Learners on easy street to pass test in Scotland

Sutherland seaside village has highest driving pass rate in the UK

It is easier for learner drivers to pass their test in Scotland than anywhere else in the UK, with a success rate of more than 70 per cent in many rural areas.

Almost six in ten novice drivers passed their test in Scotland in 2017/18.

And the Sutherland coastal village of Golspie boasted the highest pass rate of any test centre in the UK, with 76.7 per cent of learners getting their full licence between April 2017 and March this year.

Figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) showed Knightswood in Glasgow had the lowest pass rate in Scotland, with just 37.5 per cent successful.

The overall pass rate in Scotland of 57.4 per cent was the highest of any UK area.

Pitlochry in Perthshire was the second easiest place for learners to get their licence, with a pass rate of 73.6 per cent. All of the top six test centres when it came to the highest pass rates were in rural Scotland.

Duns in the Scottish Borders (72.7 per cent), Invera- ray in Argyll (72.2 per cent), Mallaig in Lochaber (71.4 per cent), and the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides (71.4 per cent) all enjoyed higher success rates than anywhere in England.

The four lowest pass rates in Scotland were all recorded in Glasgow. Outside of Knightswood, only around four in ten passed at Shieldhall (37.6 per cent), Anniesland (39 per cent) and Baillieston (42.8 per cent).

Berwick Upon Tweed, on the Scottish border, had the second highest in England with a 64.3 per cent pass rate only behind Malton in North Yorkshire (68 per cent).

Drivers savings website Confused.com revealed today was the day when learner drivers across the UK were most likely to pass their driving test, with 50.3 per cent passing.

August is the best month to take a test and pass, with a success rate of 47.5 per cent.

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.”

Learners who book their test for a Monday have a better chance of passing than any other day of the week, with 47.5 per cent successful. The school run also surprisingly proved a prime time slot, with 48.1 per cent of learners passing their test between 3pm and 4pm.