A record number of British drivers are passing their driving test first time while committing zero faults.
Official figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show more than 20,000 drivers received a perfect score when taking their practical test last year – the highest number since figures were first published in 2007-08.
At that time, one in 200 people left their driving instructor surprised by their parallel parking and blind spot awareness. But last year, one in 43 passed with flying colours.
The figures come as the DVSA tries to reduce a record backlog in driving tests caused by the pandemic, which means learner drivers are currently waiting an average of five months to take a test.
The figures show a sharp rise in flawless first tests since the pandemic. The zero-flaw rate increased from 1.4% to 1.9% in 2020-21, and has since risen to 2.3% of first tests in 2023-24.
Several test centres have seen a huge increase in zero fault first attempts. The driving centre in the port town of Barrow-in-Furness saw just under 12% of people pass for the first time with no faults last year – up from just 1% in 2019. Arbroath and Montrose test centres in the north-east of Scotland saw 15% and 12% of first test attempts pass with no faults respectively – up from 7% and 5% in 2019-20.
As well as a rise in flawless first attempts, the figures show a steady increase in the number of people taking tests for automatic cars. Almost a quarter of practical tests – 455,276 – were for an automatic car last year – more than double the number in 2019-20, and almost four times (376%) higher than a decade ago.
The rise in automatic cars doesn’t appear to be linked to a rise in better motorists. Overall figures show just 43% of automatic drivers passed their test in 2023-24, compared with 48% of all drivers (manual or automatic). The government does not publish first test or zero fault figures for automatic cars.
Driving tests were suspended during the Covid-19 lockdowns, resulting in a backlog that is yet to be dealt with. Figures obtained by the AA found that the number of test centres showing the maximum wait of 24 weeks doubled from 94 in February 2024 to 183 this year – with the average driver now waiting 20 weeks for a test.
In December, the Public and Commercial Services Union – which represents the vast majority of driving examiners – reported that its members were being “bullied” by senior DVSA employees to inflate pass rates.
In a submission to the House of Commons transport select committee, they wrote that examiners felt pressured to take out unroadworthy vehicles, and were being encouraged to scope out which test routes have higher pass rates.
The DVSA has been approached for comment.
