What is the pass rate at Carlow Talbot Hotel driving test centre?

48.2% over the 12 months to August 2026, from 3,050 car tests (1,470 passes). The national rate over the same months was 52.4%.

Is Carlow Talbot Hotel an easy test centre?

Carlow Talbot Hotel has one of the lower pass rates in Ireland: number 45 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 Carlow Talbot Hotel?

The CSO’s estimate for the end of August 2026 was 10 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.

Carlow Talbot Hotel driving test centre

Carlow Talbot Hotel, Graigue, Portlaoise Road, R93 Y504 · Co. Carlow

Pass rate, last 12 months

48.2%

Ireland 52.4%

Weeks to test invite, Aug 2026

10weeks

Ireland 11.6 weeks

Tests, last 12 months

3,050

1,470 passed

Key facts

48.2% of car driving tests at Carlow Talbot Hotel were passed in the 12 months to August 2026, 4.2 points below the Irish average of 52.4%.
That ranks Carlow Talbot Hotel number 45 of 56 test centres by pass rate, where 1 is the highest.
At the end of August 2026 the CSO estimated 10 weeks from applying to being invited to book a test here, against 11.6 weeks nationally.
Number 11 for the shortest wait, of 57 centres.
3,050 car tests in the 12 months to August 2026; number 30 among Irish centres by tests conducted.

Practice routes around Carlow Talbot Hotel

5 loops from the centre, 58 km in all, with 48 roundabouts and 116 marked turns, driveable in 3D on your phone. They are built from the road network around Carlow Talbot Hotel, not the RSA’s own test routes, which it does not publish.

Route 1 · via Carlow Northern Inner Relief Road Extension
12.0 km loop with 15 roundabouts, 4 right turns, 6 left turns and a stretch of Athy Road.
12.0 km · 25 turns · 15 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 2 · via William Dargan Road
12.6 km loop with 10 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 7 left turns and a stretch of Athy Road.
12.6 km · 24 turns · 10 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 3 · via Athy Road
12.4 km loop with 8 roundabouts, 9 right turns, 7 left turns and a stretch of Sleaty Street.
12.4 km · 24 turns · 8 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 4 · via Killeshin Road
11.7 km loop with 5 roundabouts, 9 right turns, 8 left turns and a stretch of Castlecomer Road.
11.7 km · 22 turns · 5 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route
Route 5 · via Castlecomer Road
9.1 km loop with 10 roundabouts, 7 right turns, 4 left turns and a stretch of William Dargan Road.
9.1 km · 21 turns · 10 roundabouts
Drive in 3D Drive this route

Pass rate at Carlow Talbot Hotel, 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)	2,251	47.8%	52.3%
2025	2,601	45.7%	51.8%
2024	2,255	58.0%	49.0%
2023	3,949	60.8%	50.6%
2022	3,179	43.6%	50.2%
2021	1,916	50.4%	53.3%

Waiting time for a test at Carlow Talbot Hotel

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	10
July 2026	11
June 2026	9
May 2026	13
April 2026	12
March 2026	11

Getting there

Carlow Talbot Hotel, Graigue, Portlaoise Road
Co. Carlow R93 Y504

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

Nearby test centres

Carlow (Graiguecullen)
Co. Carlow · 0.9 km
42.2%
-10.2 vs IE
10 wks
to invite
Kilkenny (O'Loughlin Gaels)
Co. Kilkenny · 29 km
50.5%
-1.9 vs IE
10 wks
to invite
Kilkenny (Government Buildings)
Co. Kilkenny · 29 km
50.1%
-2.3 vs IE
9 wks
to invite
Portlaoise (Maldron Hotel)
Co. Laois · 30 km
56.9%
+4.5 vs IE
13 wks
to invite
Naas
Co. Kildare · 45 km
54.9%
+2.5 vs IE
8 wks
to invite
Gorey
Co. Wexford · 49 km
55.1%
+2.7 vs IE
10 wks
to invite

Questions learners ask about Carlow Talbot Hotel

What is the pass rate at Carlow Talbot Hotel driving test centre?: 48.2% over the 12 months to August 2026, from 3,050 car tests (1,470 passes). The national rate over the same months was 52.4%.
Is Carlow Talbot Hotel an easy test centre?: Carlow Talbot Hotel has one of the lower pass rates in Ireland: number 45 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 Carlow Talbot Hotel?: The CSO’s estimate for the end of August 2026 was 10 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 Carlow Talbot Hotel driving test centre?: Carlow Talbot Hotel, Graigue, Portlaoise Road, R93 Y504, Co. Carlow.

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.