Top 10: highest pass rates
These 10 centres have the highest driving test pass rates in Ireland. All are in rural or semi-rural areas with less complex road environments than urban centres.
| Rank | Centre | County | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Skibbereen | Cork | 73.2% |
| #2 | Ballincollig | Cork | 73.0% |
| #3 | Kilkenny (O'Loughlin Gaels) | Kilkenny | 68.4% |
| #4 | Loughrea | Galway | 65.3% |
| #5 | Clifden | Galway | 64.2% |
| #6 | Monaghan | Monaghan | 60.9% |
| #7 | Carlow | Carlow | 60.0% |
| #8 | Buncrana | Donegal | 59.8% |
| #9 | Clonmel | Tipperary | 59.8% |
| #10 | Drumlonagher (Donegal Town) | Donegal | 59.5% |
Bottom 10: lowest pass rates
These 10 centres have the lowest pass rates in Ireland. Most are in Dublin or other urban areas where complex traffic conditions make tests harder.
| Rank | Centre | County | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| #51 | Charlestown | Dublin | 38.2% |
| #52 | Finglas | Dublin | 38.6% |
| #53 | Longford | Longford | 43.3% |
| #54 | Mulhuddart (Maple House) | Dublin | 44.1% |
| #55 | Wilton (Cork) | Cork | 45.3% |
| #56 | Mulhuddart | Dublin | 45.3% |
| #57 | Athlone | Westmeath | 45.9% |
| #58 | Tipperary | Tipperary | 46.2% |
| #59 | Tallaght | Dublin | 46.2% |
| #60 | Waterford | Waterford | 46.6% |
Why do pass rates vary so much?
The gap between the highest pass rate (73.2% at Skibbereen) and the lowest (38.2% at Charlestown) is 35.0 percentage points. That's a meaningful difference — a learner in Cork is nearly twice as likely to pass first time as one in Dublin.
Three main factors explain the gap:
- Traffic complexity. Urban centres test candidates on multi-lane roundabouts, bus lanes, cyclist interactions, and dense pedestrian environments that don't exist in rural areas.
- Route density. Urban test areas pack more decisions per minute — more junctions, more signal changes, more lane choices — giving examiners more opportunities to mark faults.
- Candidate preparation. Urban learners often practice in limited time windows and congested conditions, while rural learners typically get more varied practice.
Complete ranking: all 60 centres
The full list of RSA test centres ranked by 2023 pass rate.
| Rank | Centre | County | Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Skibbereen | Cork | 73.2% |
| #2 | Ballincollig | Cork | 73.0% |
| #3 | Kilkenny (O'Loughlin Gaels) | Kilkenny | 68.4% |
| #4 | Loughrea | Galway | 65.3% |
| #5 | Clifden | Galway | 64.2% |
| #6 | Monaghan | Monaghan | 60.9% |
| #7 | Carlow | Carlow | 60.0% |
| #8 | Buncrana | Donegal | 59.8% |
| #9 | Clonmel | Tipperary | 59.8% |
| #10 | Drumlonagher (Donegal Town) | Donegal | 59.5% |
| #11 | Shannon | Clare | 59.1% |
| #12 | Castlebar | Mayo | 58.7% |
| #13 | Westside (Galway) | Galway | 58.7% |
| #14 | Tuam | Galway | 58.4% |
| #15 | Gorey | Wexford | 56.2% |
| #16 | Kilrush | Clare | 55.6% |
| #17 | Letterkenny | Donegal | 55.6% |
| #18 | Navan | Meath | 55.3% |
| #19 | Cavan | Cavan | 55.0% |
| #20 | Ballina | Mayo | 54.9% |
| #21 | Carrick on Shannon | Leitrim | 54.8% |
| #22 | Newcastle West (Longcourt House) | Limerick | 54.5% |
| #23 | Wicklow | Wicklow | 54.5% |
| #24 | Carnmore (Galway) | Galway | 53.9% |
| #25 | Ennis | Clare | 53.4% |
| #26 | Dún Laoghaire / Deansgrange | Dublin | 53.2% |
| #27 | Newcastle West (Intreo Centre) | Limerick | 53.1% |
| #28 | Birr | Offaly | 53.0% |
| #29 | Limerick (Castlemungret) | Limerick | 53.0% |
| #30 | Killarney | Kerry | 52.9% |
| #31 | Limerick (Woodview) | Limerick | 52.9% |
| #32 | Sligo | Sligo | 52.6% |
| #33 | Roscommon | Roscommon | 52.2% |
| #34 | Drogheda | Louth | 52.0% |
| #35 | Dundalk | Louth | 51.2% |
| #36 | Naas | Kildare | 51.1% |
| #37 | Mallow | Cork | 51.0% |
| #38 | Dungarvan | Waterford | 50.7% |
| #39 | Kilkenny (Government Offices) | Kilkenny | 50.7% |
| #40 | Tullamore | Offaly | 50.5% |
| #41 | Togher (Cork St. Finbarr's) | Cork | 50.3% |
| #42 | Portlaoise | Laois | 49.8% |
| #43 | Nenagh | Tipperary | 49.4% |
| #44 | Wexford | Wexford | 48.6% |
| #45 | Churchtown | Dublin | 48.2% |
| #46 | Thurles | Tipperary | 48.0% |
| #47 | Mullingar | Westmeath | 47.6% |
| #48 | Raheny | Dublin | 47.5% |
| #49 | Killester | Dublin | 47.3% |
| #50 | Tralee | Kerry | 47.1% |
| #51 | Waterford | Waterford | 46.6% |
| #52 | Tallaght | Dublin | 46.2% |
| #53 | Tipperary | Tipperary | 46.2% |
| #54 | Athlone | Westmeath | 45.9% |
| #55 | Mulhuddart | Dublin | 45.3% |
| #56 | Wilton (Cork) | Cork | 45.3% |
| #57 | Mulhuddart (Maple House) | Dublin | 44.1% |
| #58 | Longford | Longford | 43.3% |
| #59 | Finglas | Dublin | 38.6% |
| #60 | Charlestown | Dublin | 38.2% |
Data source
Pass rate figures sourced from Road Safety Authority (RSA) annual reports and data.gov.ie under CC BY 4.0 licence. All figures are Category B (car) tests, 2023 calendar year. See all data sources