Britain's Most Hapless Driver Has Failed Their Theory Test 157 Times Forking Out £3,600

An unnamed, 42-year-old man based in England finally passed his driving theory test on his 158^th attempt after spending £3,600 in an attempt to make it onto the road.

The man's story was obtained by the UK's leading leasing company Select Car Leasing. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealed how it's a bumpy journey for some luckless learners to hit the road legally.

The report also found that the country's second biggest failure, a woman in her 30s, who hasn't managed to pass her test despite 117 attempts.

With driving theory exams costing £23 to book through the gov.uk website, she has racked up a bill of around £2,700 without even earning a pass certificate.

In third place was a 48-year-old woman who finally passed on attempt number 94.

The practical driving exam also proved to be tricky for many learner drivers. A 72-year-old man needed 43 attempts before finally passing. With fees costing £62 on weekdays and £75 on weekends, that means the persistent learner shelled out up to £3,225 to pass.

A 47-year-old woman also from England, still hasn't passed after 41 tries - racking up a bill of £3,075 so far.

Director of Select Car Leasing Mark Tongue said: "It's true what they say, if at first you don't succeed try, try and try again.

"Passing your driving test can be one of life's trickiest challenges and it can take some many more attempts than others.

"A three-point turn might be your downfall or perhaps you forget to check your mirrors before making a move. "It could be that you haven't remembered the correct stopping distances or even what basic roads signs mean.

"But whether you fail your test once or 157 times, there's no shame in picking yourself up and having another go - and anyone who can do that deserves great credit.

"The key is to stay calm on the day and give yourself the best chance of nailing every signal and manoeuvre, and piece of theory, so you can drive off safely with a satisfying pass certificate."

Separate data from the DVSA showed that the most common reason for failing a practical driving test in 2019/20 was a lack of correct observation at junctions.

Failing to check mirrors before changing direction was second, while improper control of the steering wheel was third.

Remarkably, these have been the same most common reasons for failure every year since 2013/14.

Pass rates in the past 10 years have remained roughly the same, with the highest being 47% in 2016/17 and the lowest at 46% in 2018/19.