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Does the Location of Your Driving Test Affect Your Pass Rate?
Mar 31 2022 4:33PM
In a recent blog post, we touched on the easiest and hardest places in the UK to pass your driving test, showing that the location of your driving test may have an impact on your chances of passing. Most learner drivers would do what it takes to pass first time round, so is it worth exploring other towns if it’s easier to pass your test there?
What the Pass Rates Around the Country Look Like and Why?
4 Wheelz Driving School are a driving school located in Birmingham and the West Midlands with 23 years of experience under their belt.
They conducted a study where they looked at the pass rates around the country from 2016 and compared them with previous pass rates from 2011. Take a look below to see the results.
The reason some areas may have a higher pass rate is because they are less populated. This means that there might be less traffic on the road during the day of the test, which may affect your chances of passing. For example, if you were taking your driving test in Central London, you may have a very different experience than someone taking it in a small town in the countryside. Some may think this isn’t fair on learner drivers as they don’t all have an equal chance.
However, there are a huge number of things that could have an effect on your pass rate, so perhaps you shouldn’t dwell on the percentages too much. But what do the experts advise?
What the Driving Instructors Say:
We took to Twitter to ask driving instructors about the importance of location when learning to drive and taking their driving test.
Yes Id say so. Thats where youre going to be driving. Plan ahead to avoid waiting times. Youll be driving for life, so why rush? https://t.co/twSpfLAY1J
— Moira Benson ?? (@MoiraBlueCar) August 9, 2017
Moria Benson from Blue Car School of Motoring highlighted the importance of getting to know your local area when driving, because that’s where you’ll be driving the most once you’ve passed.
We've heard a few different opinions on this. Driving instructors -what do you advise?? Share your #WednesdayWisdom! ?? pic.twitter.com/oZEa6dCsng
— InsureLearnerDriver (@insurelearners) August 9, 2017
Nighean Walker from Hackett Driving stated that she doesn’t just teach pupils to pass their driving test, but for the driving ahead of that, so she takes her pupils to varying locations.
We've heard a few different opinions on this. Driving instructors -what do you advise?? Share your #WednesdayWisdom! ?? pic.twitter.com/oZEa6dCsng
— InsureLearnerDriver (@insurelearners) August 9, 2017
Driving instructor Ollie from Totally Driving acknowledged the importance of being the most familiar with your local area however, he also highlighted the importance of branching out and driving through different types of areas.
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Ideally, you should find a happy medium between getting familiar with your local area and experiencing different types of roads. Taking your driving test locally, even if the pass rate isn’t appealing to you, may benefit you when you’re driving as a fully licenced driver. However, it would be beneficial to experience areas you aren’t used to whilst learning to drive, to get as much practise as possible.
You could explore other road types and locations in your own time by practising your driving privately. InsureLearnerDriver provides insurance for learner drivers who need to practice in either a borrowed car or their own, outside of their lessons. We also offer flexible policy lengths to suit each driver.
