Scotland steers ahead for best driving test centres
SCOTLAND is the best place in the UK to sit your driving test, according to research from Veygo by Admiral Insurance.
Four of the five centres with the highest pass rates are north of the Border.
Golspie in Sutherland is at the top with a whopping 82.1 per cent pass rate, followed by Mallaig, Ullapool and Kyle of Lochalsh, all with pass rates above 70 per cent.
These rural figures are all well above the UK average of 47 per cent.
Scotland as a whole has an overall pass rate of 49 per cent. Edinburgh was in the top three city pass rates, at just over 50 per cent, but Glasgow fared a lot worse, with a pass rate under the UK average at 42 per cent.
Only half a dozen cities across the UK managed pass rates above the national average, with London looking like the worst place to sit your test since it has three of the lowest five centre pass rates.
A comparison of the biggest discrepancies in driving test results from centres that are close to each other has revealed the impact the choice of test centre can have on the likelihood of passing a test.
Ashton Under Lyne and Cheetham Hill test centres in Lancashire are just five miles apart but there’s a 34 per cent difference in pass rates.
While Ashton Under Lyne has a pass rate 19 per cent above the national average, Cheetham Hill falls almost 15 per cent below.
Jean-Baptiste Limare, head of Veygo, said: “Driving test pass rates are complex and take into account a range of factors.
“Nevertheless, our research shows that centres in close proximity can have large differences in pass rates.
“That’s why we’ve created an interactive map that shows which test centres are busier, and which have better pass rates, so that drivers can make their own informed decisions when they’re learning to drive.
“We’d recommend that any learner drivers get extensive practice outside of lessons, so they are more confident on the road.”