The 10 hardest places in the UK outside London to book a driving test and where Liverpool ranks

New research has revealed that Liverpool is the hardest place outside of London to book a driving test. 

The study by motor trade insurance experts One Sure Insurance, analysed Government data to determine how difficult it is for different areas of the UK to book a driving test whilst waiting times for test dates remain high. 

The experts created an index based on the following factors: the number of provisional licence holders in the area for every 1,000 full licence holders, the number of test centres per 10,000 provisional licence holders in the area, the proportion of tests carried out per 1,000 provisional licence holders and the proportion of tests cancelled per 1,000 provisional licence holders.  

These factors were then weighted accordingly to give each area a score out of 100, to determine which places provided the worst chances of securing a driving test date.  

The study found that Greater London is overwhelming the hardest place in the UK to book a driving test, with locations taking eight spots in the ten most difficult areas. However, Liverpool was the hardest place for securing a driving test outside of the capital, with an index score of only 22.94. Research by Howden Insurance also found that Liverpool’s Speke test centre is the second hardest in the UK for passing your test, with a pass rate of just 32% (between January 2020 and December 2023).

Here are the 10 hardest places outside London to book a driving test and how other North West locations - such as Manchester - compare to Liverpool...