Why plans to increase driving test charges for learners who fail is bad news for those in Wolverhampton

That would be bad news for people learning to drive in Wolverhampton – it has the lowest pass rate in the country.

Nationally, just under 48 per cent of tests are passed, but that drops to just 30.6 per cent in the Black Country city.

Data in a survey from 2023 showed only 399 of 1,303 prospective drivers who took their tests in the city completed their driving tests successfully.

The RAC Foundation said failed tests, and those who take them repeatedly, are clogging up the system.

It speaks of an "unacceptable" test backlog which often forces candidates to wait "many months for a slot".

Government figures for the UK show 93,204 practical car driving tests taken in the year to the end of March were at least the candidate's sixth attempt at passing.

The success rate for those tests was just 41.4 per cent, compared with an average rate across all tests of 47.9 per cent.

Last month, AA Driving School said it obtained Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures suggesting the average waiting time for a test at the start of February was more than 18 weeks.

Driving tests were prohibited during coronavirus lockdowns, leading to a huge backlog of candidates. Thousands of tests were also cancelled due to strikes by driving examiners.

Practical driving tests cost £62 during weekday daytimes and £75 during evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

The extent of the backlog can depend on the pass rate at a particular centre.

While less than a third of people in Wolverhampton pass their test, leading to many having to make multiple attempts, the pass rate in and around the Isle of Skye in Scotland between April and September last year was 100 per cent.

Wolverhampton was ranked as the city with the lowest pass rates in the UK, sitting alongside Liverpool and Belvede in south-east London as places learners should avoid.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said the next government should consider introducing rebates for learners who pass the test first time, and additional fees for those with several previous failures. He said most tests are failed because drivers are not prepared, regardless of where they take them.

He said: "Forget about all the traffic jams out on the road, there is now an unacceptable amount of congestion in the test system with learners often waiting many months for a slot.

"In part these jams are being caused by people who have failed multiple times and come back to take a test that might be their fourth, fifth or sixth attempt, or even greater.

"An improved pass rate would help drive down the understandable backlog, and if you incentivise people to pass first time there is also a case for adding a modest premium to the test fee for those who have already failed on several occasions."

Mr Gooding said the figures suggest some learners "keep throwing themselves back into tests without being properly prepared".

He went on: "A higher fee might persuade them not to resit their test until they are more likely to pass.

"If you can improve the pass rate, this means more learners avoiding the financial and time costs associated with repeated disappointments at the test centre."

The DVSA was approached for a comment.

In February, the agency said measures to reduce waiting times included asking more qualified managers and administration staff to conduct exams full-time.

Last year it said it would increase the length of time candidates who fail the test have to wait before they can book another from 10 days to 28 days, to encourage them to wait until they are ready to pass.

Learners must pass a theory test before they can book a practical driving test in the UK.

The most successful attempts made by a candidate before passing the theory test in the first half of last year was 59.

The individual, who has not been named, spent at least £1,380 and around 60 hours on the process at a test centre in Redditch, Worcestershire.