Last Updated on January 18, 2024
A quaint seaside town in Hampshire is the best place in the UK to take your driving test if you want to pass first time, new analysis has found.
We analysed data from the DVLA and can now reveal that Lee-on-Solent, just five miles west of Portsmouth, has the highest first-time pass rate for driving tests in the UK.
Our study assessed the pass rate percentage of major driving test centres across the UK – those conducting more than 1,000 tests annually – to find the best places in the country to pass first time.
Boasting a pass rate of 67.1%, Lee-on-Solent came out on top, with 2,589 of its 3,859 first-time attempters receiving their green ‘L’ plates.
Chichester, the West Sussex city famous for being home to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, finished in second place, with an average pass rate of 66.5%.
Last year’s winner, Dorchester, in Dorset, kept up its high success rate in third place with a pass rate of 65%, with Yeovil in Somerset finishing fourth (63.9%).
The Cumbrian market-town of Kendal proved king of the north with a 72.9% pass rate for first time attempters, but it was only enough to finish fifth nationally.
Liz Laidler, head of learner driver products at Collingwood – a company that specialises in policies for people preparing for their test – said: “They say practice makes perfect and this is certainly the case for driving, as, like most things, it’s a skill that improves the more you practice.
“However, it’s important to remember that, while driving instructors and motoring schools will have their own insurance, specialist learner driver insurance is required by law when you’re getting extra practice in by driving on public roads in either your own, or a family member’s car.
“There’s no doubt that the more exposure you have to the roads and the more you practice, the greater your chance of passing first time, but drivers just have to be certain that they have the relevant cover to avoid any fines or penalties before they even hit the roads.”
Nationally, the average first-time pass rate was 49.3% for 2021-2022, which was a fall from an average of 51% the year prior.
Supporting data:
Areas with the highest first-time pass rate:
| Lee on Solent | 67.1% |
| Chichester | 66.5% |
| Dorchester | 65% |
| Yeovil | 63.9% |
| Kendal (Oxenholme Road) | 62.9% |
| Melton Mowbray | 62.6% |
| Abergavenny | 62.6% |
| Aberdeen South (Cove) | 62.2% |
| Durham | 62.1% |
| Pembroke Dock | 61.9% |
| Llantrisant | 61.7% |
| Rugby | 61.7% |
| Hyde (Manchester) | 61.5% |
| Hereford | 61.3% |
| Northwich | 61.2% |
| Worksop | 60.7% |
| Brecon | 60.6% |
| Sevenoaks | 60.5% |
| Perth | 60.1% |
| Boston | 59.9% |
| Blyth | 59.8% |
| Dundee | 59.7% |
| Gillingham | 59.5% |
Areas lowest first-time pass rate:
| Featherstone (W. Yorkshire) | 37.1% |
| Belvedere | 29% |
| Plymouth | 37.4% |
| Rochdale | 34% |
| Leicester (Cannock Street) | 39% |
| Birmingham (Kingstanding) | 34% |
| Birmingham (South Yardley) | 34.8% |
| Wallasey | 39.3% |
| Wolverhampton | 35.7% |
| Croydon | 37.6% |
| Sutton Coldfield | 35.9% |
| Yeading | 35.9% |
| Wanstead London | 37.3% |
| Bodmin | 36.2% |
| Bury | 37.1% |
| Bury St Edmunds | 37.3% |
| Goodmayes | 39.2% |
| Crawley | 38.8% |
| Stoke-On-Trent (Cobridge) | 33.8% |
| Erith | 26.2% |
| Crewe | 35.8% |
| Birmingham (Kings Heath) | 38.9% |
| Grimsby Coldwater | 39.2% |
| Greenford | 38.2% |
| Speke (Liverpool) | 32.6% |
Areas with highest percentage of 1st time passers with zero faults:
| Chichester | 7.55% |
| Aberdeen South | 6.61% |
| Lee On The Solent | 5.78% |
| Melton Mowbray | 5.60% |
| Preston | 5.02% |
| Salisbury | 5.00% |
| Chertsey | 4.99% |
| Dunfermline | 4.93% |
| Norwich | 4.83% |
| Brecon | 4.72% |
| Farnborough | 4.51% |
| Winchester | 4.46% |
| Kendal | 4.42% |
| Basingstoke | 4.37% |
| Rugby | 4.30% |
| Bolton | 4.22% |
| Abergavenny | 4.21% |
| Chesterfield | 4.18% |
| Dundee | 4.12% |
| Ipswich | 4.10% |
