Basingstoke Driving Test Centre
Basingstoke posts a 56.9% pass rate, with Greenham the nearest alternative about 12 miles away. Read on for its full DVSA history, first-time pass rate, waiting time and demographic breakdown.
DVSA data last updated September 2026
Basingstoke sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 27%, rank #86 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Farnborough, about 15.8 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 39.1K passed, 38.7K failed, 77.8K total
How Basingstoke compares
At 8.2 points above the UK figure and ranked 86 of 323 in its category, Basingstoke offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.
Where Basingstoke ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Basingstoke has climbed 11.3 points across the series, 45.6% in 2017-18 to 56.9% now; the weakest year on record was 45.6% in 2017-18.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Basingstoke
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 13.2 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Basingstoke in August 2026 had waited 19.6 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, August 2026. The median is the time between booking and taking the test; for live availability use the DVSA booking service.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Basingstoke
- car
- ADI part 3
Accessibility & facilities
Parking and toilet details aren't included in DVSA's published feed. For the current on-site facilities, check the DVSA find a driving test centre tool with postcode RG22 4LR, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Basingstoke is one of the DVSA's car test sites in England, located in Brighton Hill, Hampshire at RG22 4LR. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 77.8K tests over 2017-18-2024-25 is large enough that any rounding you see between sites is just rounding, not disagreement on the underlying data.
Basingstoke passes higher than most. At 56.9% versus a UK average of 48.7%, it ranks #86 of 323 car centres, the upper half of the network. First-attempt pass rate at Basingstoke: 55.9%, against 49% nationally. That's a 6.9-point lead. Well-prepared candidates with no prior test attempts pass here at a noticeably higher rate than the UK average.
All figures shown are aggregated from the DVSA quarterly statistical release covering the most recent reporting periods available. Pass-rate calculations exclude tests cancelled by the candidate or examiner. Sample sizes and methodology are described in the source attribution at the foot of this page.
What learners should know about Basingstoke
- Above-average pass rate at Basingstoke doesn't mean above-average ease. The fundamentals examiners mark are the same nationally: junctions, mirrors, observation, signal timing. A 65%+ pass rate means more candidates clear those, not that the bar is lower.
- 55.9% of first-timers pass at Basingstoke, so the centre is on the forgiving side. If your instructor is signing you off as test-ready, your own preparation matters far more than the venue.
- Basingstoke is a high-volume centre. Booking pressure is real, check the DVSA booking service daily for earlier slots rather than relying on the headline available date.
- Practising the roads around the centre is the preparation that most reliably pays off. Most ADI instructors in Brighton Hill will know the road types and junctions learners commonly meet near the centre.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Basingstoke, cancellations appear on the official DVSA booking service throughout the day. Check at off-peak times (early morning, late evening) for the best chance of catching one.
Whether you pass at Basingstoke is not decided by the centre. It is decided by the 15 things an examiner can mark you on, and response, traffic signs is one of the ones that ends attempts early.
Take response, traffic signs. Pre-test route familiarity not built. Eyes fixed too close in. Sign-blindness from over-focusing on the road surface. Most of the argument about what is a minor and what is a serious comes down to cases like that one, so it is worth knowing which side of the line yours falls on before an examiner decides it for you.
Drive your local test routes specifically scanning for signs. Have the instructor cover unusual signs on country roads (national speed limit on single carriageway = 60 mph, not 70). Free to use, no sign up. Everything for the day itself is on the practical test hub.
Other test centres nearby
You cannot book a practical test at Basingstoke until you hold a theory pass, and it has to still be valid on the day you sit it. Nationally 44.8% of candidates pass the theory.
Observation, anticipation, concentration and avoiding distractions at the wheel. All 14 DVSA topics are free to practise, with no sign up. See the theory pass rate by centre or the full practice hub.
On the day at Basingstoke
Arrive at Basingstoke with about ten minutes to spare and know your parking options in advance, they vary site to site across the DVSA network. The DVSA centre finder (postcode RG22 4LR) maps the centre and its surroundings. With very high demand and waits near 19 to 23 weeks, take any earlier slot the booking service offers rather than holding out. Don't set off without your provisional photocard licence; the test cannot start without it, and your car needs L plates and a working interior mirror. If Greenham is fully booked, Basingstoke is the next closest centre, roughly 12 miles away.
The test runs for around 40 minutes and follows the same DVSA format used at every centre. The examiner checks your eyesight at 20 metres, asks you a tell-me safety question, then sits in for the drive, with one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes of it is independent driving, either following a sat nav the examiner sets up or following road signs to a named place. You will do one of four set manoeuvres, and roughly one in seven candidates is asked to perform an emergency stop. The drive works through whatever mix of urban and outlying roads sits within about a twenty-minute radius, and at a centre this busy that usually means heavier traffic to read. Across DVSA marking nationally, the fault recorded most often on car tests is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Basingstoke. The examiner explains the faults marked on your DL25 feedback form and, if you have passed, takes the provisional licence so a full one can be posted out. The pass standard is fixed nationally, 15 driving faults maximum and zero serious or dangerous faults, and 56.9% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
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Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
DVSA data period: 2024-25.