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Across Britain, less than half of learners pass their driving test on the first attempt. Of those, fewer than 5% achieve the ultimate accolade – a fault-free pass. To uncover where these faultless drivers are hitting the road, we analysed the latest DVSA driving test statistics. The data reveals distinct regional hot spots in driving test success, from standout test centres to counties where learners consistently outperform the national average.
With so few learners achieving a clean sheet, understanding the most common driving test faults can make all the difference. From observation at junctions to control when manoeuvring, avoiding these errors can dramatically improve your chances of success. Learners can start their driving journey with professional tuition through driving lessons with the AA Driving School.
Pole position: Britain's faultless drivers
Zero-fault passes are the unicorns of the driving world: rare, precise, and slightly magical. Our analysis identifies driving test centres with higher than average zero-fault first-time pass rates.
Wales is home to the highest percentage of drivers who pass on the first attempt (55.1%) compared to the British average of 48.9%. When it comes to the "faultless" elite, Wales also takes the top spot, with 5.49% of learners passing their first test with zero faults.
England and Scotland have first-time pass rates of 48.6%, but Scotland edges ahead in the quality of those passes with 5.21% passing their first test with zero faults, compared to 4.9% in England.
At the county level, Pembrokeshire in Wales has the highest faultless first-time pass rate in Britain (10.58%), followed by Monmouthshire (9.10%) and Vale of Glamorgan (7.73%).
In England, Suffolk earns top honours, with 10.33% of first-time drivers passing without faults. Cumbria follows at 8.97%, and Somerset at 8.20%. Meanwhile, Angus leads Scotland with 10.05% of learners achieving faultless first passes, ahead of Dundee City (9.02%) and Aberdeenshire (8.44%).
Across the board, Scotland dominates, home to 11 of Britain's top 20 test centres with the highest faultless first-time pass rate. Ullapool in the Highlands claims the top spot, where nearly one in four learners pass their first test with zero faults. Inveraray (Argyll and Bute) and Brodick (Isle of Arran) follow closely, each with about one in five learners passing faultlessly first time.
In England, Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria) tops the table, with 16.64% of learners achieving flawless first-time passes. It's followed by Ipswich, Suffolk (15%) and Chesterfield, Derbyshire (13.36%).
While no Welsh test centres make up the top 20, Pembroke Dock in Pembrokeshire ranks 21st overall and leads in Wales, with more than one in ten learners earning first-time zero-fault passes. Abergavenny (9.33%) and Monmouth (8.33%) follow closely behind.
London's faultless drivers revealed
The first London test centre appears at position 29. Sidcup, in south east London, ranks as the city's top centre for faultless first-time passes.
Across Greater London, the south east performs best overall. In Sidcup, 9.36% of learners achieve a zero-fault first-time pass, followed by Hither Green (8.49%) and Erith (7.53%).
In north London, Enfield leads with 8.09% of learners passing faultlessly first-time. Across the whole area, 4.10% achieve this. In east London test centres have a 3.79% faultless first-time pass rate. The Hornchurch test centre outperforms the east London average, with 4.74% achieving perfect passes first time.
Gender insights
Overall, male drivers make up a slightly higher proportion of faultless passes than females, 5.07% compared to 4.84%. However, there are regions where women outperform men.
In the East of England and North West, female drivers achieve a higher faultless first-time pass rate. In Cumbria, 18.63% of female learners pass with zero faults first-time versus 14.93% of males. In Ipswich, 15.52% of female learners record flawless passes first-time, compared with 14.37% of male learners.
Methodology:
This research analysed the DVSA's DRT122C Practical car pass rates by first driving attempt, gender and DTC, including zero faults recorded, and then ranked every British test centre (from January-November 2025) based on the percentage of passes achieved with zero minor faults.