Where you take your driving test could make all the difference. New figures reveal the easiest and toughest test centres in Greater Manchester, showing that pass rates can vary wildly just a few miles apart
There are no hard and fast rules about where you have to take your test
Greater Manchester’s easiest and toughest driving test centres have been revealed – with learner drivers facing a huge difference in their chances of passing depending on where they take their test.
Last year, almost half of learner drivers passed their test nationally (49 per cent). That has increased from 44 pc in 2008, showing that the likelihood of a successful attempt has increased in recent years.
The figures indicate that male learners have a slightly higher pass rate (51 pc) compared to female drivers (49 pc). But learners could give themselves a much better chance of passing their driving test, depending on where they choose to take it.
There are no hard and fast rules about where you have to take your test, and while many will simply choose the closest test centre to where they live, data shows that it can pay to shop around.
Driving Test Centres toughest and easiest
For example, at Bury, Greater Manchester’s toughest driving test centre, the overall pass rate is 40 pc, with 42 pc of male learners and 38 pc of female drivers achieving a pass last year.
But just six miles along the A58 at Bolton, the pass rate is 57 pc, the highest in Greater Manchester, with 60 pc of male and 53 pc of female learners awarded a pass.
Across the whole of the UK, learners in Wolverhampton were the least likely to achieve a pass. Last year, just one in three drivers taking their test in Wolverhampton were successful (33 pc).
Meanwhile, nearly eight out of 10 drivers passed their test at Arbroath (79 pc). That was the highest pass rate among test centres that conducted at least 200 tests last year.
National data suggests that learners who want to improve their chances are better off going to quiet centres. All the testing centres with the highest pass rates had fewer than 500 tests conducted annually.
However, that is not the case in Greater Manchester, where the test centre with the highest pass rate, Bolton, was also one of the busiest, with 12,000 tests a year. Bury, which had the lowest pass rate, was noticeably quieter, but around 8,000 tests are still administered annually.
You can compare driving test centres near where you live using our interactive map. Test centres with a pass rate higher than the national average are coloured green, while those with a rate below the average are coloured red.