Liverpool driving test centre has one of the worst pass rates in Britain

According to Auto Express’s analysis of the latest Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) data on pass rates, three Merseyside driving test centres are ranked among the top 15 most difficult places for success.

Speke test centre, located just off Banks Road, has the second worst pass rate in Britain, with only 33.1% of people who took their test between April 2023 and March 2024 achieving a pass.

Despite being notoriously difficult, the centre has seen more passes than the year prior, with just 29% of people passing at the centre between April 2022 and March 2023. Previously ranked the most difficult test centre in the UK, Speke lost its number one spot to Wolverhampton, which had just a 32.4% pass rate according to the latest data.

Liverpool’s Norris Green also placed in the top ten, with a pass rate of just 36.%. Also in Merseyside, the test centre in St Helens saw just 38.6% of learner drivers achieve a pass, coming it at number 15.

The data suggests that the hardest places to pass tend to be busy cities, with test centres in the Midlands, Liverpool and London dominating the top ten lowest pass rates. By contrast, the easiest places to pass your driving test are often rural towns and villages, with much quieter roads. Newtown in Wales is considered the easiest place for success, with the test centre seeing a pass rate of 67.7%, closely followed by Barrow in Furness with 66.3%.

The hardest places to pass your practical driving test in the UK

1. Wolverhampton - 32.4%
2. Speke (Liverpool) - 33.1%
3. Featherstone - 33.6%
4. Belvedere (London) - 35.8%
5. Chingford (London) - 36.1%
6. Norris Green (Liverpool) - 36.3%
7. Wednesbury - 36.5%
8. Crawley - 36.5%
9. Leicester (Cannock Street) - 37%
10. Luton - 37%
11. Rochdale (Manchester) - 38.1%
12. Bury (Manchester) - 38.2%
13. Greenford (Horsenden Lane) - 38.4%
14. Barking (Tanner Street) - 38.5%
15. St Helens (Liverpool) - 38.6%