It’s harder to pass your driving test in Rochdale than anywhere else in the UK

Rochdale was crowned as the hardest location to pass your driving test in, with only 31.1% of people taking their driving test passing

Taking your driving test is a huge milestone in any motorist’s life, and while some are able to pass their test first time, most have to take a couple of attempts.

Data collated by Just Tyres from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency reveals that Rochdale has the lowest pass rate in the UK, with only 31.1% of people taking their driving test passing – well below the national 46.3% figure.

When separated by gender, 37.2% of Rochdale men passed, compared to just 26.2% of women – also less than anywhere else in the UK.Following closely behind were Carlisle, Cumbria (31.5%), Erith, London (31.6%), Birmingham (32.3%) and Speke, Liverpool (33.5%). 

Conversely, 77.4% of people in Alnwick, Northumberland taking their driving test pass - the highest success rate in England. Alnwick is the only English town to make the top ten leaderboard, with Scottish towns leading the way for high pass rates.

Inveraray is the easiest place in the UK to pass your driving test, with a 91.2% pass rate. 

Richard Slater, an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI), commented: “While some of the most common advice when approaching a driving test is to ‘just relax’, we all know that it’s really hard to completely relax before any kind of assessment - unless you’re superhuman.

“Focusing on trying to relax, will only remind you that you’re not relaxed and lead to you being unfocused on the task at hand. Instead, try to observe any nervousness as just a feeling to notice, but remind yourself that this is not the driving force of your actions on the day - if you’ll excuse the pun.

“Passing your driving test is about demonstrating your ability to be a safe driver. To do this, you simply need to be observant and responsive to the changing dynamics of the road.”