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Revealed: The hardest places in the UK to pass your driving test

Andy Wells
·Freelance Writer
·3-min read
Teenage Girl Taking A Driving Lesson during bright sunny day. Closeup of a instructor man writing on a clipboard and taking notes while sitting next to teen driver.
Figures show a drastic reduction in the number of people in the UK taking their first driving test in 2020/21. (Getty/stock photo)

The number of people in the UK taking their first driving test plunged in 2020/21, new data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has revealed.

During the 2020/21 period – at the height of the coronavirus pandemic – a total of 248,293 took their first driving test in the UK, a drop from 720,490 in 2019/20.

The figures also show that 51% of people passed the test on their first try – meaning another long wait for a second attempt.

New data from the DVLA has now revealed the test centres with the highest and lowest pass rates in the UK.

The areas in the UK with the highest and lowest driving test pass rates. (Yahoo News)
The areas in the UK with the highest and lowest driving test pass rates. (Yahoo News)

The hardest places to pass your driving test

Erith in south east London had the lowest proportion of people (30%) passing their test on the first attempt in 2020/21.

Many of the toughest centres to pass are based in London, with six locations in the 20 lowest pass rates.

Campbeltown in Scotland is the area of the UK with the highest pass rate (92%).

The 20 lowest pass rates (percentage of first time passes):

  • Erith (London) 30%

  • Belvedere (London) 34%

  • Bodmin 35%

  • East Kilbride 35%

  • Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) 36%

  • Crewe 37%

  • Birmingham (Kingstanding) 37%

  • Birmingham (South Yardley) 37%

  • Croydon (London) 37%

  • Goodmayes (London) 37%

  • Wolverhampton 37%

  • Rochdale (Manchester) 37%

  • Bury (Manchester) 37%

  • Glasgow (Shieldhall) 38%

  • Bury St Edmunds 38%

  • Speke (Liverpool) 38%

  • Stoke-On-Trent (Cobridge) 39%

  • Wanstead (London) 39%

  • Wednesbury 40%

  • Yeading (London) 40%

The areas with the highest pass rates:

  • Campbeltown 92%

  • Grantown-On-Spey 90%

  • Fraserburgh 82%

  • Lerwick 89%

  • Hawick 79%

  • Orkney 79%

  • Montrose 77%

  • Islay Island 75%

  • Kingussie 75%

  • Ullapool 75%

  • Benbecula Island 72%

  • Alnwick 72%

  • Peterhead 72%

  • Brecon 71%

  • Isle of Skye (Portree) 71%

  • Kelso 70%

  • Dunoon 70%

  • Newton Stewart 70%

  • Forfar 69%

  • Fort William 69%

The number of people taking their first driving tests plunged during the pandemic. (Yahoo News)
The number of people taking their first driving tests plunged during the pandemic. (Yahoo News)

With the country forced to stay at home during COVID lockdowns, the number of driving tests dropped and the system is still struggling to catch up.

The DVLA recently said there were ongoing delays with processing postal driving licence applications and urged people to apply online instead.

The backlog saw nearly a million drivers hit by licence processing delays in February this year, according to figures from the Commons transport committee.

UK Driving Licence. Provisional and Full licence cards isolated on dark background. Macro. Selective focus. Stafford, United Kingdom, January 30, 2022.
The hardest place to pass a driving test in the UK is Erith in south east London. (Getty)

Of these applications, 254,396 had taken more than 10 weeks to be processed.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said earlier this year that learners were being offered tests on weekends and bank holidays in an effort to catch up, while it also wants to recruit 300 new examiners to help clear up the backlog.

Paul Martin, of the Public and Commercial Services union, said the DVSA were not offering a competitive salary or job security to encourage more people to join up.