Half of practical driving tests now result in a pass
The rate rose from 44.2% in 2007/08 to 50% in 2025/26: an increase of 5.8 percentage points.
Key figures
- 50%
Great Britain pass rate in 2025/26
- 1,998,621
Tests conducted in 2025/26
- 317
Test centres on the map
Pass rates vary by test centre
The published data includes a 2025/26 annual pass rate for 317 practical test centres across Great Britain. Select any point to inspect its total tests, passes and pass rate.
- Under 45%
- 45% to 49.9%
- 50% to 54.9%
- 55% or higher
Click a map point to inspect that centre. Use the centre menu for dense urban areas, island centres or keyboard navigation.
Birmingham (Garretts Green)
Postcode: B33 0SD
- 2025/26 pass rate
- 44.4%
Compared with Great Britain: 5.6pp below the 50% national rate
- Tests conducted
- 22,480
- Tests passed
- 9,980
Rate source: DVSA table DRT122A
Each point represents a test centre, not an average for the surrounding area. Centre rates also reflect differences in candidates, test volumes and local conditions; they do not measure test difficulty alone. Northern Ireland is outside this dataset.
Rates are annual centre totals for 2025/26. Marker positions use the government’s active driving-test-centres location dataset; a centre absent from that current list is positioned from its published postcode. Find a driving test centre on GOV.UK
Car practical test pass rate by financial year
Official results for tests taken in Great Britain.
Pass rate (%)
| Financial year | Pass rate |
|---|---|
| 2007/08 | 44.2% |
| 2008/09 | 45.3% |
| 2009/10 | 45.9% |
| 2010/11 | 46.3% |
| 2011/12 | 46.9% |
| 2012/13 | 47.1% |
| 2013/14 | 47.1% |
| 2014/15 | 46.9% |
| 2015/16 | 47% |
| 2016/17 | 47.1% |
| 2017/18 | 46.3% |
| 2018/19 | 45.8% |
| 2019/20 | 45.9% |
| 2020/21 | 49.8% |
| 2021/22 | 48.9% |
| 2022/23 | 48.4% |
| 2023/24 | 47.9% |
| 2024/25 | 48.7% |
| 2025/26 | 50% |
Read the number of tests alongside the pass rate
In 2024/25, 895,368 of 1,839,817 attempts passed. In 2025/26, 1,000,043 of 1,998,621 passed. The volumes show how many outcomes sit behind the national percentages.
Car practical test attempts and passes by year
| Financial year | Attempts | Passes |
|---|---|---|
| 2007/08 | 1,762,148 | 779,207 |
| 2008/09 | 1,738,992 | 787,618 |
| 2009/10 | 1,533,738 | 703,859 |
| 2010/11 | 1,605,599 | 744,058 |
| 2011/12 | 1,569,069 | 736,158 |
| 2012/13 | 1,436,481 | 677,255 |
| 2013/14 | 1,477,585 | 695,580 |
| 2014/15 | 1,532,504 | 718,712 |
| 2015/16 | 1,537,735 | 723,444 |
| 2016/17 | 1,730,936 | 815,168 |
| 2017/18 | 1,718,519 | 795,892 |
| 2018/19 | 1,664,219 | 761,972 |
| 2019/20 | 1,599,566 | 734,600 |
| 2020/21 | 437,352 | 217,807 |
| 2021/22 | 1,538,314 | 751,914 |
| 2022/23 | 1,688,955 | 816,775 |
| 2023/24 | 1,945,225 | 931,494 |
| 2024/25 | 1,839,817 | 895,368 |
| 2025/26 | 1,998,621 | 1,000,043 |
What the chart shows
+5.8pp
A gradual long-term increase
The latest rate is 13% higher than the first year in the series. Most annual changes were small rather than sudden.
2020/21
The pandemic year is an outlier
Only 437,352 tests were conducted in 2020/21 while restrictions disrupted testing, far below a normal year.
1,998,621
Testing reached a series high
The published data records 1,000,043 passes in 2025/26, the first time the annual total exceeded one million in this series.
Frequently asked questions
How many practical driving tests passed in 2025/26?
DVSA recorded 1,000,043 passes from 1,998,621 attempts in Great Britain. The published pass rate rounds to 50%.
Do repeat driving tests count in the pass rate?
Yes. The annual figures count tests conducted. A learner who takes the test more than once contributes multiple attempts.
What should I compare between test centres?
Compare rates from the same period and check how many attempts each centre recorded. A percentage based on fewer tests can change more from a small number of outcomes.
How many faults can I make and still pass?
The car driving test allows up to 15 driving faults. A serious or dangerous fault results in a fail. GOV.UK driving test marking
Does a centre's pass rate tell me how long I will wait?
The pass rate describes outcomes of tests already taken. Use the waiting times report for a centre's recorded waits and the official booking service for available dates.
Are all centres included in the national figure?
The national rate uses the DVSA Great Britain row. The map plots the centres in the snapshot with published coordinates, so the number of points on the map is a separate measure.
How to read this data
Reviewed by Drivings Editorial on 3 August 2026 · refreshed at each DVSA statistics release.
The published series covers Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), not Northern Ireland. Calling it a UK rate is common shorthand, but it is not technically precise.
The rate is calculated per test, not per unique learner. A learner who retakes the practical test is counted again, so this is not a first-attempt pass rate.
The 2020/21 annual figure combines a much smaller and unusual group of tests conducted around COVID-19 restrictions. It should not be treated as evidence that the test became easier.
Data: DVSA table DRT121A · Open Government Licence v3.0 · Machine-readable JSON · Check your three permitted move centres
Update history
Added the attempt counts behind the practical pass rates.
The new chart plots car tests conducted and passed from 2007/08 to 2025/26. Great Britain recorded 1,000,043 passes from 1,998,621 attempts in 2025/26, up from 895,368 passes from 1,839,817 attempts the year before.
The centre example shows how much volume can differ between two rates. Aberfeldy's 68.5% came from 149 tests, while Abergavenny's 64.2% came from 5,924. The FAQ explains how to read the centre map and how repeat sittings enter the totals.
Opened the national series and test centre explorer.
The first edition combined DVSA's national series with its 2025/26 centre results. The Great Britain pass rate had risen from 44.2% in 2007/08 to 50% in 2025/26.
The map and centre selector gave readers a way to look up a local rate alongside the number of tests and passes. The national benchmark came directly from DRT121A and the centre results came from DRT122A.