The hardest...and easiest...places to take your driving test in Northamptonshire

The hardest and easiest places to pass a driving test in Northamptonshire have been revealed.

On average 1.6 million people take a driving test each year across Britain, but some test centres have far higher pass rates than others.

The coronavirus pandemic severely hampered the number of tests carried out. In the 12 months to March 2021, just under 440,000 tests were conducted, with half of drivers (217,000) passing.

The most recent figures available for this year, covering the six months from April to September 2021, shows a big increase in the volume of tests carried out.

Some 700,000 tests were completed, again with about half (350,000) of drivers passing.

In Northamptonshire, the test centre in Wellingborough has the highest pass rate. A total of 525 driving tests were conducted there between April 2020 and September 2021, 360 passes were recorded, this means 68.6% of tests resulted in a pass.

Wellingborough ranked the highest for pass rates in East Midlands.

In Northampton, a total of 6,933 driving tests were conducted there between April 2020 and September 2021, 3,403 passes were recorded, this means 49.1 % of tests resulted in a pass.

Northampton ranked 16th in East Midlands for pass rates.

And in Kettering, a total of 5,970 driving tests were conducted there between April 2020 and September 2021, 2,780 passes were recorded, this means 46.6% of tests resulted in a pass.

Kettering ranked 19th out of 21 in East Midlands for pass rates.

A Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency spokesperson said: “DVSA’s priority is to help everyone through a lifetime of safe driving.

“The driver testing and training regime tests candidates’ ability to drive safely and responsibly as well as making sure they know the theory behind safe driving.

“All candidates are assessed to the same standard and the result of their test is entirely dependent on their performance on the day.”

Not all driving centres have high pass rates either, here we reveal the driving centres where it is hardest to pass your driving test.