FAILED driving tests in Newport release more than 18,000 miles worth of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year.

Emissions from failed tests at the centre released were the third highest in the country last year, with failed tests accounting for 7,499kgs of CO2 being released.

Only centres in Llanishen and Swansea saw failed tests contribute more.

Thousands of learners sit their driving tests every year, and with a pass rate of just 48.1 per cent, most drivers don’t get lucky on their first try.

And the odds have not been in favour of those looking to pass recently, as coronavirus has reduced the number of tests by 86 per cent, compared to 2019/20.

Interested in the environmental impact of failed driving tests, SaveOnEnergy analysed DVSA data to find the number of fails from each test centre in the UK and uncover just how much harmful CO2 is emitted from those wasted tests.

From April 2019 to July 2020, the CO2 emitted from failed driving tests in the UK reached 2,222,257kgs.

Following 961,804 fails in the past two years, the CO2 released is the equivalent of 449 return trips from London to Melbourne, Australia.

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Llanishen driving test centre in Cardiff is releasing the most CO2 emissions in Wales due to failed tests from April 2019 to July 2020.

At an average pass rate of 56.6 per cent, there were 4,910 fails out of the 10,483 tests conducted, meaning that 11,323 kg of CO2 was released – the equivalent of 12,476 pounds of coal burned or 28 flights from Cardiff to Athens, Greece.

Following as the second highest offender is Swansea, releasing 7,529 kgs of CO2 as a result of 3,265 failed tests. With an average pass rate of 56.9 per cent, the CO2 released from failed tests in this area is equal to 107 flights from Bristol to Paris, France.

Newport placed third, with failures in the centre releasing 7,499 kgs of CO2. That’s the equivalent of 18,609 miles driven, or 106 driven trips from Newport to Manchester.