Young drivers are flooding to Rangiora to get their driver's licences because of "fussy" testing officers and difficult test routes in Christchurch.

Official data showed drivers sitting their restricted and full licence tests in Christchurch were struggling, with failure rates higher than the national average.

Drivers said they were being instantly failed for minor transgressions. Many said they were made to feel anxious and pressured by testing officers.

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It was not uncommon for drivers to fail three or four times in Christchurch before seeking help, said instructor Owen Wood of Cashmere Driving School.

One person had come to him after failing 13 times.

Frustrated drivers went to Rangiora because it was seen as an easy place for them to pass the driving test.

Data shows the North Canterbury town easily had the highest pass rate in Canterbury.

It had a two-month waiting list for restricted licence tests. In Sockburn, known as a difficult route, the wait was closer to two weeks.

Gerry Filius, from ABC Driving School in Rangiora, said drivers would fail the test in the city then drive out to Rangiora to do it again.

"They fail the test once, twice, then they talk to their mates and find out Rangiora is the easiest, which is why they come here."

NZ Transport Agency principal adviser of driver training and testing Jim Furneaux said inconsistencies between testing stations were expected. City drivers were more likely to struggle because of heavier traffic.

"There are no targets or quotas set for individual testing centres, and there will always be differences related to the location of the test route."

Pass rates in urban Auckland and Wellington were also lower than the national average, he said.

University student Martin Cairns cannot afford to keep failing.

He had notched up five failed tests in Christchurch for his restricted licence, and was wary about attempt number six.

Not indicating into an otherwise flawless parallel park, and not "slowing down enough" for a railway crossing were two mistakes which led to failure, he said.

"I have to argue that they were hardly faults worthy of an instant fail ... I'm peeved at my failures, because I'm a struggling university student who needs a job to support myself.

"The massive cost of each resit and subsequent failures is getting too much."

A controlled train crossing was the undoing of Tate McCutchan.

He said he was told his driving was "perfect" by the testing officer, but his failure to look both ways while driving over a controlled crossing caused him to fail his second attempt at the restricted test.

"It's horrible . . . when you fail twice, and the testing instructor says your driving is perfect, it confuses you."

TESTING TIMES

Canterbury Testing Locations Ranked (Restricted pass %, full pass %):

AA Rangiora: 67 per cent, 80 per cent.

AA Ashburton & AA Timaru: 60 per cent, 66 per cent.

AA Riccarton: 57 per cent, 62 per cent.

Nationwide average: 55 per cent, 71 per cent

AA Shirley: 51 per cent, 64 per cent.

VTNZ Sockburn: 49 per cent, 65 per cent.

Papanui Driver Testing Centre: 43 per cent, 53 per cent.