If you’re determined to pass your driving test first time, then Kendal is the place for you – more than two in three learner drivers (68%) pass their test first time in the Cumbrian town.
Barrow-in-Furness, also in Cumbria, had the second highest first time pass rate (66%) in 2015/2016, according to data analysis by The Car People.
There’s up to a 40% difference in first time pass rates between major towns, with only 28% of learners passing their test first time in Belvedere, London.
Best places to pass your test first time
Test Centre | % first time pass rate | |
Kendal (Oxenholme Road), Cumbria | 67.8 | |
Barrow In Furness, Cumbria | 66.6 | |
Ashton Under Lyne, Greater Manchester | 66 | |
Brecon, Wales | 64.8 | |
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire | 63.3 | |
Skegness, Lincolnshire | 63 | |
Malton, North Yorkshire | 62.9 | |
Hyde, Manchester | 62 | |
Dorchester, Dorset | 62 | |
Peterhead, Aberdeenshire | 61.8 | |
Of course, passing your test is all down to your knowledge, skill and plenty of practice, but it’s clear to see that the busier the town/city, the lower the pass rate.
That said, the amount of people passing their test with zero faults has doubled in nine years.
Overall, a total of 1,252,871 tests were taken in 2016/2017 – and 52.8% of these were failed.
Top 10 places with the lowest first time pass rate
Test centre | % first time pass rate |
Belvedere, London | 28.0 |
Cheetham Hill, Manchester | 30.5 |
Wanstead, London | 31.7 |
South Yardley, Birmingham | 31.8 |
Erith, London | 33.2 |
Leeds, West Yorkshire | 33.7 |
Garston (Liverpool), Merseyside | 34.1 |
Barking, London | 34.1 |
Ayr, Scotland | 34.9 |
Salford (Fire Station), Manchester | 35.0 |