Across Greater Manchester’s nine test centres, 52,716 of the 108,750 practical car tests taken between April 2025 and March 2026 resulted in a pass, according to the driving school’s analysis. The Great Britain pass rate was 50 per cent.
Bredbury recorded the highest rate in Greater Manchester at 56 per cent, while Atherton had the lowest at 44.3 per cent. Bolton and Sale were the only other centres above the national figure.
Rochdale recorded the largest increase, rising from 41.2 per cent to 48.3 per cent. Bury’s rate rose from 40.3 per cent to 46.3 per cent.
The figures supplied by Astra were as follows.
| Test centre | 2025–26 | 2024–25 |
|---|---|---|
| Bredbury | 56.0% | 54.2% |
| Bolton | 51.8% | 56.7% |
| Sale | 51.4% | 49.1% |
| Rochdale | 48.3% | 41.2% |
| West Didsbury | 47.7% | 50.9% |
| Chadderton | 46.8% | 44.9% |
| Bury | 46.3% | 40.3% |
| Cheetham Hill | 44.7% | 43.7% |
| Atherton | 44.3% | 44.4% |
| Source: DVSA figures supplied by Astra Driving School. Financial years run from April to March. Figures count tests, including repeat attempts, rather than individual learners. | ||
Atif Iqbal, owner of Astra Driving School, said “Learners give themselves the best chance by practising on the kind of roads used around their test centre and taking a mock test before the real one.”
West Didsbury was the busiest of the nine centres, with 17,806 tests during the year.
