Map reveals EASIEST place to take your driving test in Britain with 70% pass rate – do you live in a easy-pass zone?
The hardest places include built-up areas in London, Liverpool, and the Midlands
THE easiest place to pass a driving test in the UK has been revealed – boasting a stunning 70% pass rate.
According to a recent analysis of DVSA data by Auto Express, you’re more likely than not to pass your practical driving test in Newtown in Wales.
However, the seemingly hardest places with lowest pass rate are the more built-up areas in London, Liverpool, and the Midlands.
Looking at data from April 2023 to March 2024, looked at test centres up and down the country that conducted fewer than 1,000 tests.
They found that Wolverhampton is the hardest place in the country to pass a driving test, with over 15,000 tests conducted there in the 2023/24 financial year but only about one in three learner drivers passing.
But in Newtown, Wales, the pass rate was over 67% from more than 1,800 tests.
It appears built-up urban areas and city centres are the more challenging places to take a driving test, with the top 15 hardest locations including test centres in Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, and towns in the Midlands.
These areas likely posed much tougher driving environments, with high levels of traffic, complicated junctions, multi-lane roads, and an abundance of signage.
To that end, the easiest places to pass your test appear to typically be in more rural areas with quieter roads, fewer complex roundabouts and one-way systems; all of which likely improve chances of learners passing their test.
According to the DVSA, the primary reason for failing a driving test is a lack of observation at junctions. followed by failing to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle, entering a roundabout with an approaching vehicle from the right, and making no effective observations at all.
The average pass rate for UK driving test centres during the analysed period was 47.9%, with Newtown achieving a pass rate of 67.7% and Wolverhampton at a concerning 32.4%.
This comes as waiting times for driving tests have more than doubled with learners facing up to six months’ delay.
The hold-up jumped from an average of 8.2 weeks in September 2019 to 18.8 weeks last month.
More than half a million people were waiting to take the practical driving test in August.
And elsewhere, a young driver has revealed how a little-known legal loophole helped him pass his test with just five lessons under his belt.
Josh Burford secured his licence on his first attempt less than two months after his 17th birthday.
Josh, from Lichfield, Staffordshire, shared some of his top tips on how to get on the road in no time.
And since the RAC estimates that the average learner takes 45 lessons at up to £50 an hour before passing, following his advice could save you thousands.
Speaking exclusively with SunMotors, Josh explained that he got a head start on his driving journey by making use of an exemption in licencing laws.