Eastbourne Driving Test Centre
Eastbourne in St Anthony's Hill, England has a current pass rate of 52.1%, 3.4 points above the UK average of 48.7%. This page breaks down the multi-year trend, the first-time and gender pass rates, the waiting time and how it compares with the rest of the UK, all from the DVSA quarterly data.
DVSA data last updated July 2026
Eastbourne sits in the top half of car pass rates nationally (Top 41%, rank #131 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Tunbridge Wells, about 24.6 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 43.8K passed, 42.8K failed, 86.6K total
How Eastbourne compares
At 3.4 points above the UK figure and ranked 131 of 323 in its category, Eastbourne offers a modest but real edge, typically a product of its local road layout rather than the venue itself.
Where Eastbourne ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The direction of travel here is upward: Eastbourne has added 4.2 points since 2017-18, from 47.9% to 52.1%, with its strongest year at 54.6% in 2021-22.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Eastbourne
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 19.8 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Eastbourne in May 2026 had waited 7.7 weeks from booking to test day.
Official DVSA data, May 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 Eastbourne
- car
- motorcycle module 2 (on-road)
- ADI part 2
- 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 BN22 7PT, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Eastbourne is one of the DVSA's car test sites in England, located in St Anthony's Hill, East Sussex at BN22 7PT. The choice of routes reflects the local mix of road types rather than any standard national template. The DVSA has logged 86.6K tests at this centre over 2017-18-2024-25. At that scale, the year-on-year shifts you see in the chart correspond to genuine changes in how the centre is performing, not statistical wobble.
Eastbourne runs close to the national curve: 52.1% pass rate, 3.4 points above the UK average of 48.7%. The rank is #131 of 323 car centres. The first-time pass figure here is 50.8%, which lines up almost exactly with the UK average of 49%. If you're a first-timer, the centre is neither lucky nor unlucky ground, it's 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 Eastbourne
- Eastbourne doesn't deviate much from the national curve, so generic preparation advice (mock tests, mirror discipline, junction observation) applies here in the same shape it would anywhere.
- Volume at Eastbourne is among the highest in the network. Don't take the first available date on faith, refreshing the DVSA booking page across a few days regularly turns up cancellations.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Eastbourne area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Eastbourne, 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.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Eastbourne
Turn up at Eastbourne ten minutes before your appointment, and check ahead where you can park, DVSA sites vary on that. You can preview the location on the DVSA centre finder (postcode BN22 7PT). Demand is very high and waits are near 20 to 24 weeks, so an early booking plus a cancellation watch is the sensible approach. The examiner will ask to see your provisional photocard licence before anything else, and your car must carry L plates and a working interior mirror. If Hastings (Ore) is fully booked, Eastbourne is the next closest centre, roughly 13 miles away.
Once underway the test takes around 40 minutes and is the same wherever you sit it. The examiner verifies your eyesight at 20 metres, puts one tell-me question to you, then accompanies the drive and asks one show-me question while you are driving. About 20 minutes is independent driving, sat nav or road signs to a named destination, with one of the set manoeuvres and an emergency stop on roughly one test in seven. 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.
There is no wait for the verdict, the examiner delivers it at the centre. They go over each fault recorded, hand you the DL25 feedback form, and on a pass retain your provisional licence so the full version arrives by post. To pass you need no more than 15 driving faults and not a single serious or dangerous one; 52.1% of candidates at Eastbourne currently clear that.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Eastbourne?
Is Eastbourne an easy or hard test centre?
How does Eastbourne compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Eastbourne record?
Which driving test centres are near Eastbourne?
When is the best time to book a test at Eastbourne?
How do I book a test at Eastbourne and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Eastbourne?
Data: DVSA quarterly statistical release, released under the Open Government Licence v3.0. PassRates.uk aggregates DVSA centre-level totals across reporting periods.
Edited by Vikas. DVSA data period: 2024-25.