Motorists over 35 are struggling to pass driving tests on Queensland's roads, with figures showing high failure rates for older age groups.

An ABC analysis of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) data shows a steady decline in the pass rates for automatic and manual car tests as people get older.

Only half of those aged over 35 were able to pass their driving tests in 2016, meaning about 6,000 people failed.

The largest and most successful age group was the 16-20-year-olds. Nearly 50,000 of them got their licence on Queensland roads last year, with a pass rate of 68 per cent.

While drivers under 25 are required to show a log book proving they have clocked up 100 hours of practice, those older are not required to do so.

No Yelling Driving School director Jasper Boyschau said the higher failure rates for older drivers could be due to a lack of access to cars or supervisors for practice.

"A teenager living at home with their parents has access to the family vehicle and they can get those 100 hours pretty easily," he said.

Younger drivers 'less jittery'

Brisbane-based master driver trainer Richard De Cent said in some cases language may also be barrier.

He also said younger learners generally tended to perform better at tests because they were less jittery and were more confident.

"They have also slightly less fear because they have less experience as to what could potentially go wrong," he said.

While younger drivers are performing better in tests, those aged 16 to 24 made up nearly a quarter of the road fatalities between 2015 and August 2016, the TMR figures showed.

RACQ safety and technical director Steve Spalding said young drivers were at higher risk because they had less maturity than older motorists.

"If someone can delay their licence for a few years at least it allows them to add some maturity into what is already a demanding task," he said.

"I think it's fair to say as we mature we do make more careful decisions, we do think a bit more before putting ourselves in a risky situation."

Stuart Thistlewood, director of the RAC School of Motoring, said the testing standard had improved over time.

"Older drivers would be more likely to fail today's driving test as they weren't exposed to the types of rigorous testing that today's students have to go through to obtain their licence," he said.

"Back in the day to get your licence was just a case of operating a vehicle, a simple drive around the block would suffice."

Meanwhile, the ABC analysis also showed those who enlisted the help of a driving instructor during tests had a 67 per cent pass rate, in comparison to the 61 per cent of those who completed private tests.

Across the state, 78,486 people were granted car licences last year with an overall pass rate of 63 per cent.