Poll reveals hardest - and easiest - places to pass a driving test

19 Jun 2019

If you're eagerly looking at new car deals in anticipation of taking your driving test soon, then you might be interested in new research that seems to show some locations are easier to pass in than others.

According to a poll by insurer Marmalade, the average learner has a 54 per cent chance of passing their practical test overall. However, this varies depending on where in the UK you happen to be.

For example, Belvedere in Kent has been named as the unluckiest test centre in Britain, with a pass rate of just 31 per cent over the past decade.

Rounding out the top five most difficult locations were Wanstead in London (32 per cent); Leeds in West Yorkshire (34 per cent); Bradford in West Yorkshire (35 per cent) and Barking in London.

Interestingly, these two regions had the heaviest concentrations of new motorists struggling the most.

At the other end of the scale, Campbeltown in Argyll & Bute was listed as the easiest place to pass, with a success rate averaging 74 per cent.

Indeed, Scottish test centres claimed more than half of the spots on the list of easiest places to pass, which was attributed to the roads being quieter and presenting fewer distractions there.

However, even given this regional variation, Marmalade chief executive Crispin Moger pointed out it's still possible to fall victim to nerves anywhere you sit the practical test.

"More than 50 per cent of young motorists are equally or more anxious about facing their driving test than their academic exams," he pointed out.

The practical driving test was changed in 2017 to incorporate driving with a sat-nav and longer test duration. For the first time, reversing around a corner and the three-point turn were removed.

Despite this, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency figures show the pass rate remains largely unchanged.