Southend-on-Sea Driving Test Centre
Southend-on-Sea in Southend-on-Sea, England has a current pass rate of 48.1%, 0.6 points below 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
Southend-on-Sea sits in the bottom half of car pass rates nationally (Bottom 33%, rank #218 of 323). The strongest car alternative nearby is Maidstone, about 20.0 miles away.
Pass vs fail at a glance
All-time 28.9K passed, 33.8K failed, 62.7K total
How Southend-on-Sea compares
Statistically Southend-on-Sea is about as neutral as a venue gets, under a point from the national average and ranked 218 of 323 in its category. Preparation, not postcode, decides the outcome here.
Where Southend-on-Sea ranks among 323 centres
Pass-rate trend by year
The direction of travel here is upward: Southend-on-Sea has added 4.2 points since 2017-18, from 43.9% to 48.1%, with its strongest year at 55.8% in 2020-21.
Pass rate by demographic
Waiting time at Southend-on-Sea
The headline figure for reaching 10% availability is 24 weeks, but the typical (median) learner who took their test at Southend-on-Sea in May 2026 had waited 7.6 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 Southend-on-Sea
- car
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 SS2 6LL, or call DVSA Customer Services on 0300 200 1122.
About this test centre
Of the DVSA car centres across England, Southend-on-Sea is the one covering Southend-on-Sea, Essex. The routes are built around the roads the centre's examiners can reach inside the test's time budget. If you're cross-checking this pass rate against other sources, the sample size matters. 62.7K 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.
If you've been told Southend-on-Sea is "an easy centre" or "a hard one", the data won't fully back that. 48.1% is within a point of the UK car average of 48.7%, which is rank #218 out of 323. First-attempt pass rate: 48.2%, against the UK figure of 49%. Effectively level, the gap between candidates who pass first time at Southend-on-Sea and those who pass first time nationally is preparation, not the centre.
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 Southend-on-Sea
- Pass rate at Southend-on-Sea sits close to the UK average. Prepare for an ordinary level of difficulty: examiners apply the standard DVSA marking sheet, and the routes are a representative mix of local conditions.
- Southend-on-Sea 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.
- If you can, take at least one lesson with an instructor who specifically works the Southend-on-Sea area. Local instructors know which nearby junctions are demanding and will drill them.
- If you missed the earlier slots at Southend-on-Sea, 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 Southend-on-Sea
Give yourself ten minutes in hand when you head to Southend-on-Sea, and look up where to park beforehand, facilities differ from one DVSA site to the next. The DVSA centre finder shows the exact location. This is a high-demand centre, modelled at roughly 16 to 20 weeks to a slot, so book as far ahead as you can and keep an eye on cancellations. You must have your provisional photocard licence on you, plus a car with L plates and a working interior mirror for the examiner. If Gillingham is fully booked, Southend-on-Sea is the next closest centre, roughly 13 miles away.
The practical lasts about 40 minutes and uses the standard DVSA format nationwide. After an eyesight check at 20 metres and one show-me and one tell-me question, the examiner sits in for the drive. Roughly 20 minutes of that is independent driving, either following a sat nav set by the examiner or following road signs, and you will complete one of four set manoeuvres; about one in seven tests includes an emergency stop, a frequency the DVSA reduced in late 2025. 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.
The result is given immediately when you get back. Whatever the outcome, the examiner reads through the marked faults and prints your DL25 feedback form; pass and they take the provisional licence to trigger your full one by post. The threshold is the national one, 15 driving faults at most and zero serious or dangerous, which 48.1% of Southend-on-Sea's candidates reach right now.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass rate at Southend-on-Sea?
Is Southend-on-Sea an easy or hard test centre?
How does Southend-on-Sea compare to the UK average?
How many driving tests does Southend-on-Sea record?
Which driving test centres are near Southend-on-Sea?
When is the best time to book a test at Southend-on-Sea?
How do I book a test at Southend-on-Sea and what do I need?
How long is the wait for a driving test at Southend-on-Sea?
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.