Mid-Wales is the best place to try your driving test.
But Wrexham is the worst, according to a breakdown of DVSA pass rates studied by Confused.com.
What the statistics say about the quality of the driving instructors in the towns is not explained but to anyone taking a practical driving test it’s one of the most nerve-wracking things a learner driver could experience.
However, those taking their test in Llandrindod Wells are offered some relief as the test centre saw the highest pass rate in the region last year. In total, 72.2% of learner drivers who took their test in Llandrindod Wells walked away with a pass in 2017/18.
According to the data, a total of 53.9% learner drivers passed their driving test in Wales in between April 2017 and March 2018. Other successful locations included Brecon (63.1%) and Pwllheli (60.3%). On the other hand, learner drivers looking to book their test may want to think twice about booking at Wrexham, as this had the lowest pass rate (42.8%) in Wales between April 2017 and March 2018. Meanwhile, learners across the UK who are taking their driving test tomorrow will be pleased to hear that they have the best chance of passing. According to a new interactive calendar created by Confused.com, the 4 August is the day of the year when learners are most likely to pass their test, with an average pass rate of (50.3%). The calendar, created using DVSA data from the past five years, helps learner drivers across the UK identify the best and worst dates of the year to book their test. Learners can toggle between then calendar, which includes the average pass rate for every day of the year, or look to see how pass rates vary for different times of day, days of the week or month of the year to find the prime slot for them. | Fast facts about Llandrindod Wells | |
Llandrindod Wells became famous for its health giving spa waters, which were known to the Roman invaders but which were really exploited after the arrival of the railway and the Victorian Age, now celebrated in a festival at the end of August. It is home to the National Cycle Museum. Each June it is host to the two-day Welsh Enduro motorcycle trial which effectively replaced the International Six Days Trial which started in the town in 1933. The River Simple hydrogen car company is headquartered in the town and motor sport specialists Performance Clothing is also based in the town. It has a 14 acres boating lake in the town centre and was the first place in the UK to erect warning signs on a main road to protect migrating toads, and in 2017 was voted the happiest place to live in Wales, unless you were a squashed toad. BBC Wales weather presenter Sue Charles was born and educated in Llandrindod Wells. |
According to the calendar, learners may want to avoid booking their test on Boxing Day 26 December, as this had the highest number of test failures (60.5%), on average, over the past five years. And, if learners can’t quite get the golden date, they will be pleased to know that August is in fact the best month over all to take a test, and pass!
The month has seen the highest number of driving test passes in over the past five years, with 47.5% of students receiving their license in August. Meanwhile, the calendar shows that March that appears to be the worst month to take a driving test, with just 45.8% of learner drivers walking away with a pass this time of year on average.
However, a driver’s chance of passing doesn’t only boil down to the month, or day of the year. In fact, picking the right day of the week can be equally as important. According to the calendar, learners who book their test on a Monday have a better chance of passing than any other day of the week.
In total, 47.5% of tests taken on this day resulted in a pass. While those opting to take their test on a Sunday are in a more likely position to fail, with just 45.4% of learner drivers passing on a Sunday in 2017.
And picking the right time slot can also determine how likely you are to pass the test. Surprisingly, the school run is revealed to be the prime time slot for learner drivers, with 48.1% passing their test between 3pm and 4pm. However, taking the first slot of the day may just ruin their chances, as the fewest learners passed (44.2%) between 7am and 8am.
However, late-2017 saw the introduction of the sat nav and longer independent driving to the practical driving test, which could impact drivers’ chances of passing. Perhaps those taking their test in rural areas are given an even greater advantage due to the lack of traffic, while busy-city driving is aided by the use of a sat nav.
However, the introduction of a new manoeuvre, which requires students to pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse two car lengths and re-join the traffic, may just see more first-time fails, as the change receives backlash for breaching the Highway Code. It remains to be seen how these changes will impact future pass rates.