Revealed: Britain's easiest and hardest driving test centres (Jan 2025 update)

Taking your driving test can be a nerve-racking experience, no matter how much you practice. Like school exams or job interviews, the driving test is all about keeping your cool and remembering what you prepared - easier said than done when your heart’s beating and the test begins 👀

The most important thing to remember is this: you’ll only pass when you’re good and ready. So get your practice in, nail your manoeuvres, and work on your show-me, tell-me questions. The more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll feel, and the better you’ll drive.

Having said that, though… a little research into where you take your test could also help. Let’s be clear up front: there’s no point trying to game the system by applying for Britain’s driving test centre with the highest pass rate (shout out to the Isles of Scilly, with a 87.5% pass rate!). You should take the test somewhere near where you live - that’s where you’ll be driving normally, after all. But… some routes do have vastly differing pass rates, even when they’re close by to each other. So it could be beneficial to have a look around at your different options.

For fun, we’ve found the 10 hardest test centres (along with some easier nearby alternatives) in Britain. And, to even things out, we’ve also found the 20 easiest driving test centres in the country.

Slow down! Before you start, make sure you're insured👇

First things first: you need insurance to drive, even before you pass your test. Check out our temporary learner driver insurance for everything you need. Getting a quote only takes a few minutes.

Methodology: This article was updated in January 2025 using Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) data. We analysed 501,433 driving tests taken in England, Scotland and Wales between April and September 2024 (the most up-to-date stats we have). In order to create a fair ranking, driving test centres with fewer than 250 tests during this period were excluded.

Driving test locations and pass rates

The average pass rate for a practical driving test in Great Britain is 48.5%. This means that more driving tests in Britain are unsuccessful than successful - so don't be too downhearted if you don't pass first (or second… or third!) time.

But new data this year shows a massive difference in pass rates between the easiest and hardest driving test centres in the country. So some areas have a much higher pass rate than others. Let's dive into the DVLA data 👇

The 10 hardest driving test centres in Britain

10. Barking (Tanner Street) - 38.1%

Test centres in or near big cities often have lower pass rates than those in more rural areas, and the London suburb of Barking unfortunately fits the bill here.

Nearby test centre: Erith - 49.1%

9. Widnes - 37.8%

And the same goes for Widnes, on the banks of the Mersey. Wedged between Liverpool, St Helens and Warrington, it’s a busy - and tricky - test centre.

Nearby test centre: Southport - 58.9%

8. Crawley - 37.8%

Located just south of Gatwick, Crawley is more associated with air travel than road - but it nonetheless has a reputation as one of the toughest driving test locations in Britain.

Nearby test centre: Redhill Aerodrome - 47.2%

7. Bury - 37.7%

Located in Greater Manchester, Bury suffers from the same fate as the other suburban towns on this list - a high-demand area with busy roads and low pass rates.

Nearby test centre: Bolton - 58.6%

6. Glasgow (Shieldhall) - 37.6%

The only Scottish centre on the top 10, Shieldhall is a tough spot to pass your test. Luckily, there are some slightly more forgiving options nearby.

Nearby test centre: Glasgow (Baillieston) - 51.1%

5. Belvedere (London) - 37.4%

Another tough spot to pass your test in the capital, with almost ⅔ of applicants getting the dreaded FAIL stamp.

Nearby test centre: Mill Hill - 52.2%

4. Wednesbury - 35.8%

The first West Midlands test centre on our list - and unfortunately for those looking to pass their test in the area, it won’t be the last.

Nearby test centre: Stafford - 47.4%

3. Chingford (London) - 35.8%

Can you believe there’s a test centre with almost a 25% higher pass rate across the Thames?

Nearby test centre: Sidcup 58.1%

2. Wolverhampton - 33.9%

Back to the West Midlands… and for over ⅓ of the applicants, back to the drawing board.

Nearby test centre: Birmingham (Kingstanding) - 45%

1. Featherstone - 33.8%

And we’re staying in the West Midlands, where we can crown Featherstone as officially the hardest driving test centre in Britain.

Nearby test centre: Dudley - 45.4%

The easiest driving test centres in Britain

We've also rounded up the 20 driving test centres with the highest pass rates.

Just a reminder, we've only included centres where at least 250 tests took place.

Lerwick - 69.6% Montrose - 68.8% Newtown - 68.4% Kendal (Oxenholme Road) - 67.1% Dorchester - 65.7% Ipswich - 65.5% Malton - 65.2% Pwllheli - 64.8% Haddington - 64.3% Barrow In Furness - 63.4% Alness - 62.3% Brecon - 61.6% Northallerton - 61.5% Bangor - 61.4% Melton Mowbray - 61.3% Dundee - 61.2% Chichester - 60.9% Yeovil - 60.7% Barry - 60.6% Abergavenny - 60.6%

Plus an honourable shout-out for the Isles of Scilly, off the coast of Cornwall. Only 8 tests were taken here during this period, so it doesn't count in our official list, but 7 of those were successful - giving them a pass rate of 87.5%.

Urban driving tests are often harder than rural ones

You might notice that many of the easiest test centres are in Scotland, and lots of the hardest are in or near big cities in England.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that Scottish driving examiners are more generous, or that drivers there are much better (though we’re sure they’re all lovely people!). It’s because Scotland is home to some of the most rural areas of Great Britain, and it’s usually easier to pass your test in these more remote test centres.

That’s probably because the roads are less busy (and a bit easier to navigate) in rural areas — meaning you’re less likely to come up against more complex hazards that might lead to mistakes, like a traffic jam, an emergency vehicle on blue lights, or a busy junction.

There are some challenges rural drivers might face that an urban one might not, though, including unlit roads and unexpected turns, and livestock or slow-moving tractor traffic.

Other things to consider

You might be wondering why any driving instructor would ever allow their students to take a driving test in Featherstone, knowing that their chances of passing would be theoretically slimmer than in any other test centre in the country. But there are a few important factors that driving instructors (and students) should consider before booking their test at whatever centre has the highest pass rates at the time.

Waiting times: You’ll usually have to book your driving test at least a few weeks in advance. Wait times can depend on test centres — and appointments could book up faster at test centres with higher pass rates. So for some students, it’s probably worth choosing a test centre with a lower pass rate, rather than waiting for months and months.

Prior knowledge: If your driving instructor has better knowledge of the roads around certain test centres, they’ll have more tips, and tricks to share with you when driving on those routes. On the other hand, it could be disadvantageous to learn on roads that your instructor is unfamiliar with — even if the local test centre has a higher pass rate.

Distance: You don’t necessarily have to go for the closest test centre to your house. But it may not be a good idea to go too far away. If you pick a test centre that’s miles away, you might end up spending most of your driving lessons travelling to and from the test centre routes, rather than practicing your driving on them.

Also, you ideally want to use your lessons and test as an opportunity to prepare for the types of road you’ll be driving on as a full licence holder. So if you live in central Manchester, we wouldn’t recommend doing your driving test in the Scottish highlands.

Get learner driver insurance

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It only takes a few minutes to get a quote. Happy driving - and good luck! 🚗