About 14 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 14.4 weeks shorter19.6 weeks → 5.2 weeks
- Appointment availability
- 10.8 weeks higher at the alternative (13.2 weeks → 24 weeks)
South East driving test waiting times and pass rates
Compare 33 driving test centres across South East, including August 2026 actual waits, current appointment availability and the latest published pass rates. Figures are statistical snapshots, not live appointments.
August 2026 regional summary
Read the latest UK reportSouth East at a glance
Actual-wait figures below are published centre medians. The regional average is an unweighted average of those centre-level medians.
- Average of centre actual-wait medians
- 10.4 weeks 33 centres with published medians
- Current appointment availability
- 20.2 weeks Unweighted average of valid centre records
- Month-on-month availability movement
- 0.9 weeks lower 33 centres with both months
South East actual-wait range: published centre medians ran from 1.4 weeks at Medway Ambley Road to 20 weeks at Lee On The Solent.
Month-on-month context: Across 33 centres with records for both months, the unweighted appointment-availability average fell by 0.9 weeks. This is movement in DVSA's separate 10% appointment-availability measure, not a change in how long learners actually waited.
Centre-level detail
Where waits are shortest, longest and improving
These rankings use published centre records for August 2026. Improvements refer only to the appointment-availability measure and are not changes in median actual waits.
Shortest median actual waits
- 01Medway Ambley Road1.4 weeks
- 02High Wycombe4.6 weeks
- 03Chichester4.7 weeks
- 04Aylesbury5 weeks
- 05Oxford (Cowley)5 weeks
Longest median actual waits
- 01Lee On The Solent20 weeks
- 02Basingstoke19.6 weeks
- 03Banbury18.1 weeks
- 04Hastings (Ore)17.1 weeks
- 05Farnborough16 weeks
Biggest availability improvements
- 01Sevenoaks10 weeks lower
- 02Hastings (Ore)6.8 weeks lower
- 03Aylesbury5.6 weeks lower
- 04Newport (Isle of Wight)4.5 weeks lower
- 05Chichester3.9 weeks lower
What the latest South East data shows
In August 2026, Medway Ambley Road recorded the area's shortest median actual wait at 1.4 weeks, while Lee On The Solent recorded the longest at 20 weeks—a gap of 18.6 weeks across published centre medians.
Sevenoaks recorded the largest centre-level improvement in the separate appointment-availability measure, falling by 10 weeks from 24 weeks to 14 weeks.
Official nearby comparisons
Nearby alternatives with shorter actual waits
Each comparison uses one of the three nearest centres in DVSA's official list. A shorter historical actual wait does not guarantee an earlier appointment, so the separate availability measure is shown alongside it.
About 28 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 13.1 weeks shorter18.1 weeks → 5 weeks
- Appointment availability
- Same published measure (24 weeks → 24 weeks)
About 23 miles on DVSA's official nearest-centre list
- Median actual wait
- 12.9 weeks shorter20 weeks → 7.1 weeks
- Appointment availability
- Same published measure (24 weeks → 24 weeks)
These are statistical comparisons, not live appointments or booking recommendations. Check travel practicality and use GOV.UK to book or manage a test.
Centres in South East
Showing 33 test centres
Compare selected centres| Test centre | Town | Region | How long learners actually waited | Current appointment availability | Pass rate | Last updated | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashford (Kent) | Ashford | South East | 6.3 weeks | 18.4 weeks | 46.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Aylesbury | Aylesbury | South East | 5 weeks | 18.4 weeks | 49.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Banbury | Banbury | South East | 18.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 41.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Basingstoke | Basingstoke | South East | 19.6 weeks | 13.2 weeks | 56.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Bletchley | Bletchley | South East | 14.6 weeks | 24 weeks | 51.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Burgess Hill | Burgess Hill | South East | 14.9 weeks | 24 weeks | 45.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Canterbury | Canterbury | South East | 5.3 weeks | 18.6 weeks | 45.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Chertsey (London) | Chertsey | South East | 15.6 weeks | 24 weeks | 52.9% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Chichester | Chichester | South East | 4.7 weeks | 19.6 weeks | 61.6% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Crawley | Crawley | South East | 10.4 weeks | 24 weeks | 42.7% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Eastbourne | Eastbourne | South East | 13.7 weeks | 24 weeks | 55.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Farnborough | Farnborough | South East | 16 weeks | 24 weeks | 59.7% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Folkestone | Folkestone | South East | 7.9 weeks | 11.4 weeks | 42.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Gillingham | Gillingham | South East | 9.9 weeks | 23.8 weeks | 56.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Greenham | Newbury | South East | 5.2 weeks | 24 weeks | 56.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Guildford | Guildford | South East | 9.6 weeks | 13.8 weeks | 57.1% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Hastings (Ore) | Hastings | South East | 17.1 weeks | 14 weeks | 52.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Herne Bay | Herne Bay | South East | 7 weeks | 15.2 weeks | 55.9% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| High Wycombe | High Wycombe | South East | 4.6 weeks | 9 weeks | 51.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Lee On The Solent | Lee on the Solent | South East | 20 weeks | 24 weeks | 63.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Maidstone | Maidstone | South East | 10 weeks | 22.2 weeks | 60.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Medway Ambley Road | Gillingham | South East | 1.4 weeks | 24 weeks | Not published | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Newport (Isle of Wight) | Newport | South East | 8.9 weeks | 8 weeks | 54.1% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Oxford (Cowley) | Oxford | South East | 5 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.6% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Portsmouth | Portsmouth | South East | 13 weeks | 19.2 weeks | 52.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Reading | Reading | South East | 13.9 weeks | 24 weeks | 55.4% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Redhill Aerodrome | Redhill | South East | 10 weeks | 24 weeks | 53.9% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Sevenoaks | Sevenoaks | South East | 10.4 weeks | 14 weeks | 59.0% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Slough (London) | Slough | South East | 6 weeks | 24 weeks | 50.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Southampton (Maybush) | Southampton | South East | 13.1 weeks | 20.4 weeks | 50.3% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Tunbridge Wells | Tunbridge Wells | South East | 10 weeks | 24 weeks | 64.5% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Winchester | Winchester | South East | 7.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 52.2% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
| Worthing | Worthing | South East | 10.1 weeks | 24 weeks | 59.8% | 9 September 2026 | View details |
No exact matches
Try a town, postcode, broader region or clear the filters.
Understanding the regional figures
Regional averages include valid numeric DVSA records only and are not weighted by test volume or population. How long learners actually waited is based on the median at each centre; current appointment availability is the separate 10% measure. Neither shows live appointments, and pass rates do not measure centre difficulty.
See the latest UK report, chart and full methodology.
Explore other regions
EnglandView regional comparisonScotlandView regional comparisonWalesView regional comparisonEast MidlandsView regional comparisonEast of EnglandView regional comparisonLondonView regional comparison
Data source and date
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Latest records for how long learners actually waited and current appointment availability were published 9 September 2026; pass rates cover April 2025 to March 2026.