Passing driving test ‘easier in Scotland than elsewhere in UK’

It is easier for learners to pass their driving test in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK, according to new figures.

Nearly six out of 10 learner drivers in Scotland – some 57.4% – passed their test in Scotland in 2017-18, the highest pass rate of any UK area.

The Sutherland seaside resort of Golspie had the highest pass rate of any test centre in the UK – while Knightswood, in Glasgow, had the lowest pass rate north of the border, according to the figures, from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

They also reveal that, statistically, today is the day learner drivers across the UK are most likely to get through, with an average pass rate of (50.3%).

Boxing Day had the highest number of test failures (60.5%), on average, over the past five years.

Driver savings site Confused.com has created an “interactive calendar”, based on DVSA stats, to help learner drivers looking to book their test identify the best and worst dates of the year, as well as the most successful times of day, and days of the week.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: “Taking a driving test, be it for the first or fifth time, is always a daunting experience for learner drivers. So we have tried to take the pressure off a little bit by creating an interactive calendar which helps learners in Scotland to identify the best date, month and time to book their driving test.

“There is a myth that examiners only pass a certain number of students on one day, but this calendar proves that this isn’t the case, and there are clearly other factors that learners need to consider when it comes to booking their test.”

According to the data, many rural areas in Scotland took the top spots for having the highest pass rates in all of the UK. In Golspie, 76.7% of candidates passed between April 2017 and March 2018. Pitlochry was second, with 73.6% of tests taking resulting in a pass. Knightswood’s pass rate – the lowest in Scotland – was just 37.5%, however.

Overall, August is in fact the best month overall to take a test, and pass.