What is the pass rate at Buncrana driving test centre?

62.8% over the 12 months to August 2026, from 1,342 car tests (843 passes). The national rate over the same months was 52.4%.

Is Buncrana an easy test centre?

Buncrana has one of the higher pass rates in Ireland: number 5 of 56 centres. Pass rates also reflect who books where and how prepared they are, so the gap between centres is not all down to the roads or the examiners.

How long is the wait for a driving test at Buncrana?

The CSO’s estimate for the end of August 2026 was 13 weeks until an invitation to book, compared with 11.6 weeks for Ireland as a whole. It is an estimate of the queue at that date, not a guaranteed date.

Buncrana driving test centre

Dept of Social and Family Affairs, McCarter's Road, Ardaravan, Buncrana, F93 KVY6 · Co. Donegal

Pass rate, last 12 months

62.8%

Ireland 52.4%

Weeks to test invite, Aug 2026

13weeks

Ireland 11.6 weeks

Tests, last 12 months

1,342

843 passed

Key facts

62.8% of car driving tests at Buncrana were passed in the 12 months to August 2026, 10.4 points above the Irish average of 52.4%.
That ranks Buncrana number 5 of 56 test centres by pass rate, where 1 is the highest.
At the end of August 2026 the CSO estimated 13 weeks from applying to being invited to book a test here, against 11.6 weeks nationally.
Number 19 for the longest wait, of 57 centres.
1,342 car tests in the 12 months to August 2026; number 52 among Irish centres by tests conducted.

Practice routes around Buncrana

5 loops from the centre, 45 km in all, with 8 roundabouts and 93 marked turns, driveable in 3D on your phone. They are built from the road network around Buncrana, not the RSA’s own test routes, which it does not publish.

Route 1 · via Mill Lane
9.8 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 8 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Westbrook Road.
9.8 km · 18 turns · 2 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 2 · via Aileach Road
8.0 km loop with 1 roundabout, 8 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Saint Oran's Road.
8.0 km · 17 turns · 1 roundabout
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 3 · via Cair O' Dohertaigh Avenue
6.8 km loop with 1 roundabout, 10 right turns, 12 left turns and a stretch of Castle Avenue.
6.8 km · 23 turns · 1 roundabout
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 4 · via Westbrook Road
11.6 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 9 right turns, 10 left turns and a stretch of Aileach Road.
11.6 km · 21 turns · 2 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 5
8.7 km loop with 2 roundabouts, 6 right turns and 6 left turns.
8.7 km · 14 turns · 2 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route

Pass rate at Buncrana, year by year

Share of car tests passed each calendar year; * 2026 (Jan–Aug) is the year so far. Dashed line: Ireland over the last 12 months.

Month by month, last 12 months

By year

Year	Tests	Pass rate	Ireland
2026 (Jan–Aug)	830	60.8%	52.3%
2025	1,289	62.4%	51.8%
2024	1,185	58.1%	49.0%
2023	907	60.5%	50.6%
2022	1,130	58.2%	50.2%
2021	955	54.2%	53.3%

Waiting time for a test at Buncrana

The CSO’s estimate, at the end of each month, of the weeks from applying for a test to being invited to book one. Dashed line: Ireland in August 2026.

Month end	Weeks to invite
August 2026	13
July 2026	11
June 2026	14
May 2026	12
April 2026	13
March 2026	11

Getting there

Dept of Social and Family Affairs, McCarter's Road, Ardaravan, Buncrana
Co. Donegal F93 KVY6

Directions in Google Maps · Book or check your test on rsa.ie

Nearby test centres

Letterkenny
Co. Donegal · 27 km
59.1%
+6.7 vs IE
13 wks
to invite

Questions learners ask about Buncrana

What is the pass rate at Buncrana driving test centre?: 62.8% over the 12 months to August 2026, from 1,342 car tests (843 passes). The national rate over the same months was 52.4%.
Is Buncrana an easy test centre?: Buncrana has one of the higher pass rates in Ireland: number 5 of 56 centres. Pass rates also reflect who books where and how prepared they are, so the gap between centres is not all down to the roads or the examiners.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Buncrana?: The CSO’s estimate for the end of August 2026 was 13 weeks until an invitation to book, compared with 11.6 weeks for Ireland as a whole. It is an estimate of the queue at that date, not a guaranteed date.
Where is Buncrana driving test centre?: Dept of Social and Family Affairs, McCarter's Road, Ardaravan, Buncrana, F93 KVY6, Co. Donegal.

Source: Central Statistics Office (CSO), Road Safety Authority driving test statistics (ROA30, ROA36), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Car (category B) tests. Passes are worked out from the CSO’s monthly tests and pass rate.