Which counties spend the most on driving tests – and how likely are they to pass first time?
Is your county full of better drivers than its neighbours, or are you driving examiners just too strict? Find out where your region ranks for driving test pass rate and the amount of cash splashed on tests.
- Michael Barlow
- Manchester
Brits spent more than £49 million on driving tests in 2020, even as Covid restrictions meant fewer than normal could be taken.
The new research from Zuto shows just how much getting a licence means to the nation of wannabe drivers.
Last year’s outlay on tests was half what it was in 2019, when more than £100m was spent, our research found.
In 2020, more than £44,067,800 was spent on tests in England alone.
National pass rates have seen an increase, though, with all but a handful of counties seeing an improvement. The national average was 51%.
Jump to:
· Top 5s: Which regions invested the most in driving tests – the top and bottom 5s for spending money on driving tests
· Top 5s: Which counties have the best and lowest pass rates – as well as the stand-out performers
· What percentage of drivers pass their test first time where you live – find your county to see who’s the best – or who’s got it easiest
· How much do counties spend on driving tests – see if you’ve been spending more than your neighbours
Which regions invested the most in driving tests?
More tests were taken in London than any other English region in 2020. In the capital, more than £8,668,716 was spent on them last year.
That compares to £86,242 spent in North Devon – the lowest spending of England’s regions.
In Scotland £3,471,628 was spent on tests in 2020. In Wales £2,019,216 was invested.
Biggest spenders in England on driving tests
|
Region |
Total spent on driving tests
in 2020 |
|
London |
£8,668,716 |
|
West
Midlands |
£2,857,022 |
|
Greater
Manchester |
£2,749,514 |
|
West
Yorkshire |
£2,533,196 |
|
Hampshire |
£1,554,836 |
Lowest spenders on driving tests in England
|
Region |
Total spent on driving tests
in 2020 |
|
North Devon |
£86,242 |
|
Herefordshire |
£96,224 |
|
Northumberland |
£210,056 |
|
East Sussex |
£268,894 |
|
West Sussex |
£283,340 |
Which counties have the best and lowest pass rates
One of the few bits of good news brought by the pandemic was a slightly increased chance of a first-time driving test pass. Across Britain, the pass rate for first tests was 51% in 2020, compared to 49% in 2019.
West Midlands has lowest first-time driving test pass rate in England
In England, the West Midlands continued to prove the toughest place to pass first time. It had the lowest first-time pass rate in 2019 and 2020.
In 2020, things improved slightly with 40% of drivers passing their test first time. In 2019, the figure was 38%.
Northumberland has the highest first-time driving test pass rate in England
Northumberland recorded the highest first-time pass rate, with 63% in 2020. It neared the top of the table in 2019 too, in third place with 61%.
Discover what percentage of people pass first time in your region in the tables below.
What percentage of drivers pass their test first time where you live?
The highest percentage of first-time pass rates in England in 2020 were:
|
Region |
Percentage of tests passed
first time in 2020 |
|
Northumberland |
63% |
|
Dorset |
60% |
|
Somerset |
59% |
|
Cumbria |
58% |
|
County Durham |
58% |
The lowest percentage of first-time pass rates in England:
|
Region |
Percentage of tests passed
first time in 2020 |
|
West
Midlands |
40% |
|
Cornwall |
43% |
|
London |
44% |
|
West
Yorkshire |
45% |
|
Devon |
46% |
All England regions 2020 first-time pass rate:
|
Rank |
Region |
First-time pass rate % in 2020 |
|
1
|
Northumberland |
64.6 |
|
2
|
Dorset |
60.9 |
|
3
|
Somerset |
59.2 |
|
4
|
Cumbria |
58.5 |
|
5
|
County Durham |
57.5 |
|
6
|
Herefordshire |
57 |
|
7
|
North Devon |
56.6 |
|
8
|
North Yorkshire |
56.5 |
|
9
|
Berkshire |
55.1 |
|
10
|
Norfolk |
54.3 |
|
11
|
Bristol |
54.2 |
|
12
|
Hampshire |
53.9 |
|
13
|
East Yorkshire |
53.6 |
|
14
|
Oxfordshire |
53.2 |
|
15
|
Warwickshire |
53.1 |
|
16
|
Northamptonshire |
53.1 |
|
17
|
Nottinghamshire |
52.9 |
|
18
|
Wiltshire |
52.5 |
|
19
|
Suffolk |
52.4 |
|
20
|
Lancashire |
51.4 |
|
21
|
Essex |
51.1 |
|
22
|
Lincolnshire |
51 |
|
23
|
Shropshire |
50.9 |
|
24
|
Surrey |
50.8 |
|
25
|
Teeside |
50.7 |
|
26
|
Hertfordshire |
50.6 |
|
27
|
West Sussex |
50.4 |
|
28
|
Sussex |
50.3 |
|
29
|
Kent |
50.2 |
|
30
|
East Sussex |
49.8 |
|
31
|
Leicestershire |
49 |
|
32
|
Cheshire |
49 |
|
33
|
West Yorkshire |
48.7 |
|
34
|
Derbyshire |
48.6 |
|
35
|
Cambridgeshire |
48.4 |
|
36
|
Worcestershire |
47.9 |
|
37
|
Tyne and Wear |
47.6 |
|
38
|
Greater Manchester |
47.3 |
|
39
|
South Yorkshire |
47.2 |
|
40
|
Staffordshire |
47.1 |
|
41
|
Gloucestershire |
46.6 |
|
42
|
Merseyside |
46.6 |
|
43
|
Buckinghamshire |
45.5 |
|
44
|
Devon |
43.7 |
|
45
|
Cornwall |
43.6 |
|
46
|
Bedfordshire |
43.4 |
|
47
|
London |
43.4 |
|
48
|
West Midlands |
41.1 |
All England regions 2019 first-time pass rate:
|
Rank |
Region |
First-time pass rate % in 2019 |
|
1
|
Northamptonshire |
63.3 |
|
2
|
Surrey |
61.7 |
|
3
|
Northumberland |
61.3 |
|
4
|
Dorset |
57.4 |
|
5
|
Somerset |
56.5 |
|
6
|
Tyne and Wear |
56.2 |
|
7
|
North Yorkshire |
54.6 |
|
8
|
North Devon |
54.4 |
|
9
|
Herefordshire |
54 |
|
10
|
County Durham |
53.7 |
|
11
|
Suffolk |
52.4 |
|
12
|
Teeside |
52.2 |
|
13
|
Warwickshire |
51.7 |
|
14
|
Nottinghamshire |
51.6 |
|
15
|
Oxfordshire |
50.1 |
|
16
|
Wiltshire |
49.9 |
|
17
|
Norfolk |
49.9 |
|
18
|
Lancashire |
49.8 |
|
19
|
Berkshire |
49.4 |
|
20
|
Hampshire |
49.4 |
|
21
|
Bristol |
48.9 |
|
22
|
Hertfordshire |
48.3 |
|
23
|
Lincolnshire |
47.8 |
|
24
|
Sussex |
47.8 |
|
25
|
Cambridgeshire |
47.2 |
|
26
|
Cumbria |
47.2 |
|
27
|
East Sussex |
47 |
|
28
|
Derbyshire |
46.8 |
|
29
|
Essex |
46.8 |
|
30
|
West Sussex |
46.8 |
|
31
|
Leicestershire |
46.8 |
|
32
|
Cheshire |
46.2 |
|
33
|
Staffordshire |
45.9 |
|
34
|
Greater Manchester |
45.8 |
|
35
|
South Yorkshire |
45.3 |
|
36
|
Kent |
45.1 |
|
37
|
East Yorkshire |
44.8 |
|
38
|
Cornwall |
44.7 |
|
39
|
Gloucestershire |
44.7 |
|
40
|
Shropshire |
44.6 |
|
41
|
Worcestershire |
44.2 |
|
42
|
Buckinghamshire |
44.1 |
|
43
|
Merseyside |
42.6 |
|
44
|
Devon |
42.6 |
|
45
|
West Yorkshire |
42.1 |
|
46
|
London |
41.5 |
|
47
|
Bedfordshire |
40.9 |
|
48
|
West Midlands |
38.2 |
How much do counties spend on driving tests
Biggest spenders in England on driving tests
|
Region |
Total spent on driving tests
in 2020 |
|
London |
£8,668,716 |
|
West
Midlands |
£2,857,022 |
|
Greater
Manchester |
£2,749,514 |
|
West
Yorkshire |
£2,533,196 |
|
Hampshire |
£1,554,836 |
Lowest spenders on driving tests in England
|
Region |
Total spent on driving tests
in 2020 |
|
North Devon |
£86,242 |
|
Herefordshire |
£96,224 |
|
Northumberland |
£210,056 |
|
East Sussex |
£268,894 |
|
West Sussex |
£283,340 |
All English counties’ spending on driving tests
|
Rank |
Region |
Total spent on driving tests
in 2020 in £s |
|
1
|
London |
8,668,716 |
|
2
|
West
Midlands |
2,857,022 |
|
3
|
Greater
Manchester |
2,749,514 |
|
4
|
West
Yorkshire |
2,533,196 |
|
5
|
Hampshire |
1,554,836 |
|
6
|
Lancashire |
1,383,902 |
|
7
|
Merseyside |
1,279,618 |
|
8
|
Kent |
1,227,786 |
|
9
|
South Yorkshire |
1,113,892 |
|
10
|
Essex |
974,702 |
|
11
|
Leicestershire |
875,378 |
|
12
|
Hertfordshire |
799,242 |
|
13
|
Staffordshire |
782,316 |
|
14
|
Lincolnshire |
779,402 |
|
15
|
Nottinghamshire |
722,548 |
|
16
|
Bedfordshire |
719,882 |
|
17
|
Cheshire |
708,722 |
|
18
|
Bristol |
682,248 |
|
19
|
Cambridgeshire |
669,662 |
|
20
|
Wiltshire |
669,290 |
|
21
|
Cornwall |
635,624 |
|
22
|
North Yorkshire |
634,508 |
|
23
|
Tyne and Wear |
631,904 |
|
24
|
Northamptonshire |
625,146 |
|
25
|
Warwickshire |
606,422 |
|
26
|
Norfolk |
565,254 |
|
27
|
Surrey |
552,482 |
|
28
|
Derbyshire |
526,876 |
|
29
|
Oxfordshire |
522,722 |
|
30
|
Berkshire |
505,238 |
|
31
|
Somerset |
497,674 |
|
32
|
Suffolk |
475,354 |
|
33
|
County Durham |
472,502 |
|
34
|
Dorset |
456,878 |
|
35
|
Devon |
451,980 |
|
36
|
Worcestershire |
418,624 |
|
37
|
Shropshire |
411,184 |
|
38
|
Buckinghamshire |
407,774 |
|
39
|
East Yorkshire |
371,442 |
|
40
|
Cumbria |
357,368 |
|
41
|
West Sussex |
567,610 |
|
42
|
Gloucestershire |
352,718 |
|
43
|
Teeside |
323,950 |
|
44
|
Sussex |
283340 |
|
45
|
East Sussex |
268,894 |
|
46
|
Northumberland |
210,056 |
|
47
|
Herefordshire |
96,224 |
|
48
|
North Devon |
86,242 |
Britain overview – spending on tests and first-time passes
|
Country |
Percentage of tests passed 1st
time |
Total spent on driving tests |
|
England |
50.9% |
£44,067,864 |
|
Scotland |
61% |
£3,471,628 |
|
Wales |
58% |
£2,019,216 |
|
Britain (England, Scotland, and
Wales) |
53% |
£49,633,108 |
Data sources
Regional first-time pass rates calculated by Zuto by calculating an average percentage pass mark across all driving test centres that submitted their results to us in each region
Spending on tests in each region calculated by Zuto by adding together the total number of practical tests taken at all driving test centres in each region that reported their figures to us and multiplying it by the minimum possible test cost of £62.
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