Most candidates that take their practical driving test for the first time often assume that they will fail. Statistics do however show that there’s a good chance of passing.
Most people fail on their first attempt either due to excessive nerves or that they simply have not had enough driving tuition. Below are the UK first time driving test pass rate percentages for each of the UK DVSA driving test centres.
The statistics below are for first time attempts for the year 2016. The official national statistics below detail each practical driving test centre along with the 1st attempts at the driving test taken, how many passed on their first attempt, the first attempt pass rate, plus first attempt passes that had zero faults.
National totals for all test centres can be found at the end of page 3.
Test Centres A – E, Page 1
UK Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) practical driving test centres A to E, page 1 of 3.
| 1st attempts | 1st attempt passes | pass % | 1st test with zero faults | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen North | 1650 | 842 | 51 | 28 |
| Aberdeen South (Cove) | 2082 | 1078 | 51.8 | 56 |
| Aberfeldy | 52 | 23 | 44.2 | 0 |
| Abergavenny | 2283 | 1287 | 56.4 | 72 |
| Aberystwyth | 494 | 276 | 55.9 | 2 |
| Airdrie | 1868 | 771 | 41.3 | 4 |
| Alness | 498 | 295 | 59.2 | 1 |
| Alnwick | 432 | 270 | 62.5 | 16 |
| Arbroath | 450 | 256 | 56.9 | 49 |
| Ashfield | 4161 | 2534 | 60.9 | 81 |
| Ashford (Kent) | 1784 | 884 | 49.6 | 10 |
| Ashford (London Middlesex) | 3294 | 1678 | 50.9 | 44 |
| Ashton Under Lyne | 567 | 374 | 66 | 23 |
| Atherton (Manchester) | 2606 | 1296 | 49.7 | 32 |
| Aylesbury | 2069 | 957 | 46.3 | 30 |
| Ayr | 1085 | 379 | 34.9 | 2 |
| Bala | 343 | 176 | 51.3 | 0 |
| Ballachulish | .. | .. | 80 | 0 |
| Ballater | 132 | 94 | 71.2 | 11 |
| Banbury | 2891 | 1519 | 52.5 | 47 |
| Banff | 177 | 106 | 59.9 | 0 |
| Bangor | 2123 | 1076 | 50.7 | 28 |
| Barking (London) | 3394 | 1157 | 34.1 | 14 |
| Barnet (London) | 3154 | 1185 | 37.6 | 9 |
| Barnsley | 2334 | 963 | 41.3 | 14 |
| Barnstaple | 1399 | 705 | 50.4 | 2 |
| Barra | .. | .. | 50 | 0 |
| Barrow In Furness | 1191 | 793 | 66.6 | 22 |
| Barry | 1148 | 632 | 55.1 | 22 |
| Basildon | 3567 | 1471 | 41.2 | 18 |
| Basingstoke | 1764 | 772 | 43.8 | 23 |
| Belvedere (London) | 1756 | 491 | 28 | 3 |
| Benbecula Island | 30 | 13 | 43.3 | 0 |
| Berwick-On-Tweed | 289 | 171 | 59.2 | 6 |
| Birmingham (Garretts Green) | 4257 | 1879 | 44.1 | 23 |
| Birmingham (Kings Heath) | 2876 | 1175 | 40.9 | 8 |
| Birmingham (Kingstanding) | 3891 | 1421 | 36.5 | 10 |
| Birmingham (Shirley) | 2059 | 939 | 45.6 | 19 |
| Birmingham (South Yardley) | 2794 | 889 | 31.8 | 2 |
| Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield) | 2671 | 1143 | 42.8 | 6 |
| Bishopbriggs | 2572 | 1174 | 45.6 | 9 |
| Bishops Stortford | 3576 | 1762 | 49.3 | 115 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 3554 | 1454 | 40.9 | 34 |
| Blackpool | 3275 | 1565 | 47.8 | 34 |
| Bletchley | 3408 | 1545 | 45.3 | 25 |
| Blyth | 3086 | 1708 | 55.3 | 47 |
| Bodmin | 2017 | 937 | 46.5 | 16 |
| Bolton (Manchester) | 3844 | 2010 | 52.3 | 33 |
| Borehamwood (London) | 1504 | 717 | 47.7 | 6 |
| Boston | 1881 | 1007 | 53.5 | 37 |
| Bournemouth | 5558 | 3144 | 56.6 | 110 |
| Bradford (Heaton) | 3085 | 1234 | 40 | 8 |
| Bradford (Thornbury) | 1584 | 594 | 37.5 | 4 |
| Brecon | 560 | 363 | 64.8 | 28 |
| Bredbury (Manchester) | 2127 | 1019 | 47.9 | 8 |
| Brentwood (London) | 1288 | 531 | 41.2 | 9 |
| Bridgend | 2183 | 1094 | 50.1 | 8 |
| Bridlington | 952 | 552 | 58 | 21 |
| Bristol (Brislington) | 3105 | 1465 | 47.2 | 49 |
| Bristol (Kingswood) | 2615 | 1223 | 46.8 | 17 |
| Bristol (Southmead) | 4785 | 2402 | 50.2 | 25 |
| Brodick (Isle of Arran) | 42 | 19 | 45.2 | 0 |
| Bromsgrove | 539 | 235 | 43.6 | 6 |
| Buckie | 155 | 81 | 52.3 | 0 |
| Burgess Hill | 4634 | 2324 | 50.2 | 102 |
| Burton on Trent | 2425 | 1151 | 47.5 | 22 |
| Bury (Manchester) | 2343 | 958 | 40.9 | 2 |
| Bury St Edmunds | 2500 | 1095 | 43.8 | 15 |
| Buxton | 2254 | 1319 | 58.5 | 26 |
| Callander | 181 | 94 | 51.9 | 2 |
| Camborne | 2260 | 1204 | 53.3 | 16 |
| Cambridge (Chesterton Road) | 2047 | 1051 | 51.3 | 13 |
| Cambridge (Cowley Road) | 2924 | 1548 | 52.9 | 8 |
| Campbeltown | 76 | 51 | 67.1 | 3 |
| Cannock | 105 | 51 | 48.6 | 1 |
| Canterbury | 1281 | 603 | 47.1 | 6 |
| Cardiff (Llanishen) | 4545 | 2206 | 48.5 | 55 |
| Cardigan | 493 | 281 | 57 | 3 |
| Cardington | 2883 | 1310 | 45.4 | 27 |
| Carlisle | 1655 | 892 | 54 | 14 |
| Carmarthen | 656 | 328 | 50 | 0 |
| Castle Douglas | 224 | 116 | 51.8 | 9 |
| Cheadle(Fire Station) | 711 | 387 | 54.4 | 13 |
| Cheetham Hill (Manchester) | 2543 | 775 | 30.5 | 1 |
| Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) | 3334 | 1421 | 42.6 | 14 |
| Cheltenham | 2586 | 978 | 37.8 | 5 |
| Chertsey (London) | 3437 | 1749 | 50.9 | 107 |
| Chester | 2515 | 1219 | 48.5 | 19 |
| Chesterfield | 1596 | 748 | 46.9 | 12 |
| Chichester | 2280 | 1227 | 53.8 | 38 |
| Chingford (London) | 4802 | 1731 | 36 | 35 |
| Chippenham | 2474 | 1221 | 49.4 | 20 |
| Chorley | 2430 | 1350 | 55.6 | 10 |
| Clacton-on-Sea | 1992 | 902 | 45.3 | 23 |
| Colchester | 2838 | 1137 | 40.1 | 29 |
| Coventry | 2984 | 1169 | 39.2 | 2 |
| Crawley | 2689 | 1248 | 46.4 | 36 |
| Crewe | 1744 | 944 | 54.1 | 12 |
| Crieff | 127 | 71 | 55.9 | 3 |
| Croydon (London) | 2710 | 1010 | 37.3 | 13 |
| Cumnock | 550 | 256 | 46.5 | 7 |
| Darlington | 1752 | 795 | 45.4 | 28 |
| Derby (Alvaston) | 3983 | 1764 | 44.3 | 22 |
| Doncaster | 3496 | 1648 | 47.1 | 11 |
| Dorchester | 3131 | 1941 | 62 | 61 |
| Dumbarton | 864 | 354 | 41 | 2 |
| Dumfries | 819 | 371 | 45.3 | 19 |
| Dundee | 2315 | 1240 | 53.6 | 93 |
| Dunfermline | 1476 | 642 | 43.5 | 14 |
| Dunoon | 119 | 77 | 64.7 | 1 |
| Duns | 71 | 45 | 63.4 | 2 |
| Durham | 4310 | 2636 | 61.2 | 109 |
| East Kilbride | 459 | 198 | 43.1 | 1 |
| Eastbourne | 2594 | 1298 | 50 | 19 |