The UK car practical driving test pass rate was 50.0% in the financial year to March 2026 (1,000,043 passes from 1,998,621 tests), according to DVSA statistics. The car theory test pass rate was lower, at 44.8%. Pass rates vary widely by category, from 27.8% for the ADI Part 3 instructor test to 94.8% for the LGV CPC driving test.
TL;DR · LAST REVIEWED 20 July 2026
- Car practical test pass rate: 50.0% for the year to March 2026.
- Car theory: 44.8%.
- First-time candidates pass at 50.5%, and make up under half of all tests taken.
- Every other DVSA test category, from motorcycle to LGV, PCV and ADI instructor qualifying tests, is broken out in the table below with its official DVSA table reference.
UK driving and instructor test pass rates by category, financial year to March 2026
| Car | Theory (DRT111A) | 44.8% |
| Car | Practical (DRT121A) | 50.0% |
| Motorcycle | Theory (DRT211A) | 67.8% |
| Motorcycle | Module 1, off-road (DRT221A) | 73.3% |
| Motorcycle | Module 2, on-road (DRT221A) | 72.4% |
| LGV | Theory - Multiple Choice (DRT311A) | 52.2% |
| LGV | Theory - Hazard Perception (DRT311A) | 82.1% |
| LGV | Theory - CPC (DRT311A) | 63.1% |
| LGV | Driving - Vocational (DRT321A) | 60.7% |
| LGV | Driving - Vocational Off-Road (DRT321A) | 71.4% |
| LGV | Driving - CPC (DRT321A) | 94.8% |
| PCV | Theory - Multiple Choice (DRT411A) | 55.8% |
| PCV | Theory - Hazard Perception (DRT411A) | 82.4% |
| PCV | Theory - CPC (DRT411A) | 50.2% |
| PCV | Driving - Vocational (DRT421A) | 66.2% |
| PCV | Driving - Vocational Off-Road (DRT421A) | 86.1% |
| PCV | Driving - CPC (DRT421A) | 92.9% |
| ADI | Part 1, theory (DRT511A) | 37.0% |
| ADI | Part 2, driving ability (DRT521A) | 55.3% |
| ADI | Part 3, instructional ability (DRT521C) | 27.8% |
Source: DVSA statistical data sets, table references as shown
KEY FACTS
- Car practical pass rate: 50.0% (FY 2025-26, DVSA table DRT121A)
- Car theory pass rate: 44.8% (FY 2025-26, DVSA table DRT111A)
- First-attempt car practical pass rate: 50.5%, and only 49.3% of tests were first attempts
- Highest pass rate of any category: LGV CPC driving test at 94.8%
- Lowest pass rate of any category: ADI Part 3 instructional ability test at 27.8%
How do pass rates compare across UK driving and instructor tests?
Pass rates range from under 30% on the hardest instructor qualification stage to over 90% on some vocational driving categories, and no single figure represents "the UK driving test pass rate" once motorcycle, LGV, PCV and ADI tests are included alongside the standard car test.
All figures below are for the financial year to March 2026 (April 2025 to March 2026), Great Britain, taken directly from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's published statistical data sets. Each row carries its official DVSA table reference so the figure can be checked against the source file directly.
What is the first-time pass rate for the UK car driving test?
The pass rate for candidates taking their car practical test for the first time was 50.5% in the financial year to March 2026, from 497,361 passes out of 984,415 first attempts, according to DVSA table DRT121D. First attempts made up only 49.3% of all car practical tests conducted that year, meaning the majority of tests taken were retakes rather than first attempts.
Pass rate does not fall in a straight line with each retake. Second-attempt candidates passed at a very slightly higher rate than first-timers, 50.8% against 50.5%, before the rate declines steadily from the third attempt onward: 49.8% on a third attempt, 48.8% on a fourth, 47.7% on a fifth, and 43.8% for candidates on their sixth attempt or beyond. Candidates in the "sixth attempt or more" band made up 83,339 tests in the year, of which 36,502 passed.
These figures come from DVSA table DRT121D, which breaks car driving test attempts down by financial year, gender and age. Summed across all attempt bands, the totals (1,998,621 tests, 1,000,043 passes) match the overall car driving test volume published in table DRT121A, confirming the two tables are counting the same population of tests.
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DISCLAIMER
This article is for general information only and is not financial, legal or immigration advice. Facts are sourced from the outlets and regulators listed below and were accurate at the time of writing; details of breaking or reported policy changes may be updated once formally confirmed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UK car driving test pass rate?
50.0% for the financial year to March 2026, based on 1,000,043 passes from 1,998,621 tests, according to DVSA table DRT121A.
What is the UK theory test pass rate?
44.8% for the car theory test in the financial year to March 2026, according to DVSA table DRT111A. Theory test pass rates differ by vehicle category; see the table above for motorcycle, LGV and PCV theory test figures.
What is the pass rate for the ADI instructor qualifying test?
ADI Part 1 (theory) passed at 37.0%, Part 2 (driving ability) at 55.3%, and Part 3 (instructional ability) at 27.8% for the financial year to March 2026, according to DVSA tables DRT511A, DRT521A and DRT521C.
Which UK driving or theory test has the highest pass rate?
The LGV CPC driving test had the highest pass rate of any category shown, at 94.8% for the financial year to March 2026, according to DVSA table DRT321A.
Where does this data come from?
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency's statistical data sets, published on GOV.UK and updated quarterly or annually depending on the table. Each figure in this guide is sourced to its specific DVSA table reference.
How many attempts does it take to pass the UK driving test on average?
DVSA does not publish a single average number of attempts, but its by-attempt breakdown shows 984,415 car practical tests in the financial year to March 2026 were first attempts, out of 1,998,621 tests overall, meaning slightly under half of all tests taken were first attempts and just over half were retakes.
How many people pass their driving test on the first try?
497,361 candidates passed their car practical test on the first attempt in the financial year to March 2026, a 50.5% pass rate on 984,415 first attempts, according to DVSA table DRT121D.
SOURCES
- GOV.UK/DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: cars – accessed 20 July 2026
- GOV.UK/DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: motorcycles – accessed 20 July 2026
- GOV.UK/DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: large goods vehicles (LGV) – accessed 20 July 2026
- GOV.UK/DVSA, Driving test and theory test data: passenger carrying vehicles (PCV) – accessed 20 July 2026
- GOV.UK/DVSA, Approved driving instructor (ADI) qualifying test data – accessed 20 July 2026
