months, from 38.9% to 45.5%. Monthly rates ran from 37.5% in January 2026 to 51.8% in June 2026.
Above the national car rate of 52.4%Below it
- Sep 202435.2%448 tests
- Oct 202437.2%541 tests
- Nov 202431.7%407 tests
- Dec 202435.4%366 tests
- Jan 202544.3%499 tests
- Feb 202541.6%403 tests
- Mar 202541.0%480 tests
- Apr 202539.0%461 tests
- May 202535.0%364 tests
- Jun 202537.8%393 tests
- Jul 202537.4%484 tests
- Aug 202537.3%479 tests
- Sep 202540.1%666 tests
- Oct 202539.1%660 tests
- Nov 202538.4%474 tests
- Dec 202538.6%409 tests
- Jan 202637.5%651 tests
- Feb 202639.2%630 tests
- Mar 202644.2%650 tests
- Apr 202640.2%501 tests
- May 202642.6%443 tests
- Jun 202651.8%549 tests
- Jul 202648.5%758 tests
- Aug 202643.3%414 tests
Show the monthly figures
| Month | Car tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| September 2024 | 448 | 35.2% |
| October 2024 | 541 | 37.2% |
| November 2024 | 407 | 31.7% |
| December 2024 | 366 | 35.4% |
| January 2025 | 499 | 44.3% |
| February 2025 | 403 | 41.6% |
| March 2025 | 480 | 41.0% |
| April 2025 | 461 | 39.0% |
| May 2025 | 364 | 35.0% |
| June 2025 | 393 | 37.8% |
| July 2025 | 484 | 37.4% |
| August 2025 | 479 | 37.3% |
| September 2025 | 666 | 40.1% |
| October 2025 | 660 | 39.1% |
| November 2025 | 474 | 38.4% |
| December 2025 | 409 | 38.6% |
| January 2026 | 651 | 37.5% |
| February 2026 | 630 | 39.2% |
| March 2026 | 650 | 44.2% |
| April 2026 | 501 | 40.2% |
| May 2026 | 443 | 42.6% |
| June 2026 | 549 | 51.8% |
| July 2026 | 758 | 48.5% |
| August 2026 | 414 | 43.3% |
Waterford pass rates by year
Waterford's car rate rose 4.2 points from 37.9% in September 2024 to August 2025 to 42.1% in the latest period. Volume grew too, from 5,325 car tests to 6,805, so the two rates rest on different sized groups.
| Year | All tests | Pass rate, all tests | Car tests here | Car pass rate here | Car no shows | Car tests not conducted | Car pass rate nationally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,284 | 54.4% | 3,596 | 51.1% | 80 | 324 | 53.3% |
| 2022 | 5,230 | 50.6% | 4,374 | 46.7% | 94 | 487 | 50.2% |
| 2023 | 5,250 | 49.5% | 4,359 | 45.1% | 141 | 405 | 50.6% |
| 2024 | 6,957 | 41.9% | 5,965 | 37.7% | 191 | 515 | 49.0% |
| 2025 | 6,700 | 43.1% | 5,772 | 39.3% | 195 | 565 | 51.8% |
| 2026 (8 months) | 5,313 | 46.7% | 4,596 | 43.5% | 146 | 542 | 52.3% |
Waterford by licence category
Waterford also delivered 1,108 tests in other licence categories, led by articulated truck (CE) with 268. Its 60.6% pass rate was 6.1 points below the national figure for that category. The remaining 11 categories are listed in the table below.
| Category | Tests | Pass rate here | Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category B (Car or light van) | 6,805 | 42.1% | 52.4% |
| Category CE (Articulated Truck) | 268 | 60.6% | 66.7% |
| Category C (Truck) | 189 | 56.8% | 74.4% |
| Category A (Motorcycle All) | 166 | 56.0% | 69.4% |
| Category BE (Car with Trailer) | 135 | 70.3% | 85.4% |
| Category D (Bus) | 119 | 50.5% | 65.7% |
| CPC Practical Test (Truck/Artic) | 83 | 98.8% | 98.7% |
| CPC Practical Test (Bus) | 65 | 96.9% | 98.7% |
| Category A2 (Motorcycle - medium power) | 37 | 53.3% | 62.0% |
| Category C1 (Small truck / large van) | 20 | 60.0% | 76.5% |
| Category D1 (Minibus) | 17 | 60.0% | 68.1% |
| Category A1 (Motorcycle - low power) | 5 | not published | 45.6% |
| Category C1E (Small truck / large van with trailer) | 4 | 50.0% | 92.6% |
Waterford waiting times and capacity
Waterford's estimated invitation wait was 16 weeks at the end of August 2026, close to the national 11.6 weeks. 549 test slots were listed here in August 2026, with 97.3% filled.
- 16 weeksEstimated wait for a test invitation, August 2026
- 6Driver testers assigned
- 549Test slots in the latest month
- 97.3%Slots used
- 2,478Applicants waiting at the end of August 2026, all test categories
- 371Applicants scheduled for a test at the end of August 2026, all test categories
- 2,221Applicants waiting at the end of August 2026, Category B (Car or light van)
- 302Applicants scheduled for a test at the end of August 2026, Category B (Car or light van)
Waterford: no shows and tests not conducted
Waterford's 42.1% pass rate uses the 6,805 car tests delivered, with 2,865 passes. Of 7,824 recorded outcomes, 223 were no shows and 796 were not conducted or abandoned. Nationally, 7.4% of tests were not conducted or were abandoned; here the share was 10.2%.
6,805 car tests is enough for the car figure to be stable from month to month, but it still reflects who sat the test here, how much they had practised and the local roads, not only how strict a tester is.
How to read a centre's figures beside the national picture, and what the test checks, is in the driving test pass rates guide.
Source: Road Safety Authority, published by the Central Statistics Office, PxStat ROA30, CC BY 4.0, checked on 2026-09-16.Waterford and County Waterford
Waterford's car rate was 12.3 points below Dungarvan, which recorded 54.4% on 2,230 tests. Past pass rates cannot tell you how you would do at either centre.
- 1Dungarvan2,230 car tests54.4%
- 2Waterford6,805 car tests42.1%
Driving test centres in the counties next to Waterford
County Waterford borders Kilkenny, Tipperary, Cork and Wexford. If a test centre over the county line is closer to where you live or learn, these are the car driving test pass rates there for September 2025 to August 2026.
County Kilkenny50.2% on 4,374 car tests
- Kilkenny (Govt Buildings)50.1%, 2,731 tests
- Kilkenny (O'Loughlin Gaels)50.4%, 1,643 tests
County Tipperary55.8% on 7,538 car tests
County Cork53.6% on 27,688 car tests
- Cork (Wilton)53.7%, 18,131 tests
- Mallow (Cork Racecourse Mallow)51.4%, 5,206 tests
- Skibbereen55.6%, 2,923 tests
- Mitchelstown55.2%, 1,428 tests