If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try, try again. That is the motto for tens of thousands of aspiring motorists who are taking their driving tests for the sixth time, according to analysis.
Parents and young drivers who are struggling to find a slot due to the coronavirus pandemic may conclude things are not helped by the more than 50,000 tests taken every year by learners who have already failed at least five times.
Analysis of UK Department for Transport (DfT) figures by the pro-motoring thinktank the RAC Foundation found 50,875 practical tests taken in Britain in the 12 months to the end of March were the candidates’ sixth attempt or more.
Just 40% of the tests were passed at the sixth attempt or more, compared with an average success rate for all tests of 49%, according to the figures shared with PA Media. A DfT fact sheet on driving test numbers shows the more tests you have taken, the more likely you are to fail again.
Tests and lessons were halted during the Covid lockdowns, leading to an estimated 500,000 pupils having their courses disrupted or delayed. In March this year there was an average 14-week waiting time for driving tests, according to a freedom of information request from the RAC.
With a practical driving tests costing between £62 and £75 the total bill for repeated failures could be steep for learners who may also take more lessons to help in the next attempt.
This year has seen learner drivers paying double the going rate for tests on the secondary market, while others are struggling to find an instructor, according to reports.
The analysis comes after a determined father recounted in a Twitter thread how he had driven to the Scottish Highlands with his son after he failed his test this year and could not get one locally until next year – the test in the Highlands was cancelled and his son ended up passing his test in Inverness, he said.
The RAC Foundation’s director, Steve Gooding, believes the backlog of people wanting tests means some people could accept slots “whether they are ready or not, for fear of a long wait if they delay”.
He added: “Of course, one other conclusion to be drawn from the figures is that driving might not be the thing for some people.”
• This article was amended on 28 November 2022 to remove a reference to the pass rate being “27% for men and 19% for women”. This applies only to learners with a minimum of five previous failures who are aged 60 and above, not to all learners with a minimum of five previous failures.
