Southampton LGV Driving Test Centre
The Southampton LGV driving test centre is located in Southampton, England. Below are the official pass-rate statistics, multi-year trend, demographic breakdown, and how this centre compares against the UK average and its neighbours, all drawn from the DVSA quarterly statistical release.
Pass vs fail at a glance
10.8K passed, 8.2K failed, 19.0K total
How Southampton LGV compares
Southampton LGV performs well above the UK average. Learners passing here are more likely to pass than at most other UK centres, though this can also reflect quieter test routes and fewer challenging junctions.
Where Southampton LGV ranks among 152 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
Most common faults at this centre
The fault categories most frequently recorded against learners on test. Knowing them lets you target practice on the things examiners are most likely to penalise.
- 1Junctions - observation10
- 2Mirrors - change direction9
- 3Move off - safely8
- 4Junctions - turning right7
- 5Response to signs - traffic lights6
Per-centre fault breakdowns are derived from the DVSA national fault distribution applied to centre-level test outcomes.
Pass rate by demographic
Estimated wait time and demand
Wait times at Southampton LGV have remained broadly stable through recent reporting periods. Booking is achievable but not immediate: learners booking at Southampton LGV typically wait around 15 weeks from booking to test day.
Wait time is estimated from regional demand patterns reported in the National Audit Office investigation into car driving test waiting times (Dec 2024) and the DVSA Despatch blog updates, combined with this centre's test volume. Real availability fluctuates with examiner staffing and cancellations, always check the official DVSA booking service for live slots.
Centre details
Address
Source: DVSA find a driving test centre (Open Government Licence v3.0), captured 2026-05-12.
Tests offered at Southampton LGV
- HGV/LGV
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 SO30 2DY, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Southampton LGV: a DVSA hgv/lgv test centre in Southampton. Local routes, local traffic patterns, no national standard for what "harder" or "easier" looks like beyond what the numbers below show. Across 2016-17-2023-24 the DVSA recorded 19.0K tests at Southampton LGV. A solid mid-range sample, the data is reliable enough that the rank position below isn't an artefact of small numbers.
The lower half of the UK by pass rate: Southampton LGV ranks #87 of 152 hgv/lgv centres at 64.8%, 16.1 points clear of the national figure of 48.7%. For Southampton LGV the DVSA suppresses first-attempt figures in DRT122C. Smaller centres get rolled up; this is one of them. The overall pass rate above is the only published figure.
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 Southampton LGV
- Don't read a higher pass rate as a softer test. Southampton LGV's rate reflects route geography more than examiner discretion, DVSA marking is centrally trained. Prepare for the same fault categories you'd prepare for anywhere.
- Ask any instructor working Southampton LGV about the centre's "usual fails", they'll have two or three specific junctions or manoeuvres in mind. Practise those until they're automatic before your date.
- The only legitimate booking route is gov.uk. Anything calling itself a "test booking concierge" is reselling the same slots at a markup, the slots aren't theirs to control.
Other test centres nearby
On the day at Southampton LGV
Arrive at Southampton LGV 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 maps the centre and its surroundings. With high demand and waits near 15 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.
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 one show-me and one tell-me question, then sits in for the drive. 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 three candidates is asked to perform an emergency stop. The drive covers the local mix of road types within roughly a twenty-minute radius of the centre. Across recent DVSA marking, the fault logged most often at this centre is junctions - observation, worth drilling on the local routes before your date.
You will know the result before you leave Southampton LGV. 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 64.8% of candidates here meet it under current DVSA marking.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Southampton LGV?
Is Southampton LGV an easy or hard test centre?
How does Southampton LGV compare to the UK average?
How many tests are taken at Southampton LGV each year?
Which driving test centres are near Southampton LGV?
When is the best time to book a test at Southampton LGV?
How do I book a test at Southampton LGV and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Southampton LGV?
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: 2023-24.