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

Image of how much brits spent on driving tests and their pass rates by region

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.

If you've just passed your test but haven't had chance to build up a high credit score yet, don't worry, Zuto specialise in bad credit car finance and might be able to help.

Maybe you've passed your test but want to start your driving life electric - Zuto work with lenders who offer electric car finance.

Find out how much you could borrow by using our vehicle finance calculator.

Which regions invested the most in driving tests?

Biggest spenders in England on driving tests

Lowest spenders on driving tests in England

Which counties have the best and lowest pass rates

West Midlands has lowest first-time driving test pass rate in England

Northumberland has the highest first-time driving test pass rate in England

What percentage of drivers pass their test first time where you live?

How much do counties spend on driving tests

Biggest spenders in England on driving tests

Lowest spenders on driving tests in England

All English counties’ spending on driving tests

Data sources

Share with

More from the blog