When is the best time and day of the week to book your driving test?

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The time with the highest pass rate thumbnail

Last Updated on March 8, 2024

Driving tests are among the most stressful days we can encounter, and it is natural to look for any kind of advantage possible. Some driving instructors advise their pupils to book tests at particular times, claiming that their chances of success might be increased.

Learner drivers are our speciality, and we decided that we needed to delve into DVLA data to find out whether the time and date of a test really does matter.

Are certain times of day, or specific days of the week, more likely to lead to learner drivers getting their pink licence? We thought it was time to find out!

5pm – 6pm appears to be the most successful slot

The data appears to show that there are very different driving test success rates depending on the time slot the learner opts for.

The early evening slot of 5pm-6pm is the most likely to lead to a pass, with almost two out of every three drivers taking their test at this time going on to receive their pink licence (63%).

Early birds are out of luck though, with 6am-7am (38%) recorded as the second-lowest pass percentage, only losing out to tests taken after 7pm (30%).

Pass Rate by Hour Slot (UK-wide) 

06:00-06:59 38% 
07:00-07:59 48% 
08:00-08:59 51% 
09:00-09:59 52% 
10:00-10:59 51% 
11:00-11:59 50% 
12:00-12:59 49% 
13:00-13:59 49% 
14:00-14:59 49% 
15:00-15:59 50% 
16:00-16:59 48% 
17:00-17:59 63% 
18:00-18:59 47% 
after 19:00 30% 

Pass Rate by Hour Slot (UK Wide)

Of course, the only thing that matters when it comes to a test is your driving ability. If your driving skills are up to scratch, you should reap your rewards, regardless of the time of day it is.

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days

The DVLA data suggests that learner drivers should look to book their test on either a Monday or a Sunday, with those two days boasting a marginally more impressive success rate than any other day of the week (52%).

It appears that squeezing a driving test in before the weekend may not be the best plan, as Friday (49%) has the lowest success rate – the only day of the week where drivers are more likely to fail than pass on average.

Pass Rate by Day of the Week (UK-wide) 

Monday 52% 
Tuesday 51% 
Wednesday 50% 
Thursday 51% 
Friday 49% 
Saturday 51% 
Sunday 52% 
Pass Rate by day of week
@collingwoodinsurance Apparently some days are better than others when it comes to booking your driving test! 🚙 #learntodrive #drivingtest #uk #drive #passingtest #learnerdriver #drivinglessons #carsoftiktok #learningtodrive ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE – Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

Pass Rates by Day of the Week – Selected Cities

Birmingham

Drivers in Birmingham could look to book their test on a Monday, as the first day of the working week has the highest pass rate on average at four test centres: Garrets Green (44.2%), Kings Heath (43.7%), Shirley (52.6%), and Wyndley (53.3%).   

Pass Rates by Day of the Week at Birmingham DVLA Test Centres

 Garrets GreenKings HeathKingstandingShirleySouth YardleySutton ColdfieldWyndley
Monday44.2%43.7%37.1%52.6%37.8%36.7%53.3%
Tuesday39.1%42.7%34.6%50.4%33.3%35.1%47.5%
Wednesday41.8%39.1%38.4%46.7%39.3%36.3%45.6%
Thursday42.0%39.7%36.8%51.0%37.1%34.1%48.1%
Friday41.6%38.1%36.5%49.7%36.5%39.3%46.8%

Pass Rates by Day of the Week at Birmingham DVLA Test Centres

Manchester

Drivers in Manchester might want to avoid booking their test on a Wednesday – not one of Manchester’s test centres records Wednesday as the day with the highest average pass rate. 

Pass Rates by Day at Manchester DVLA Test Centres 

  Cheetham Hill Chadderton West Didsbury Sale Bredbury Bury Hyde Rochdale 
Monday 47.2% 53.7% 48.4% 51.7% 52.4% 41.1% 59.6% 36.3% 
Tuesday 50.0% 52.5% 45.1% 53.8% 57.7% 40.4% 62.1% 36.7% 
Wednesday 49.9% 49.7% 46.4% 46.8% 56.7% 39.8% 60.1% 37.4% 
Thursday 52.9% 49.6% 49.0% 50.5% 54.8% 39.0% 59.3% 39.4% 
Friday 50.2% 52.4% 45.9% 52.7% 50.7% 40.9% 56.1% 39.8% 

Pass Rates by Day at Manchester DVLA Test Centres 

Edinburgh

Friday is the day with the best chance of success at both of Edinburgh’s DVLA test centres, with a pass rate of 60% in Currie and 54% in Musselburgh. 

Pass Rates by Day at Edinburgh Test Centres    

   Edinburgh (Currie)  Edinburgh (Musselburgh) 
Monday  54% 45% 
Tuesday  57% 47% 
Wednesday  60% 48% 
Thursday  58% 46% 
Friday  60% 54% 
  
Pass Rates by Day at Edinburgh Test Centres    

Pass Rates by Time of Day – Selected Cities

Leeds

3pm – 4pm shows up as either the best or the worst time to pass in Leeds, depending on whether you have booked a test in Harehills (48.5%) or Horsforth (44%).

   Pass Rates by Hour at Leeds Test Centres

  Leeds (Harehills) Horsforth 
07:00 – 07:59 26.9% N/A  
08:00 – 08:59 43.0% 50.1% 
09:00 – 09:59 38.8% 50.9% 
10:00 – 10:59 44.5% 54.2% 
11:00 – 11:59 41.4% 49.8% 
12:00 – 12:59 39.2% 46.6% 
13:00 – 13:59 38.8% 49.0% 
14:00 – 14:59 38.4% 46.1% 
15:00 – 15:59 48.5% 44.0% 
  
Pass Rates by Hour at Leeds Test Centres

Nottingham

It looks like a sensible move to avoid 7am – 8am when booking a driving test in Nottingham.

Pass Rates by Hour at Nottingham Test Centres

   Nottingham (Chilwell)  Nottingham (Colwick) 
07:00 – 07:59  45.3% 45.2% 
08:00 – 08:59  52.8% 51.9% 
09:00 – 09:59  54.0% 49.3% 
10:00 – 10:59  66.7% 48.5% 
11:00 – 11:59  53.9% 50.1% 
12:00 – 12:59  46.2% 49.9% 
13:00 – 13:59  54.7% 47.2% 
14:00 – 14:59  49.7% 49.0% 
15:00 – 15:59  46.3% 62.1% 

Pass Rates by Hour at Nottingham Test Centres

Why should I get learner driver insurance?

Learner driver insurance helps you get extra driving practice in your own car, or in a friend or family member’s car, completely legally, without risking their No Claims Bonus.

Collingwood offers competitive learner driver insurance for UK provisional licence drivers, available from 28 days up to 12 months. Choose your level of cover below, receive your quote in minutes, then get behind the wheel and start driving!


Get a Learner Insurance Quote with Collingwood

Sources

Data sourced via Freedom of Information request and covers the date period between 01/01/21 and 30/09/21.