Automatic vs manual driving test pass rates

How the pass rates compare, at every test centre, if you're deciding whether to learn in an automatic.

Megan Watkins, Drivepal Founder·Updated 24 October 2026

Learning in an automatic has gone from unusual to ordinary. In the 12 months to March 2009, 4% of driving tests were taken in an automatic. In the 12 months to March 2026, 29% were.

But learners pass less often in automatic cars, and the gap hasn't narrowed as more people have chosen them. Across Britain, the automatic pass rate was 45% and the manual pass rate was 52%. The automatic pass rate was lower at every one of the 249 test centres we compared.

Tests in an automatic

29%

the 12 months to March 2026

Automatic pass rate

45%

the 12 months to March 2026

Manual pass rate

52%

the 12 months to March 2026

How automatic tests have taken off

Apart from the pandemic, more automatic tests have been taken every year since 2010. Over the same years, the automatic and manual pass rates have both risen, and the gap between them has stayed about the same size.

In the 12 months to March 2009, women took 76% of automatic tests. In the 12 months to March 2026, they took 60%, as more men learn in automatic cars too.

Year	Automatic tests	Share of all tests	Automatic pass rate	Manual pass rate
2025 to 2026	588,319	29.5%	44.6%	52.3%
2024 to 2025	477,625	26.1%	43.9%	50.3%
2023 to 2024	447,960	23.1%	42.7%	49.4%
2022 to 2023	313,844	18.6%	42.6%	49.7%
2021 to 2022	230,102	15.0%	41.7%	50.1%
2020 to 2021	59,756	13.7%	41.5%	51.1%
2019 to 2020	201,084	12.6%	39.5%	46.9%
2018 to 2019	183,527	11.0%	38.8%	46.6%
2017 to 2018	161,832	9.5%	38.8%	47.1%
2016 to 2017	139,675	8.1%	39.7%	47.7%
2015 to 2016	113,510	7.4%	39.3%	47.6%
2014 to 2015	104,481	6.8%	39.0%	47.4%
2013 to 2014	93,651	6.4%	38.8%	47.6%
2012 to 2013	86,931	6.1%	39.5%	47.6%
2010 to 2011	82,125	5.2%	38.2%	46.7%
2009 to 2010	69,773	4.6%	39.0%	46.2%
2008 to 2009	73,799	4.3%	38.2%	45.6%

Each year runs from April to March. DVSA has no automatic figures for 2011 to 2012. Tests were stopped for much of 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic.

Where the gap is widest

The gap is widest at Hexham, where the automatic pass rate was 37% and the manual pass rate 59%. Most of these centres are in places where automatic cars are less common: at nine of the ten, a smaller share of tests were automatic than across Britain.

#	Test centre	Tests in an automatic	Automatic pass rate	Manual pass rate
1	Hexham North East	26.2%	37.2%	58.5%
2	Skegness East Midlands	21.5%	41.3%	59.9%
3	Ludlow West Midlands	21.4%	45.1%	62.4%
4	Wrexham Wales	15.5%	38.3%	54.4%
5	Dumfries Scotland	18.2%	41.0%	56.8%
6	Blyth North East	25.9%	39.4%	55.0%
7	Stafford West Midlands	22.2%	33.8%	49.3%
8	Peterhead Scotland	20.9%	41.1%	56.4%
9	Salisbury South West	24.3%	37.0%	52.2%
10	Aberdeen South (Cove) Scotland	31.8%	42.3%	57.1%

Widest gap first. Only centres with at least 300 automatic and 300 manual tests in the 12 months to March 2026.

Where most tests are automatic

Nine of the ten centres with the highest share of automatic tests are in London, and the tenth is Cheetham Hill, in the North West. At four of them, more than half of all tests were in an automatic, and at all ten the gap between the two pass rates is smaller than across Britain.

London stands out as a whole: across all its test centres, 45% of tests were in an automatic car, compared with 29% across Britain and 21% in the South West, the region with the lowest share. The figures don't say why, but our guess is the traffic: in stop-start city driving, an automatic means no clutch to manage.

#	Test centre	Tests in an automatic	Automatic pass rate	Manual pass rate
1	Goodmayes (London) London	54.1%	41.5%	46.2%
2	Erith (London) London	52.4%	50.4%	53.0%
3	Hendon (London) London	52.2%	51.0%	51.8%
4	Mill Hill (London) London	51.2%	51.2%	51.7%
5	Pinner (London) London	50.0%	47.6%	51.9%
6	Bromley (London) London	49.5%	51.0%	54.7%
7	Belvedere (London) London	48.5%	38.3%	42.7%
8	Sidcup (London) London	48.0%	56.7%	60.6%
9	Mitcham (London) London	47.6%	45.4%	48.5%
10	Cheetham Hill (Manchester) North West	46.3%	41.5%	47.5%

Highest share of automatic tests first, among the same centres.

If you're choosing which to learn in

The lower pass rate doesn't mean an automatic will make the test harder for you. The figures can't say why the gap is there, but our guess is that it's partly who learns in automatic cars: some switch after finding manual hard going, and some come to it with fewer hours behind the wheel.

For an automatic: there's no clutch or gears to learn, so you can spend your lessons on the road itself. That helps most in heavy traffic.
Against: pass in an automatic and your licence only covers automatic cars. To drive a manual later, you'd need to pass another test.

Before you decide, ask your instructor which they'd recommend for you, and drive one lesson in each.

Every centre

Show all 249 centres, A to Z

Test centre	Tests in an automatic	Automatic pass rate	Manual pass rate
Aberdeen North Scotland	36.0%	40.7%	52.4%
Aberdeen South (Cove) Scotland	31.8%	42.3%	57.1%
Abergavenny Wales	13.1%	54.8%	65.7%
Airdrie Scotland	20.7%	44.6%	48.1%
Ashfield East Midlands	24.6%	49.6%	59.8%
Ashford (Kent) South East	28.8%	42.1%	47.9%
Atherton (Manchester) North West	30.1%	37.9%	47.1%
Aylesbury South East	30.6%	46.2%	50.6%
Ayr Scotland	17.6%	46.4%	59.8%
Banbury South East	25.9%	35.8%	43.1%
Bangor Wales	13.3%	49.9%	64.1%
Barking (Tanner Street) London	46.3%	33.4%	38.8%
Barnet (London) London	42.4%	48.1%	51.2%
Barnsley Yorkshire and The Humber	22.2%	56.6%	59.1%
Barnstaple South West	19.4%	41.8%	53.7%
Barry Wales	18.3%	49.8%	58.7%
Basildon Eastern	34.1%	45.2%	51.2%
Basingstoke South East	32.7%	52.1%	59.1%
Bedford Eastern	32.6%	46.8%	57.0%
Belvedere (London) London	48.5%	38.3%	42.7%
Birmingham (Garretts Green) West Midlands	31.4%	41.0%	46.0%
Birmingham (Kings Heath) West Midlands	35.2%	44.7%	47.8%
Birmingham (Kingstanding) West Midlands	37.3%	45.3%	50.5%
Birmingham (Shirley) West Midlands	36.1%	49.8%	60.4%
Birmingham (South Yardley) West Midlands	30.1%	37.8%	45.0%
Bishopbriggs Scotland	25.6%	41.7%	52.6%
Bishops Stortford Eastern	27.3%	42.8%	54.5%
Blackburn with Darwen North West	27.5%	45.7%	46.9%
Blackpool North West	23.2%	47.7%	53.0%
Bletchley South East	42.7%	47.9%	54.1%
Blyth North East	25.9%	39.4%	55.0%
Bodmin South West	15.2%	41.1%	48.6%
Bolton (Manchester) North West	36.0%	46.7%	54.7%
Borehamwood (London) London	42.5%	48.4%	52.5%
Boston East Midlands	23.9%	39.9%	54.1%
Bradford (Heaton) Yorkshire and The Humber	32.5%	55.0%	56.7%
Bradford (Thornbury) Yorkshire and The Humber	31.6%	42.3%	50.3%
Bredbury (Manchester) North West	24.9%	47.6%	58.8%
Brentwood (London) Eastern	34.1%	46.1%	49.7%
Bridgend Wales	16.2%	43.0%	55.3%
Bridlington Yorkshire and The Humber	13.9%	44.0%	57.4%
Bristol (Avonmouth) South West	29.9%	51.2%	57.3%
Bristol (Kingswood) South West	20.9%	43.8%	54.1%
Bromley (London) London	49.5%	51.0%	54.7%
Burgess Hill South East	23.2%	40.4%	47.0%
Burton on Trent West Midlands	23.1%	43.9%	58.0%
Bury (Manchester) North West	25.9%	38.9%	48.9%
Bury St Edmunds Eastern	21.4%	40.1%	47.8%
Buxton East Midlands	19.6%	47.6%	61.4%
Camborne South West	13.9%	30.0%	42.4%
Cambridge (Brookmount Court) Eastern	30.0%	47.9%	56.3%
Canterbury South East	29.6%	43.0%	46.9%
Cardiff (Llanishen) Wales	27.8%	39.2%	49.4%
Carlisle North West	16.6%	48.9%	60.7%
Carmarthen Wales	14.5%	44.1%	55.9%
Chadderton North West	31.9%	40.7%	49.6%
Cheetham Hill (Manchester) North West	46.3%	41.5%	47.5%
Chelmsford	29.6%	49.2%	58.0%
Cheltenham South West	19.9%	35.6%	45.1%
Chertsey (London) South East	31.4%	47.3%	55.4%
Chester North West	22.0%	40.1%	49.4%
Chesterfield East Midlands	24.6%	48.0%	58.9%
Chichester South East	19.5%	54.7%	63.2%
Chingford (London) London	44.9%	38.3%	41.2%
Chippenham South West	18.5%	50.6%	57.8%
Chorley North West	19.3%	46.2%	54.4%
Clacton-on-Sea Eastern	25.7%	43.8%	49.7%
Colchester Eastern	28.5%	43.5%	53.4%
Coventry West Midlands	32.1%	35.6%	42.1%
Crawley South East	29.8%	39.0%	44.3%
Crewe North West	21.2%	37.8%	45.4%
Darlington North East	29.3%	40.5%	49.8%
Derby (Alvaston) East Midlands	33.5%	46.3%	54.5%
Doncaster Yorkshire and The Humber	23.8%	49.1%	54.5%
Dorchester South West	31.1%	59.3%	73.3%
Dudley West Midlands	29.7%	41.5%	46.8%
Dumfries Scotland	18.2%	41.0%	56.8%
Dundee Scotland	25.2%	48.3%	60.3%
Dunfermline (Vine) Scotland	19.5%	30.0%	37.9%
Durham North East	17.9%	47.8%	54.4%
East Kilbride Scotland	18.9%	46.0%	60.4%
Eastbourne South East	26.6%	50.2%	57.3%
Edinburgh (Currie) Scotland	27.1%	36.0%	43.6%
Edinburgh (Musselburgh) Scotland	27.8%	44.6%	51.3%
Elgin Scotland	16.1%	35.0%	43.6%
Enfield (Innova Business Park) London	41.1%	50.0%	56.7%
Erith (London) London	52.4%	50.4%	53.0%
Exeter South West	18.5%	38.5%	48.7%
Farnborough South East	27.6%	52.2%	62.6%
Featherstone West Midlands	28.3%	35.3%	36.9%
Folkestone South East	24.5%	34.3%	45.0%
Galashiels Scotland	30.0%	41.2%	50.1%
Gateshead North East	27.0%	32.7%	39.3%
Gillingham South East	40.2%	51.9%	59.4%
Glasgow (Anniesland) Scotland	34.4%	41.2%	46.0%
Glasgow (Baillieston) Scotland	27.7%	40.9%	49.9%
Glasgow (Shieldhall) Scotland	27.0%	37.2%	41.0%
Gloucester South West	23.0%	36.5%	51.1%
Goodmayes (London) London	54.1%	41.5%	46.2%
Gosforth North East	35.7%	44.3%	50.7%
Grangemouth Scotland	14.2%	40.0%	52.4%
Grantham (Somerby) East Midlands	27.6%	49.9%	61.0%
Greenford (Horsenden Lane) London	45.0%	41.0%	41.7%
Greenham South East	25.9%	51.9%	58.1%
Greenock Scotland	21.6%	35.9%	43.3%
Grimsby Coldwater Yorkshire and The Humber	24.5%	35.9%	45.0%
Guildford South East	31.2%	50.8%	59.9%
Haddington Scotland	19.7%	46.3%	60.3%
Halifax Yorkshire and The Humber	21.6%	41.6%	45.9%
Hamilton Scotland	22.7%	34.5%	44.2%
Hartlepool North East	21.1%	45.3%	52.6%
Hastings (Ore) South East	29.5%	51.6%	52.7%
Heckmondwike Yorkshire and The Humber	22.5%	41.2%	47.1%
Hendon (London) London	52.2%	51.0%	51.8%
Hereford West Midlands	21.7%	47.9%	61.8%
Herne Bay South East	24.4%	52.2%	57.1%
Hexham North East	26.2%	37.2%	58.5%
Heysham North West	15.1%	48.7%	61.1%
High Wycombe South East	31.9%	47.0%	53.7%
Hinckley East Midlands	18.9%	37.5%	48.5%
Hornchurch (London) London	42.0%	43.4%	48.3%
Horsforth Yorkshire and The Humber	30.8%	45.2%	51.7%
Huddersfield Yorkshire and The Humber	26.3%	43.4%	51.3%
Hull Yorkshire and The Humber	27.6%	41.5%	50.4%
Inverness (Longman Drive) Scotland	18.1%	39.7%	47.2%
Ipswich Eastern	23.6%	56.4%	64.1%
Irvine Scotland	12.9%	54.5%	55.9%
Isleworth (Fleming Way) London	43.9%	47.8%	52.4%
Kendal (Oxenholme Road) North West	15.3%	53.2%	67.3%
Kettering East Midlands	26.4%	41.0%	52.0%
Kings Lynn Eastern	20.5%	40.7%	54.8%
Kirkcaldy Scotland	16.8%	44.1%	52.2%
Knaresborough Yorkshire and The Humber	25.8%	53.3%	60.4%
Lanark Scotland	17.3%	47.1%	60.4%
Launceston South West	15.0%	34.8%	48.4%
Lee On The Solent South East	28.9%	53.1%	67.3%
Leeds (Fearnville) Yorkshire and The Humber	37.2%	47.6%	54.3%
Leicester (Cannock Street) East Midlands	28.5%	35.3%	42.1%
Leicester (Wigston) East Midlands	33.6%	46.1%	53.8%
Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road) Eastern	29.5%	46.2%	51.4%
Letchworth Eastern	25.5%	51.3%	59.6%
Lichfield West Midlands	17.1%	46.0%	54.5%
Lincoln East Midlands	24.5%	44.5%	54.6%
Livingston Scotland	21.9%	47.6%	58.0%
Llanelli Wales	19.0%	43.2%	52.8%
Llantrisant Wales	22.1%	45.0%	56.6%
Loughborough East Midlands	19.8%	33.2%	44.6%
Loughton (London) Eastern	44.0%	45.3%	48.3%
Lowestoft(Mobbs Way) Eastern	19.6%	35.2%	45.3%
Ludlow West Midlands	21.4%	45.1%	62.4%
Luton Eastern	42.2%	36.5%	41.2%
Macclesfield North West	22.2%	44.7%	54.0%
Maidstone South East	32.3%	53.6%	63.4%
Melton Mowbray East Midlands	19.3%	62.6%	71.3%
Merthyr Tydfil Wales	15.7%	42.7%	52.7%
Middlesbrough North East	17.5%	43.6%	48.5%
Mill Hill (London) London	51.2%	51.2%	51.7%
Mitcham (London) London	47.6%	45.4%	48.5%
Morden (London) London	42.9%	49.8%	51.8%
Nelson North West	18.7%	49.4%	52.3%
Newport (Gwent) Wales	25.6%	41.6%	51.4%
Newport (Isle of Wight) South East	20.7%	44.9%	56.6%
Newton Abbot South West	18.1%	46.9%	55.3%
Newtown Wales	27.9%	47.4%	62.1%
Norris Green (Liverpool) North West	31.9%	34.9%	39.2%
Northallerton Yorkshire and The Humber	15.7%	51.0%	62.1%
Northampton East Midlands	38.0%	45.9%	55.8%
Northwich North West	12.7%	48.7%	58.9%
Norwich (Peachman Way) Eastern	21.7%	55.4%	63.5%
Nottingham (Chilwell) East Midlands	26.6%	43.4%	52.2%
Nottingham (Colwick) East Midlands	35.5%	42.4%	48.6%
Nuneaton West Midlands	35.6%	45.5%	57.5%
Oxford (Cowley) South East	35.8%	46.6%	52.8%
Paisley Scotland	23.5%	44.0%	50.0%
Perth (Arran Road) Scotland	18.6%	38.5%	51.2%
Peterborough Eastern	30.8%	47.6%	55.1%
Peterhead Scotland	20.9%	41.1%	56.4%
Pinner (London) London	50.0%	47.6%	51.9%
Plymouth South West	21.9%	34.5%	42.4%
Pontefract Yorkshire and The Humber	18.2%	39.5%	48.6%
Poole South West	19.8%	45.1%	55.4%
Portsmouth South East	21.9%	46.1%	54.7%
Preston North West	27.3%	49.0%	59.0%
Reading South East	41.1%	52.7%	57.3%
Redditch West Midlands	18.4%	50.8%	51.5%
Redhill Aerodrome South East	33.4%	49.7%	56.0%
Rhyl Wales	21.3%	50.5%	58.7%
Rochdale (Manchester) North West	26.9%	42.8%	50.3%
Rotherham Yorkshire and The Humber	28.6%	48.8%	54.9%
Rugby West Midlands	30.3%	43.7%	54.7%
Sale (Manchester) North West	33.5%	45.1%	54.6%
Salisbury South West	24.3%	37.0%	52.2%
Scarborough Yorkshire and The Humber	19.8%	36.4%	47.2%
Scunthorpe Yorkshire and The Humber	20.8%	37.1%	47.6%
Sevenoaks South East	27.5%	54.2%	60.9%
Sheffield (Handsworth) Yorkshire and The Humber	30.6%	39.8%	46.0%
Sheffield (Middlewood Road) Yorkshire and The Humber	36.4%	43.2%	51.8%
Shrewsbury West Midlands	21.7%	41.3%	53.7%
Sidcup (London) London	48.0%	56.7%	60.6%
Skegness East Midlands	21.5%	41.3%	59.9%
Skipton Yorkshire and The Humber	10.2%	55.1%	57.5%
Slough (London) South East	40.1%	46.3%	53.9%
Southall (London) London	37.2%	41.7%	46.7%
Southampton (Maybush) South East	30.3%	45.0%	52.6%
Southend-on-Sea Eastern	29.4%	41.0%	49.5%
Southport (Liverpool) North West	23.1%	51.6%	58.0%
Speke (Liverpool) North West	31.0%	37.2%	42.0%
St Albans Eastern	33.5%	47.7%	52.3%
St Helens (Liverpool) North West	25.3%	34.1%	43.3%
Stafford West Midlands	22.2%	33.8%	49.3%
Steeton Yorkshire and The Humber	20.2%	47.9%	54.0%
Stevenage Eastern	31.2%	48.5%	58.4%
Stirling Scotland	13.3%	33.7%	44.5%
Stoke-On-Trent (Cobridge) West Midlands	31.6%	35.2%	43.0%
Stoke-on-Trent (Newcastle-Under-Lyme) West Midlands	29.2%	35.5%	44.2%
Sunderland North East	22.6%	42.7%	53.6%
Swansea Wales	27.2%	38.4%	51.9%
Swindon South West	27.3%	45.4%	53.2%
Taunton South West	22.1%	52.9%	61.4%
Telford West Midlands	24.1%	43.9%	50.6%
Tilbury Eastern	42.0%	46.0%	53.5%
Tolworth (London) London	40.9%	49.9%	56.1%
Tottenham London	45.9%	48.0%	49.6%
Trowbridge South West	16.0%	51.5%	55.9%
Tunbridge Wells South East	26.2%	61.0%	65.8%
Upton North West	30.1%	47.5%	54.8%
Uxbridge (London) London	35.4%	50.3%	53.3%
Wakefield Yorkshire and The Humber	28.4%	40.1%	47.5%
Wanstead (London) London	44.0%	42.1%	46.3%
Warrington North West	26.6%	48.6%	58.1%
Warwick (Wedgenock House) West Midlands	31.3%	43.8%	50.7%
Watford Eastern	36.5%	41.1%	49.2%
Wednesbury West Midlands	32.9%	30.2%	37.3%
Wellingborough East Midlands	45.0%	57.6%	62.0%
West Didsbury (Manchester) North West	33.8%	43.1%	50.0%
West Wickham (London) London	40.2%	50.8%	52.1%
Weston-super-Mare South West	19.1%	54.8%	62.5%
Widnes North West	25.9%	37.6%	44.5%
Winchester South East	25.0%	45.3%	54.5%
Wolverhampton West Midlands	36.0%	27.2%	38.2%
Wood Green (London) London	44.0%	45.8%	47.6%
Worcester West Midlands	21.1%	44.4%	53.9%
Workington North West	16.0%	51.0%	64.0%
Worksop East Midlands	20.0%	47.9%	57.0%
Worthing South East	25.8%	54.4%	61.6%
Wrexham Wales	15.5%	38.3%	54.4%
Yeading (London) London	30.2%	51.9%	53.1%
Yeovil South West	18.7%	57.2%	64.9%
York Yorkshire and The Humber	17.3%	49.9%	55.4%

Centres with at least 300 automatic and 300 manual tests in the 12 months to March 2026. Each centre's own page also shows both pass rates over the years.

Frequently asked questions

Is the automatic driving test easier?

The test is the same, but a smaller share of people pass it in an automatic. In the 12 months to March 2026, the pass rate was 45% in automatic cars and 52% in manual cars.

What's the pass rate for automatic driving tests?

45% across Great Britain in the 12 months to March 2026. See it for every test centre.

How many people take their driving test in an automatic?

29% of driving tests in the 12 months to March 2026 were in an automatic, up from 4% in the 12 months to March 2009.

Can I drive a manual car if I pass in an automatic?

No. If you pass in an automatic, your licence only covers automatic cars. GOV.UK lists what each licence covers.

Where does your test centre rank?

How we worked this out

The figures are DVSA's statistics for practical car tests at every test centre in Great Britain. The latest are for the 12 months to March 2026, which DVSA calls its 2025-26 financial year.

DVSA publishes automatic tests separately. It doesn't publish manual tests, so we work them out: a centre's manual tests are all its tests less its automatic ones, and the same for passes. A pass rate is passes divided by tests. We don't adjust or smooth anything.

Source: DVSA: Car driving test data by test centre (tables DRT122A and DRT122E). Released under the Open Government Licence v3.0.