Almost half of the people taking their driving test this year so far have failed to get their license, Transport Minister Chris Bonett revealed in response to a parliamentary question on Monday.

He was answering PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut’s query about failure rates for driving licenses from 2019 to 2024.

This year, 48% of applicants for the category B license—required to drive cars—failed their test. The failure rate has been rising steadily, up from 44% in 2023 and 40% in 2022, marking an 8% increase over two years.

Data provided by the transport minister photo: Parliament

The highest failure rate this year so far was for the category D license, used for passenger vans, with a 56% failure rate. This represents a sharp increase from 46% in 2023 and 39% in 2022.

Motorcycle learners (category A) also saw a rise in failures, with 42% failing in 2024 compared to 40% in 2023 and 32% in 2022.

Category C, covering trucks and large vans, had the lowest failure rate, at 38% in 2024. However, this category also experienced an increase, with failure rates at 33% in 2023 and 24% in 2022.

Failure rates have steadily increased across all license categories, but the reasons behind this trend remain unclear. It raises questions about whether the driving test has become more demanding or if external factors are impacting the results.

Last year, Times of Malta exclusively revealed a racket concerning driving tests which involved candidates using political connections reaching all the way up to the minister to get earlier test dates or favourable instructors.