Does Ludlow offer learner drivers an easier ride?
Getty ImagesA rural town with a high driving test pass rate is attracting interest from learners across the UK who are hoping for an easy ride, a driving instructor has said.
Government figures for 2024-2025 show the pass rate in Ludlow, Shropshire, was 59.6%, putting it well above the national average pass rate of 48.7%.
Naughton Dunn who owns Dunn's Driving School in the town said he regularly received calls from Birmingham and Wolverhampton from people wanting lessons or to borrow his car for the test.
He said he had even had calls from people in Edinburgh and London who thought "because we're a nice, small, quiet little town" it might boost their chances. The reality, however, was different, he added.
Highlighting the misconception, he explained: "There's lots of hills, lots of awkward little junctions, and really bad parking."
The result, he said, was "we've got masses of people just trying to book in here that haven't got a clue about the area".
He has been a driving instructor in the town for 24 years and says he has seen a number of examiners come and go in that time.
He believes the current examiners are a large factor in the town's high pass rate, which while a long way from being the highest in the country, is the highest in the West Midlands.
Dunn thinks the instructors are especially good at putting people at their ease, describing those skills - rather than the imagined genteel conditions - as "a major contribution" to successful outcomes.
The government has made efforts to shorten waiting times for driving tests, but Dunn said "the waiting list is still horrendous down here".
He also said because of the demand to learn in the town, he was "under pressure to keep taking people on".
The government measures, introduced in November last year, include a requirement that learners book their own tests to stop them getting booked up by third parties and resold at inflated prices.
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