Key figures
- 44.8% of car theory tests were passed in 2025–26 (April to March): 1,311,480 passes from 2,924,430 tests.
- The most recent quarter, April to June 2026, was 44.0% (provisional).
- 17-year-olds had the highest pass rate of any age: 51.1%.
- Women passed 47.2% of their tests and men 43.0%.
How the pass rate has changed
In 2007–08, 65.4% of car theory tests were passed. On 23 January 2012 the questions used in the real test stopped being published, so learners could no longer memorise them, and by 2013–14 the pass rate had fallen to 51.7%. It has been under 50% in most years since 2015.
2020–21 stands out: far fewer tests were taken during coronavirus restrictions (891,279), and the pass rate rose to 55.7%. Since then the number of tests has climbed to over 2.9 million a year, with the pass rate around 45%.
| Year (April to March) | Tests | Passes | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | 1,451,348 | 949,431 | 65.4% |
| 2008–09 | 1,290,638 | 844,036 | 65.4% |
| 2009–10 | 1,347,486 | 859,813 | 63.8% |
| 2010–11 | 1,346,165 | 849,007 | 63.1% |
| 2011–12 | 1,371,494 | 833,930 | 60.8% |
| 2012–13 | 1,244,041 | 735,368 | 59.1% |
| 2013–14 | 1,569,993 | 811,677 | 51.7% |
| 2014–15 | 1,680,268 | 857,189 | 51.0% |
| 2015–16 | 1,900,691 | 937,034 | 49.3% |
| 2016–17 | 1,952,226 | 950,210 | 48.7% |
| 2017–18 | 1,886,218 | 918,130 | 48.7% |
| 2018–19 | 1,787,773 | 845,028 | 47.3% |
| 2019–20 | 1,865,740 | 878,903 | 47.1% |
| 2020–21 | 891,279 | 496,660 | 55.7% |
| 2021–22 | 2,463,621 | 1,234,013 | 50.1% |
| 2022–23 | 2,432,302 | 1,075,508 | 44.2% |
| 2023–24 | 2,594,741 | 1,173,545 | 45.2% |
| 2024–25 | 2,792,839 | 1,253,269 | 44.9% |
| 2025–26 | 2,924,430 | 1,311,480 | 44.8% |
Pass rates by age
17-year-olds do best, with 51.1% passing in 2025–26. Pass rates drop for 18- and 19-year-olds, recover a little in the early twenties, then fall gradually with age: 38.3% for people aged 41 to 50.
| Age | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | 694,029 | 51.1% |
| 18 | 262,871 | 40.1% |
| 19 | 172,796 | 42.1% |
| 20 | 131,839 | 44.4% |
| 21 | 117,781 | 47.6% |
| 22 | 107,851 | 48.9% |
| 23 | 99,452 | 46.7% |
| 24 | 95,045 | 45.2% |
| 25 | 95,324 | 43.9% |
| 26 to 30 | 422,098 | 43.5% |
| 31 to 40 | 496,283 | 42.2% |
| 41 to 50 | 179,693 | 38.3% |
| 51 to 59 | 38,864 | 37.0% |
| 60 and over | 8,262 | 38.5% |
Pass rates for men and women
In 2025–26, women passed 47.2% of 1,309,479 tests and men passed 43.0% of 1,614,947. Women have had the higher pass rate in every year since these figures began in 2007.
Pass rates at every test centre
Every theory test centre runs the same computer-based test, so a centre’s pass rate mostly reflects who takes the test there rather than how hard it is. Book whichever centre is easiest for you to get to. Centres that run few tests can swing a lot from one year to the next.
Among centres with at least 1,000 tests in 2025–26, the highest pass rates were at Oxford B (55.9%), Guildford (54.0%), Royal Tunbridge Wells (53.6%), and the lowest at Bradford (37.5%), Uxbridge (38.1%), Dudley (40.0%).
| Aberdeen | 17,313 | 47.8% | down -0.3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberystwyth | 2,214 | 49.1% | up +4.0 |
| Aldershot | 15,142 | 47.8% | up +2.0 |
| Alnwick | 1,429 | 46.4% | up +3.5 |
| Andover | 11,475 | 48.9% | up +0.3 |
| Aviemore | 46 | 54.3% | down -3.1 |
| Axminster | 2,350 | 50.5% | up +2.9 |
| Aylesbury | 14,399 | 46.9% | up +0.6 |
| Ayr | 11,227 | 44.1% | down -0.8 |
| Bala | 540 | 43.1% | down -0.9 |
| Ballater | 46 | 56.5% | up +5.3 |
| Bangor | 8,034 | 43.6% | up +0.7 |
| Barnstaple | 5,190 | 45.0% | no change 0.0 |
| Barrow | 3,666 | 43.0% | up +0.4 |
| Berwick | 1,002 | 45.6% | up +3.4 |
| Bethnal Green | 40,236 | 46.9% | down -0.5 |
| Birmingham | 78,958 | 40.6% | up +0.2 |
| Bishop Auckland | 579 | 47.5% | up +0.8 |
| Blandford Forum | 2,047 | 52.4% | up +1.7 |
| Bodmin | 1,460 | 52.6% | up +3.8 |
| Bolton | 46,465 | 41.7% | up +0.2 |
| Boston | 7,094 | 40.4% | down -0.9 |
| Bournemouth | 15,930 | 47.0% | down -0.1 |
| Bowmore (Isle of Islay) | 59 | 49.2% | down -0.8 |
| Bradford | 42,749 | 37.5% | up +0.7 |
| Brechin | 100 | 33.0% | down -12.6 |
| Bridgend | 8,428 | 41.4% | down -1.4 |
| Brighton | 18,387 | 52.4% | up +1.0 |
| Bristol | 44,554 | 48.9% | no change 0.0 |
| Brodick (Isle of Arran) | 51 | 64.7% | up +11.5 |
| Builth Wells | 1,298 | 46.8% | up +0.5 |
| Burnley | 1,401 | 44.4% | down -1.1 |
| Bury St Edmunds | 8,867 | 48.3% | up +0.3 |
| Cambridge | 25,043 | 52.8% | down -0.4 |
| Campbeltown | 76 | 47.4% | up +3.6 |
| Canterbury | 26,438 | 47.4% | up +1.2 |
| Cardiff | 31,891 | 44.9% | down -0.4 |
| Cardigan | 1,095 | 41.6% | up +1.0 |
| Carlisle | 7,165 | 41.7% | down -1.9 |
| Carmarthen | 2,077 | 44.0% | down -1.4 |
| Chatham | 32,955 | 44.1% | up +0.2 |
| Chelmsford | 22,482 | 47.9% | no change 0.0 |
| Cheltenham | 9,110 | 49.9% | down -0.2 |
| Chester | 20,210 | 47.6% | no change 0.0 |
| Chesterfield | 16,248 | 45.3% | up +0.1 |
| Chichester | 10,653 | 46.7% | down -0.5 |
| Colchester | 15,487 | 45.1% | down -0.8 |
| Corby | 11,626 | 45.1% | down -0.7 |
| Coventry | 48,874 | 43.3% | down -0.4 |
| Crewe | 16,952 | 45.0% | down -0.3 |
| Cromer | 81 | 39.5% | down -2.3 |
| Croydon | 43,848 | 45.8% | up +0.5 |
| Cumnock | 46 | 39.1% | down -12.8 |
| Derby | 35,069 | 44.7% | up +0.5 |
| Diss | 65 | 50.8% | up +0.8 |
| Dolgellau | 488 | 45.1% | up +4.2 |
| Doncaster | 27,263 | 41.3% | down -0.3 |
| Dudley | 28,272 | 40.0% | up +1.8 |
| Dumbarton | 5,242 | 42.5% | down -0.5 |
| Dumfries | 3,919 | 45.3% | up +0.2 |
| Dundee | 18,928 | 46.6% | down -1.6 |
| Dunoon | 33 | 51.5% | up +14.7 |
| Eastbourne | 6,958 | 45.1% | up +0.9 |
| Edinburgh | 42,186 | 49.5% | down -1.1 |
| Elgin | 3,679 | 42.4% | down -0.9 |
| Exeter | 13,994 | 50.6% | down -0.9 |
| Fakenham | 73 | 49.3% | up +4.1 |
| Fareham | 9,799 | 46.1% | down -1.6 |
| Fort William | 528 | 44.5% | up +0.6 |
| Frome | 11,497 | 49.9% | up +0.9 |
| Galashiels | 3,760 | 49.8% | up +0.7 |
| Glasgow | 75,311 | 44.1% | down -0.9 |
| Glossop | 279 | 48.7% | down -1.0 |
| Gloucester | 14,291 | 44.5% | up +0.1 |
| Grantham | 6,552 | 47.8% | down -1.1 |
| Greenock | 5,172 | 44.2% | no change 0.0 |
| Grimsby | 10,119 | 42.5% | down -1.7 |
| Guildford | 14,826 | 54.0% | up +0.4 |
| Harrogate | 7,802 | 51.3% | no change 0.0 |
| Hastings | 6,891 | 45.1% | down -0.2 |
| Haverfordwest | 4,177 | 40.8% | down -0.8 |
| Helmsdale | 51 | 47.1% | down -13.6 |
| Hereford | 8,410 | 44.3% | up +0.2 |
| Hertford | 25,517 | 46.6% | no change 0.0 |
| Hexham | 221 | 54.3% | up +8.8 |
| Horley | 18,913 | 47.3% | up +1.0 |
| Hornsea | 62 | 58.1% | up +8.9 |
| Huddersfield | 28,154 | 42.8% | up +0.2 |
| Hull | 22,194 | 42.9% | down -1.4 |
| Huntingdon | 63 | 46.0% | down -9.6 |
| Huntly | 200 | 49.0% | up +3.0 |
| Ilford | 92,249 | 40.2% | down -0.3 |
| Inverness | 5,864 | 46.7% | down -1.4 |
| Ipswich | 14,015 | 44.8% | down -1.4 |
| Kendal | 4,348 | 51.2% | up +2.0 |
| Kings Lynn | 8,376 | 42.3% | up +0.3 |
| Kingsbridge | 1,117 | 52.2% | up +3.8 |
| Kirkbymoorside | 86 | 57.0% | up +10.3 |
| Kirkwall | 551 | 45.7% | down -5.2 |
| Kyle of Lochalsh | 54 | 59.3% | down -5.0 |
| Lanark | 563 | 41.9% | down -3.6 |
| Launceston | 1,535 | 48.4% | up +2.0 |
| Leeds | 56,711 | 43.3% | down -0.9 |
| Leicester | 61,224 | 40.4% | up +0.7 |
| Lerwick | 485 | 52.0% | up +2.3 |
| Leven | 423 | 41.6% | down -4.5 |
| Lincoln | 13,333 | 45.2% | down -1.8 |
| Liverpool | 69,093 | 45.6% | up +0.2 |
| Lochmaddy | 92 | 43.5% | down -8.9 |
| Louth | 199 | 50.3% | up +4.5 |
| Lowestoft | 7,099 | 43.8% | up +1.8 |
| Luton | 38,665 | 41.0% | down -0.8 |
| Mallaig | 26 | 61.5% | up +8.9 |
| Manchester | 88,658 | 42.4% | down -0.7 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 13,427 | 41.1% | up +0.6 |
| Middlesbrough | 34,351 | 40.9% | down -1.3 |
| Millom | 45 | 48.9% | up +14.3 |
| Milton Keynes | 27,333 | 46.6% | down -0.6 |
| Morden | 42,181 | 51.7% | up +0.3 |
| New Romney | 1,859 | 47.2% | up +1.1 |
| Newcastle | 45,324 | 45.9% | down -1.1 |
| Newport (Gwent) | 15,193 | 41.2% | up +0.1 |
| Newport (Isle of Wight) | 4,183 | 48.9% | up +1.6 |
| Newton Stewart | 87 | 48.3% | up +7.8 |
| Newtown | 1,204 | 44.9% | up +4.0 |
| North Berwick | 291 | 50.5% | down -5.8 |
| North Finchley | 67,769 | 43.7% | down -0.1 |
| Northallerton | 4,868 | 47.0% | down -0.9 |
| Northampton | 29,016 | 44.1% | up +1.0 |
| Norwich | 21,224 | 47.6% | down -1.0 |
| Nottingham | 42,273 | 46.6% | down -0.2 |
| Oban | 628 | 49.5% | up +0.3 |
| Oxford | 19,803 | 50.5% | down -0.5 |
| Oxford B | 1,226 | 55.9% | New |
| Penrith | 242 | 50.8% | up +3.6 |
| Penzance | 1,909 | 48.9% | down -0.1 |
| Peterborough | 22,356 | 42.3% | down -0.5 |
| Peterhead | 107 | 43.0% | down -2.8 |
| Pitlochry | 125 | 50.4% | up +1.6 |
| Plymouth | 13,278 | 49.0% | up +1.3 |
| Porthmadog | 700 | 33.7% | down -2.0 |
| Portree | 59 | 50.8% | down -8.4 |
| Portsmouth | 16,334 | 43.8% | down -1.8 |
| Preston | 54,263 | 43.9% | down -0.1 |
| Reading | 34,220 | 49.6% | up +0.7 |
| Redditch | 16,042 | 48.4% | up +0.4 |
| Rhyl | 6,477 | 43.1% | up +2.1 |
| Royal Tunbridge Wells | 9,660 | 53.6% | no change 0.0 |
| Rushden | 100 | 52.0% | down -2.5 |
| Salisbury | 7,710 | 50.3% | up +0.6 |
| Saxmundham | 93 | 45.2% | down -7.1 |
| Scarborough | 5,544 | 44.6% | down -1.5 |
| Sheffield | 45,068 | 44.0% | down -0.1 |
| Shrewsbury | 14,051 | 47.2% | up +0.9 |
| Sidcup | 42,577 | 46.0% | up +0.2 |
| Skegness | 80 | 33.8% | down -7.1 |
| Slough | 24,639 | 41.4% | down -0.2 |
| Southampton | 20,885 | 46.2% | down -0.1 |
| Southend-On-Sea | 24,458 | 45.3% | up +0.5 |
| Southwark | 68,847 | 52.0% | up +0.3 |
| Staines | 16,298 | 46.1% | up +0.7 |
| Stirling | 13,655 | 45.7% | down -1.1 |
| Stockport | 38,841 | 46.0% | up +0.5 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 22,423 | 43.9% | up +0.8 |
| Stornoway | 498 | 46.8% | up +4.5 |
| Stranraer | 263 | 43.0% | up +2.3 |
| Stratford-upon-Avon | 11,790 | 50.3% | up +0.1 |
| Strathpeffer | 26 | 53.8% | up +3.8 |
| Sunderland | 22,878 | 43.3% | down -0.5 |
| Sutton Coldfield | 23,976 | 42.6% | up +0.2 |
| Swansea | 20,289 | 42.4% | up +0.1 |
| Swindon | 20,767 | 43.5% | down -1.5 |
| Tain | 70 | 50.0% | down -2.1 |
| Tarbert (Argyll & Bute) | 75 | 49.3% | down -3.3 |
| Tarbert (Isle of Harris) | 54 | 38.9% | down -9.2 |
| Taunton | 9,757 | 46.4% | up +0.4 |
| Tongue | 53 | 50.9% | up +3.2 |
| Torquay | 7,758 | 49.1% | up +0.8 |
| Truro | 10,246 | 50.2% | up +0.8 |
| Ullapool | 37 | 56.8% | up +1.8 |
| Uxbridge | 83,604 | 38.1% | down -0.1 |
| Watford | 36,812 | 47.0% | up +0.4 |
| Weymouth | 4,806 | 44.9% | up +1.6 |
| Wick | 336 | 51.2% | up +8.3 |
| Williton | 650 | 46.5% | down -0.5 |
| Wolverhampton | 36,811 | 40.3% | up +1.8 |
| Worcester | 15,633 | 47.6% | up +1.3 |
| Workington | 4,710 | 41.0% | down -0.5 |
| Worksop | 218 | 44.5% | up +2.6 |
| Worthing | 8,240 | 46.1% | no change 0.0 |
| Wrexham | 8,134 | 43.7% | up +0.4 |
| Yeovil | 8,678 | 45.7% | down -1.1 |
| York | 12,896 | 50.6% | up +0.4 |
Tests and pass rates are for 2025–26 (April to March). Change is the difference in percentage points from 2024–25; “New” means the centre had no tests that year.
What this means for you
A pass rate under 50% sounds daunting, but the test itself is predictable: 50 multiple-choice questions with 43 needed to pass, then 14 hazard perception clips. Working through every topic, then taking timed mock tests until you pass them comfortably, is the most reliable way to know you’re ready.
Our three-week revision plan sets out how, and the theory test explained covers what happens on the day.
Sources
- GOV.UK: Driving test and theory test data: cars (tables DRT111A, DRT111C and DRT112A)
- GOV.UK: Changes to the theory test: the facts (December 2011)
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are as published by DVSA; recent months are provisional and can change slightly. Rounded to one decimal place.