Driver and rider testing and instructor statistics: October to December 2023
Published 13 March 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/driver-and-rider-testing-and-instructor-statistics-october-to-december-2023/driver-and-rider-testing-and-instructor-statistics-october-to-december-2023
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.
These are official statistics. For more information, see the background notes section in this release.
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.
Coverage
Tests conducted by delegated examiners are excluded from these statistics.
Headline figures
Comparing tests in Great Britain in October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3):
- 627,000 car theory tests were conducted, up 5%
- the car theory test pass rate was 44.2%, up 1.3 percentage points
- 519,000 car practical tests were conducted, up 22%
- the car practical test pass rate was 47.4%, down 0.6 percentage points
Cars (category B): overview
Theory
In October to December 2023 (Quarter 3), 627,000 car theory tests were conducted in Great Britain, an increase of 5% on October to December 2022 (Quarter 3). The total pass rate was 44.2%, with 46.1% of females passing compared to 42.6% of males. The total pass rate for October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) was up 1.3 percentage points from the same quarter of the previous year.
Table 1: Car theory tests by gender, Great Britain, October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3) (DRT1201)
| Metric and time period | Total | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2023 | 626,754 | 278,206 | 348,515 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2023 | 276,821 | 128,249 | 148,552 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2023 | 44.2% | 46.1% | 42.6% |
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2022 | 599,124 | 269,797 | 329,280 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2022 | 256,772 | 120,062 | 136,676 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2022 | 42.9% | 44.5% | 41.5% |
| Tests Conducted (%): Annual change | +5% | +3% | +6% |
| Tests Passed (%): Annual change | +8% | +7% | +9% |
| Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change | +1.3 | +1.6 | +1.1 |
Total test figures may be higher than the sum of male and female tests in cases where a candidate’s gender has not been recorded as either male or female.
Figure 1: Car theory tests conducted and pass rates, Great Britain, quarterly, October to December 2013 (Quarter 3) onwards (DRT1101)
Figure 1 shows the number of car theory tests conducted and pass rate for each financial quarter since October to December 2013 (Quarter 3). October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) showed a decrease in the number of tests conducted compared to April to June 2023 (Quarter 1) and July to September 2023 (Quarter 2). The pass rate has shown some variability across the previous quarters.
Practical
Statistics on car practical 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.
In October to December 2023 (Quarter 3), 519,000 car practical tests were conducted in Great Britain, an increase of 22% on October to December 2022 (Quarter 3). The total pass rate was 47.4%, with 46.0% of females passing compared to 48.5% of males. The total pass rate for October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) was down 0.6 percentage points from the same quarter of the previous year.
Table 2: Car practical tests by gender, Great Britain, October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3) (DRT1201)
| Metric and time period | Total | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2023 | 518,975 | 232,983 | 285,878 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2023 | 245,843 | 107,286 | 138,526 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2023 | 47.4% | 46.0% | 48.5% |
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2022 | 425,183 | 199,287 | 225,818 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2022 | 203,925 | 91,609 | 112,289 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2022 | 48.0% | 46.0% | 49.7% |
| Tests Conducted (%): Annual change | +22% | +17% | +27% |
| Tests Passed (%): Annual change | +21% | +17% | +23% |
| Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change | -0.6 | +0.1 | -1.3 |
Total test figures may be higher than the sum of male and female tests in cases where a candidate’s gender has not been recorded as either male or female.
Figure 2: Car practical tests conducted and pass rates, Great Britain, quarterly, October to December 2013 (Quarter 3) onwards (DRT1101)
Figure 2 shows the number of car practical tests conducted and the pass rate for each financial quarter since October to December 2013 (Quarter 3). Tests conducted in October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) reached their highest point across these figures since they began in April to June 2007 (Quarter 1). The pass rate was at its lowest since January to March 2022 (Quarter 4).
The large rise in tests conducted in October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) can largely be attributed to efforts by DVSA to further reduce driving test waiting times. This has seen DVSA suspending non-testing duties for its staff who are qualified to conduct driving tests to maximise the number of examiners available to conduct tests. This has led to a rapid up-lift in the number of tests conducted this quarter.
Motorcycles (category A)
Table 3: Motorcycle tests by test type, Great Britain, October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3) (DRT1101)
| Metric and time period | Theory | Practical: Module 1 | Practical: Module 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2023 | 14,487 | 12,664 | 13,510 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2023 | 9,827 | 9,054 | 9,532 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2023 | 67.8% | 71.5% | 70.6% |
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2022 | 15,493 | 12,708 | 13,882 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2022 | 10,317 | 9,134 | 9,756 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2022 | 66.6% | 71.9% | 70.3% |
| Tests Conducted (%): Annual change | -6% | 0% | -3% |
| Tests Passed (%): Annual change | -5% | -1% | -2% |
| Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change | +1.2 | -0.4 | +0.3 |
Large Goods Vehicles (category C)
Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs), commonly referred to as lorries, trucks, or heavy goods vehicles, require a category C licence to drive. These are vehicles constructed for transporting goods and must have a gross weight over 3.5 tonnes.
A Certificate for Professional Competence (CPC) test pass is required by an individual, in addition to all other LGV or Passenger Carrying Vehicles (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.
The LGV vocational practical test changed in November 2021 from a single test to become a 2-part test (the on-road test and the off-road test). This release shows the number of tests carried out by DVSA. Tests conducted by delegated examiners and assessors are excluded from these statistics.
Table 4: Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) tests by test type, Great Britain, October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3) (DRT1101)
| Metric and time period | Theory: Multiple choice | Theory: Hazard perception | Theory: CPC | Practical: Vocational (on-road) | Practical: Vocational (off-road) | Practical: CPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2023 | 18,326 | 13,956 | 11,622 | 18,193 | 677 | 1,239 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2023 | 10,590 | 11,351 | 8,062 | 11,264 | 488 | 1,170 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2023 | 57.8% | 81.3% | 69.4% | 61.9% | 72.1% | 94.4% |
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2022 | 22,680 | 16,692 | 15,175 | 28,112 | 1,701 | 2,281 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2022 | 13,018 | 13,475 | 10,648 | 16,777 | 1,286 | 2,165 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2022 | 57.4% | 80.7% | 70.2% | 59.7% | 75.6% | 94.9% |
| Tests Conducted (%): Annual change | -19% | -16% | -23% | -35% | -60% | -46% |
| Tests Passed (%): Annual change | -19% | -16% | -24% | -33% | -62% | -46% |
| Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change | +0.4 | +0.6 | -0.8 | +2.2 | -3.5 | -0.5 |
Conducted numbers for off-road practical tests have seen a decrease since the same period last year. This is due to the fact that the majority of off-road tests are conducted by delegated assessors from the training industry (which are excluded from these figures) and the fact that demand for LGV tests has dropped. The DVSA conducts off-road tests as the provider of last resort.
Passenger Carrying Vehicles (category D)
Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs), commonly referred to as buses or coaches, require a category D licence to drive.
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.
The PCV vocational practical test changed in November 2021 from a single test to become a two-part test (the on-road test and the off-road test). This release shows the number of tests carried out by DVSA. Tests conducted by delegated examiners and assessors are excluded from these statistics.
Table 5: Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) tests by test type, Great Britain, October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3) (DRT1101)
| Metric and time period | Theory: Multiple choice | Theory: Hazard perception | Theory: CPC | Practical: Vocational (on-road) | Practical: Vocational (off-road) | Practical: CPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2023 | 2,489 | 1,994 | 1,761 | 1,679 | 174 | 267 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2023 | 1,504 | 1,623 | 887 | 1,112 | 148 | 249 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2023 | 60.4% | 81.4% | 50.4% | 66.2% | 85.1% | 93.3% |
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2022 | 2,092 | 1,655 | 1,543 | 1,678 | 184 | 275 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2022 | 1,299 | 1,356 | 770 | 1,058 | 164 | 261 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2022 | 62.1% | 81.9% | 49.9% | 63.1% | 89.1% | 94.9% |
| Tests Conducted (%): Annual change | +19% | +20% | +14% | 0% | -5% | -3% |
| Tests Passed (%): Annual change | +16% | +20% | +15% | +5% | -10% | -5% |
| Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change | -1.7 | -0.5 | +0.5 | +3.2 | -4.1 | -1.7 |
Conducted numbers for off-road practical tests have seen a decrease since the same period last year. This is due to the fact that the majority of off-road tests are conducted by delegated assessors from the training industry (which are excluded from these figures) and the fact that demand for LGV tests has dropped. The DVSA conducts off-road tests as the provider of last resort.
Car driving instructors (ADI)
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. ADI’s 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 6: Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) tests by test type, Great Britain, October to December 2023 (Quarter 3) with October to December 2022 (Quarter 3) (DRT1101)
| Metric and time period | Part 1 (theory) | Part 2 (driving ability) | Part 3 (instructional ability) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2023 | 6,555 | 3,231 | 2,343 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2023 | 2,435 | 1,696 | 795 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2023 | 37.1% | 52.5% | 33.9% |
| Tests Conducted: Oct to Dec 2022 | 5,009 | 2,240 | 1,967 |
| Tests Passed: Oct to Dec 2022 | 1,907 | 1,246 | 740 |
| Pass Rate (%): Oct to Dec 2022 | 38.1% | 55.6% | 37.6% |
| Tests Conducted (%): Annual change | +31% | +44% | +19% |
| Tests Passed (%): Annual change | +28% | +36% | +7% |
| Pass Rate (percentage points): Annual change | -0.9 | -3.1 | -3.7 |
Background notes
About these figures
The statistics in the driver and rider testing and instructor statistics series are derived by Department for Transport statisticians from extracts of the DVSA administrative database.
For further information about the data used in this release, please see our guidance page.
In this release, numbers may not add up to totals and percentages may not add up to 100% due to rounding.
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)
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.
Publication of monthly data
Some statistics on tests conducted in Great Britain are also published as faster indicators to monitor transport activity on a timelier basis for topical issues relating to transport.
The test types currently included are:
- LGV practical on-road
- car practical (including forward bookings)
Official Statistics
These statistics are official statistics. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics.
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 4 times a year. Future update schedules can be accessed via the DfT statistical publications schedule.
For further information about the data used in this release, please see our notes and definitions.
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