Official Statistics

Driver and rider testing and instructor statistics: April 2021 to March 2022

Published 6 October 2022

About this release

This statistical release is published by the Department for Transport (DfT) based on statistics produced by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), on the numbers and pass rates for driving and riding theory and practical tests conducted in Great Britain.

The driver and rider tests and instructors collection provides further detail of the key findings presented in this statistical release, including detailed data tables and operational data by test centre.

Headline figures

Impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19)

At the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, measures by the UK government to limit the impact and transmission of the virus have affected trends in these statistics. Certain periods since March 2020 saw large reductions in the number of conducted driving tests as they were suspended (except for critical workers) during national lockdowns.

This release would usually present the latest statistics with a comparison to the equivalent period for the previous year. However, the year-ending March 2021 had relatively low numbers of tests conducted due to the coronavirus restrictions. To provide a more meaningful comparison, the commentary in the release compares the year-ending March 2022 to the year-ending March 2020, although the tables provide the usual comparisons to the previous year.

Theory tests

Comparing theory tests in Great Britain in the year-ending March 2022 with the year-ending March 2020:

• 2,464,000 car tests were conducted, up 32%
• the car test pass rate was 50.1%, up 3.0 percentage points
• 92,000 motorcycle tests were conducted, up 42%
• 91,600 LGV multiple choice tests were conducted, up 66%
• 75,800 LGV hazard perception tests were conducted, up 73%
• 6,000 PCV multiple choice tests were conducted, down 27%
• 5,100 PCV hazard perception tests were conducted, down 26%

Practical tests

Comparing practical tests in Great Britain in the year-ending March 2022 with the year-ending March 2020:

• 1,538,000 car tests were conducted, down 4%
• the car test pass rate was 48.9%, up 3.0 percentage points
• 67,400 motorcycle module 1 (off-road) tests were conducted, up 30%
• 67,500 motorcycle module 2 (on-road) tests were conducted, up 32%
• 95,900 LGV vocational (on-road) tests were conducted, up 36%
• 10,600 LGV vocational (off-road) tests were conducted (started in November 2021, no comparison available)
• 4,100 PCV vocational (on-road) tests were conducted, down 44%
• 570 PCV vocational (off-road) tests were conducted (started in November 2021, no comparison available)

Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) require a category C licence to drive, commonly referred to as lorries, trucks, or heavy goods vehicles.

Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs) require a category D licence to drive, commonly referred to as buses or coaches.

A Certificate for Professional Competence (CPC) test pass is required by an individual, in addition to all other LGV or PCV tests, to drive professionally (as the main purpose of their job). CPC tests are not required to obtain a licence to drive LGVs or PCVs.

Professional tests (CPC)

Comparing Certificate for Professional Competence (CPC) tests in Great Britain in the year-ending March 2022 with the year-ending March 2020:

• 55,000 LGV theory CPC tests were conducted, up 64%
• 9,500 LGV practical CPC tests were conducted, up 4%
• 3,800 PCV theory CPC tests were conducted, down 29%
• 830 PCV practical CPC tests were conducted, down 44%

Cars (category B): overview

Theory

Figure 1: Car theory tests conducted and pass rates, Great Britain, quarterly, January to March 2012 (Quarter 4) to January to March 2022 (Quarter 4) (DRT0102)

Between January to March 2012 (Quarter 4) and January to March 2020 (Quarter 4), car theory tests conducted ranged between around 290,000 and 510,000 tests, whilst pass rates steadily decreased from 63% to 46%.

From April 2020 onwards, the availability of tests conducted has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. There were very low numbers of tests conducted in:

• April to June 2020 (Quarter 1) with 6,400 theory tests
• January to March 2021 (Quarter 4) with 2,900 theory tests

Despite the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the number of car theory tests conducted between July and December 2020 (Quarter 2 and 3) were of a similar size to test numbers seen across the last 10 years.

The number of theory tests conducted in April to June 2021 (Quarter 1) was the highest quarter ever recorded at 733,000, which was 43% higher than the previous record of 514,000 tests in April to June 2016 (Quarter 1). In fact, each quarter in the year-ending March 2022 saw a higher number of theory tests conducted compared to this previous record, ranging between 538,000 and 733,000.

During the pandemic period car theory pass rates (up to June 2021) have been at a higher level than pre-pandemic levels, ranging between 53% and 61%. Since July 2021, quarterly pass rates have decreased back to pre-pandemic levels, ranging between 48% and 50%.

Practical

Figure 2: Car practical tests conducted and pass rates, Great Britain, quarterly, January to March 2012 (Quarter 4) to January to March 2022 (Quarter 4) (DRT0101)

Between January to March 2012 (Quarter 4) and January to March 2020 (Quarter 4), car practical tests conducted ranged between around 330,000 and 480,000 tests, whilst pass rates ranged between 45% and 48%.

From April 2020 onwards, the availability of tests conducted has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. There were very low numbers of tests conducted in:

• April to June 2020 (Quarter 1) with 6,300 practical tests
• January to March 2021 (Quarter 4) with 1,300 practical tests

The number of practical car tests in January to March 2022 (Quarter 4) was the highest for this quarter since January to March 2017 (Quarter 4), with 425,900 tests conducted.

During the pandemic period, car practical pass rates were at a higher level than pre-pandemic levels, ranging between around 50% and 60%, and the most recent pass rate for the year-ending March 2022 was 47.1%, which is slightly above pre-pandemic levels.

Cars by age, gender, and number of attempts

Table 1: Car theory and practical tests by gender, Great Britain, the year-ending March, 2021 and 2022 (DRT0201), (DRT5201)

Metric and time period	Theory: Total	Theory: Female	Theory: Male	Practical: Total	Practical: Female	Practical: Male
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2022	2,463,621	1,172,363	1,291,101	1,538,314	746,650	791,286
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2022	1,234,013	610,474	623,430	751,914	348,578	403,209
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2022	50.1%	52.1%	48.3%	48.9%	46.7%	51.0%
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2021	891,279	424,349	466,752	437,352	219,171	218,087
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2021	496,660	247,247	249,289	217,807	103,230	114,543
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2021	55.7%	58.3%	53.4%	49.8%	47.1%	52.5%
Tests Conducted (%): Annual change	+176%	+176%	+177%	+252%	+241%	+263%
Tests Passed (%): Annual change	+148%	+147%	+150%	+245%	+238%	+252%
Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change	-5.6	-6.2	-5.1	-0.9	-0.4	-1.6

Table 1 makes a comparison to a period during the coronavirus pandemic at a time when a very low number of tests were conducted. Consequently, there can be unduly large changes observed between these two time periods and care should be taken when interpreting these.

Total figures include tests where the gender is unknown.

Figure 3: Car practical test pass rates by gender and age band, Great Britain, the year-ending March 2022 (DRT0203)

In the year-ending March 2022, female candidates had a higher pass rate for the car theory test, whereas male candidates had a higher pass rate for the car practical test (Table 1). This effect can be seen across all age bands, with the practical pass rate typically declining with age (Figure 3).

Figure 4: Car practical tests by attempt, with pass rate, Great Britain, the year-ending March 2022 (DRT0202)

The pass rate for candidates on their first attempt was 49.3% in the year-ending March 2022, which is an increase of 2.9 percentage points compared to the year-ending March 2020, prior to the pandemic.

The majority (53%) of practical tests were conducted by candidates on their first attempt, followed by 25% of candidates on their second attempt (Figure 4).

Figure 4 illustrates that the pass rate is typically lower for those candidates that have had more attempts.

Motorcycles (category A)

Figure 5: Motorcycle tests conducted by test type, Great Britain, annually, the year-ending March, 2012 to 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

Each motorcycle test type saw a record number of tests conducted in the year-ending March 2022, as shown in Figure 5.

Motorcycle test pass rates increased for all test types in the year-ending March 2022 compared to the year-ending March 2020, with the theory test up 0.4 percentage points, the practical module 1 test up 2.4 percentage points, and the practical module 2 test up 1.0 percentage points.

Table 2: Motorcycle tests by test type, Great Britain, the year-ending March, 2021 and 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

Metric and time period	Theory	Practical: Module 1	Practical: Module 2
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2022	91,976	67,355	67,511
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2022	65,361	50,171	48,583
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2022	71.1%	74.5%	72.0%
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2021	44,301	24,670	22,012
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2021	33,085	18,585	16,078
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2021	74.7%	75.3%	73.0%
Tests Conducted (%): Annual change	+108%	+173%	+207%
Tests Passed (%): Annual change	+98%	+170%	+202%
Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change	-3.6	-0.8	-1.1

Table 2 makes a comparison to a period during the coronavirus pandemic at a time when a very low number of tests were conducted. Consequently, there can be unduly large changes observed between these two time periods and care should be taken when interpreting these.

Large Goods Vehicles (category C)

The LGV vocational practical test changed in November 2021 from a single test to become a two-part test.

Table 3: Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) tests by test type, Great Britain, the year-ending March, 2021 and 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

Metric and time period	Theory: Multiple choice	Theory: Hazard perception	Theory: CPC	Practical: Vocational (on-road)	Practical: Vocational (off-road)	Practical: CPC
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2022	91,644	75,774	54,957	95,891	10,561	9,536
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2022	59,438	63,165	41,366	56,281	8,398	8,964
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2022	64.9%	83.4%	75.3%	58.7%	79.5%	94.0%
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2021	24,477	21,784	14,160	27,630	[z]	2,066
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2021	16,807	18,456	10,428	16,022	[z]	1,952
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2021	68.7%	84.7%	73.6%	58.0%	[z]	94.5%
Tests Conducted (%): Annual change	+274%	+248%	+288%	+247%	[z]	+362%
Tests Passed (%): Annual change	+254%	+242%	+297%	+251%	[z]	+359%
Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change	-3.8	-1.4	+1.6	+0.7	[z]	-0.5

[z] = Not applicable. The LGV practical vocational (off-road) test was introduced in November 2021, so no comparison is available.

Table 3 makes a comparison to a period during the coronavirus pandemic at a time when a very low number of tests were conducted. Consequently, there can be unduly large changes observed between these two time periods and care should be taken when interpreting these.

Vocational tests

Figure 6: Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) vocational tests conducted by test type, Great Britain, annually, the year-ending March, 2012 to 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

Statistics on LGV practical on-road tests conducted in Great Britain are also published as a faster indicator to monitor transport activity on a timelier basis for topical issues relating to transport.

Each LGV vocational test type saw a record number of tests conducted in the year-ending March 2022, as shown in Figure 6.

The test pass rates in the year-ending March 2022, compared to the year-ending March 2020, for:

• theory multiple-choice was 64.9%, up 4.1 percentage points
• theory hazard perception was 83.4%, up 2.2 percentage points
• practical on-road was 58.7%, down 0.3 percentage points
• practical off-road was 79.5% (started in November 2021, no comparison available)

Professional tests (CPC)

There were 55,000 LGV theory CPC tests conducted in the year-ending March 2022, which was 64% higher than in the year-ending March 2020 and is the highest in the published series. There were 9,500 LGV practical CPC tests conducted in that period, which was a 4% increase compared to the year-ending March 2020.

Despite the increase in the volume of LGV theory CPC tests conducted, the pass rate in the year-ending March 2022 was the highest on record at 75%, up 6.4 percentage points compared to the year-ending March 2020. The pass rate for the LGV practical CPC tests in the year-ending March 2022 was 94%, which is up 0.5 percentage points compared to the year-ending March 2020.

Passenger Carrying Vehicles (category D)

The PCV vocational practical test changed in November 2021 from a single test to become a two-part test.

Table 4: Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) tests by test type, Great Britain, the year-ending March, 2021 and 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

Metric and time period	Theory: Multiple choice	Theory: Hazard perception	Theory: CPC	Practical: Vocational (on-road)	Practical: Vocational (off-road)	Practical: CPC
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2022	5,992	5,084	3,768	4,096	574	825
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2022	3,893	4,240	1,950	2,519	522	761
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2022	65.0%	83.4%	51.8%	61.5%	90.9%	92.2%
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2021	1,922	1,746	1,341	1,330	[z]	83
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2021	1,245	1,428	648	740	[z]	75
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2021	64.8%	81.8%	48.3%	55.6%	[z]	90.4%
Tests Conducted (%): Annual change	+212%	+191%	+181%	+208%	[z]	+894%
Tests Passed (%): Annual change	+213%	+197%	+201%	+240%	[z]	+915%
Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change	+0.2	+1.6	+3.4	+5.9	[z]	+1.9

[z] = Not applicable. The PCV practical vocational (off-road) test was introduced in November 2021, so no comparison is available.

Table 4 makes a comparison to a period during the coronavirus pandemic at a time when a very low number of tests were conducted. Consequently, there can be unduly large changes observed between these two time periods and care should be taken when interpreting these.

Vocational tests

Figure 7: Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) vocational tests conducted by test type, Great Britain, annually, the year-ending March, 2012 to 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

The number of PCV vocational tests conducted did not return to pre-pandemic levels in the year-ending March 2022, with each long-running test type declining by at least 25% compared to the year-ending March 2020 (Figure 7).

The test pass rates in the year-ending March 2022, compared to the year-ending March 2020, for:

• theory multiple-choice was 65.0%, up 2.1 percentage points
• theory hazard perception was 83.4%, up 3.6 percentage points
• practical on-road was 61.5%, up 1.5 percentage points
• practical off-road was 90.9% (started in November 2021, no comparison available)

Professional tests (CPC)

The number of PCV CPC tests conducted also did not return to pre-pandemic levels in the year-ending March 2022. In the year-ending March 2022, comparing to the year-ending March 2020, there were:

• 3,800 theory CPC tests conducted, down 29%
• 830 practical CPC tests conducted, down 44%

The test pass rates in the year-ending March 2022, compared to the year-ending March 2020, for:

• theory CPC was 51.8%, down 0.9 percentage points
• practical CPC was 92.2%, up 1.0 percentage points

Car driving instructors (ADI) and motorcycle instructors (CBT)

An Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) is someone who has passed their ADI tests and has been added to the ADI statutory register. There are 3 parts of the ADI test:

• theory (part 1)
• driving ability (part 2)
• instructional ability (part 3)

Prospective instructors must pass all 3 parts of the ADI tests to be approved and registered. ADIs must undergo a standards check during each 4 year registration period.

Most learner motorcycle and moped riders must take Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) before riding on the road. CBT motorcycle instructors are required to pass a 2 day DVSA assessment and then work for a motorcycle Approved Training Body (ATB). CBT instructors must also undergo tests every 4 years.

Table 5: Number of ADIs on statutory register and number of approved CBT instructors, the end of March, 2021 and 2022 (INS0101, INS0501)

Metric and time period	ADIs on statutory register	Approved CBT instructors
Number: End of March 2022	38,839	2,008
Number: End of March 2021	38,370	2,054
Annual change (%)	+1.2%	-2.2%

Figure 8: ADI tests conducted by test type, Great Britain, annually, the year-ending March, 2012 to 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

In the year-ending March 2022, comparing to the year-ending March 2020, there were:

• 17,500 ADI part 1 (theory) tests conducted, up 72%
• 9,600 ADI part 2 (driving ability) tests conducted, up 60%
• 6,600 ADI part 3 (instructional ability) tests conducted, up 1%

The test pass rates in the year-ending March 2022, compared to the year-ending March 2020, for:

• ADI part 1 (theory) was 45.2%, down 1.0 percentage points
• ADI part 2 (driving ability) was 59.6%, down 1.0 percentage points
• ADI part 3 (instructional ability) was 35.3%, up 0.2 percentage points

Table 6: Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) tests by test type, Great Britain, the year-ending March, 2021 and 2022 (DRT0101, DRT0102)

Metric and time period	Part 1 (theory)	Part 2 (driving ability)	Part 3 (instructional ability)
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2022	17,500	9,566	6,615
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2022	7,907	5,701	2,337
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2022	45.2%	59.6%	35.3%
Tests Conducted: Year-ending March 2021	4,431	2,246	1,983
Tests Passed: Year-ending March 2021	2,300	1,392	764
Pass Rate (%): Year-ending March 2021	51.9%	62.0%	38.5%
Tests Conducted (%): Annual change	+295%	+326%	+234%
Tests Passed (%): Annual change	+244%	+310%	+206%
Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change	-6.7	-2.4	-3.2

Table 6 makes a comparison to a period during the coronavirus pandemic at a time when a very low number of tests were conducted. Consequently, there can be unduly large changes observed between these two time periods and care should be taken when interpreting these.

Background notes

Test categories included

Practical test categories in the release are:

• B (car)
• A, A1 and A2 (motorcycles)
• C1 (medium sized vehicles)
• C1E (medium-sized vehicles with a trailer)
• C (large vehicles)
• CE (large vehicles with a trailer)
• D1 (minibuses)
• D1E (minibuses with a trailer)
• D (buses)
• DE (buses with a trailer)

To gain a category CE licence, a driver must hold a category C licence before taking the test, whilst a category D licence is required before acquiring a category DE licence.

Differences between vocational and CPC tests

LGV and PCV practical vocational test figures are always higher than the corresponding CPC practical test figure, as CPC tests are only required to drive these vehicles professionally. Non-commercial use of these vehicles might include, for example, driving a horse box.

Ethnicity information

Additional data on ethnicity of candidates are released via data.gov. This information is not published as part of the statistical release as many candidates do not declare their ethnicity. It is, therefore, highly likely that the information is subject to self-selection and reporting biases and neither DVSA nor DfT would recommend that users rely on these data being a true reflection of the ethnicity of all candidates.

Official Statistics

Official Statistics are produced to the high professional standards set by the Code of Practice for Statistics. However, these statistics have not yet been assessed by the Office for Statistics Regulation.

Details of ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found in the pre-release access list.

Next release

Driving and rider testing statistics are published quarterly.

The next quarterly release is due in November 2022, covering the period up to the end of June 2022. The quarterly releases (typically published in September, December and March) have a reduced number of tables and commentary compared to the annual publication (typically published in June).

Any updates to these plans will be advertised via the DfT statistical publications schedule.

To hear more about DfT statistics publications as they are released, please follow us on Twitter.

Instructions for printing and saving

Depending on which browser you use and the type of device you use (such as a mobile or laptop) these instructions may vary.

Tablets and mobile devices normally have the option to “find in text” and “print or save” in their sharing or quick options menu of their browser, but this will vary by device model.

How to search

Select Ctrl and F on a Windows laptop or Command and F on a Mac.

This will open a search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Type the word you are looking for in the search bar and press enter.

Your browser will highlight the word, usually in yellow, wherever it appears on the page. Press enter to move to the next place it appears.

Contact details

Driving tests and instructor statistics

Email vehicles.stats@dft.gov.uk

Public enquiries 020 7944 3077

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878