Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) Practical Driving Test Centre

Listed as active

Information checked 13 July 2026

Centre details

Run by
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

Before you travel

Listed in the official practical test-centre dataset at the snapshot time. This directory status is not real-time opening-hours confirmation. Check the official office page for same-day changes before travelling.

Tests available

Practical test

Available here

You can take your practical test at this location.

Test types: car, lorry and bus, adi part 3

Practical test · Official requirements

Chelmsford driving test centre guide

Chelmsford follows the standard DVSA car-test format. Build reliable observation, speed, positioning, and independent-driving habits across a varied road mix instead of trying to predict the route.

Before test day

Plan the arrival before test day

The published address is 9 Crittall Road, Witham, CM8 3DR. Check the map, your booking confirmation, and any reporting instructions before you travel; this listing does not assume that candidate parking is available.

Local access, parking, and reception arrangements can change. Follow current signs and official appointment instructions when you arrive.

Useful skills and road types to practise

Treat these as preparation themes, not published test routes. Change the direction, timing, and traffic conditions with your instructor so you practise reading the road.

Vehicle control

Make moving off, stopping, steering, speed changes, and safe clearance feel routine enough that your attention stays on the road around you.

Junction observations

Vary the junctions and roundabouts you practise. Look early, judge gaps without pressure, and choose the correct lane before the decision becomes rushed.

Independent decisions

Follow signs or sat-nav directions while continuing safely. If you miss a turn, respond to the road in front of you instead of making a sudden correction.

A complete road mix

Practise residential, urban, rural, and higher-speed roads that are appropriate locally. The aim is adaptable driving, not predicting a route.

What happens on the day

  1. 01

    Eyesight and safety question

    Read a number plate from 20 metres away (or 20.5 metres for an old-style plate), then answer a “tell me” vehicle-safety question before driving.

  2. 02

    Around 35 minutes of driving

    GOV.UK says the driving portion lasts around 35 minutes. You drive in varied road and traffic conditions while the examiner assesses observation, control, and safe decisions.

  3. 03

    Independent driving

    Follow a sat nav, traffic signs, or both for 20 to 35 minutes. A wrong turn is not a fault if you continue safely.

  4. 04

    Reversing and vehicle safety

    Complete one reversing exercise and answer a “show me” question while driving. You might also be asked for an emergency stop.

Routes change. Good decisions travel.

DVSA does not publish real driving-test routes. If you take a wrong turn during independent driving, the examiner helps you get back on route; the turn itself is not marked as a fault. Use local practice to build adaptable habits, not to learn a script.

Test-day checklist

  • Bring your physical UK driving licence and your theory test pass certificate if you have it.

  • Use a suitable car—most learners use their instructor’s—and check the DVSA rules if you bring your own.

  • Recheck the appointment time, published address, route to the centre, and any instructions in your confirmation.

  • Allow for normal travel disruption while following any centre-specific arrival time in your booking confirmation.

Official guidance: what happens during the car test, what to take to a car test, book or manage a practical test and driving-test faults and results. Always recheck the official requirements before the appointment.

Pass rate at this centre

DVSA recorded 9,107 car driving tests at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) in 2025/26, of which 5,044 passed — a 55.4% pass rate, 5.4 points above the 50.0% national average. That is 109th of 317 car test centres in Great Britain.

Pass rate

55.4%

+5.4vs national

Tests conducted

9,107

Tests passed

5,044

National rank

109th

of 317

Among the 6 nearest driving test centres with published figures, Bishops Stortford has the highest pass rate at 51.3% and Southend-on-Sea the lowest at 47.0%. Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)'s own 55.4% is higher than all 6 of them.

Source: DVSA table DRT122A, financial year 2025/26. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Waiting time and appointment availability

DVSA reports a median wait of 12.5 weeks for a car driving test at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road), 1.9 weeks longer than a year earlier. 221 of 3,573 appointment slots in the current booking window are still open. Figures are for June 2026.

Median wait

12.5 wks

+1.9 wksvs last year

Slots still open

221

6.2% of capacity

Booked slots

3,352

First availability

24 wks

until 10% free

12-month waiting-time trend

July 2025 to June 2026

Median wait in weeks

Latest
12.5 wks

Jun

Peak
17.4 wks

Oct

Lowest
8.0 wks

Apr

Ranged from 8 to 17.4 weeks over the period. Each point is the DVSA-published monthly median, not a live appointment quote.

The longest wait for a driving test at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) in this period was 17.4 weeks in October 2025, and the shortest was 8.0 weeks in April 2026. DVSA measures this as the median wait across appointments booked at the test centre, so it moves as examiner capacity and demand change.

Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published 2026-07-08.

Finding this centre

This test centre provides these types of tests: car, lorry and bus, ADI part 3. All lorry and bus tests booked at Chelmsford will be conducted from: RSM Driver Training Limited Enterprise House Rawreth Barns Doublegate Lane Wickford SS11 8UD From Saturday 27 June 2026 until Friday 21 August 2026, all car and ADI tests booked at Chelmsford will be conducted from: The County Hotel, 29 Rainsford Lane, Chelmsford, CM1 2PZ

Published by Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Check the official listing before travelling.

Where you take the theory test

Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) does not run that test. The nearest theory test centre is Chelmsford, 9 miles away.

Chelmsford

9 miles away

Other theory test centres nearby

Nearest alternative practical test centres

The closest is Colchester, 12.8 miles from Chelmsford (Hanbury Road); the furthest listed here is 21.6 miles. None is within 10 miles, so Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) is the only practical test centre in its immediate area.

Distances are straight-line from each centre’s published coordinates.

Common questions about this centre

What is the pass rate at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)?
DVSA figures show 55.4% of car driving tests taken at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) were passed — 5,044 passes from 9,107 tests. That is 5.4 percentage points above the 50.0% national average, ranking it 109th of 317 car test centres in Great Britain.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)?
DVSA reports a median wait of 12.5 weeks, compared with 10.6 weeks a year earlier. 221 of 3,573 appointment slots in the current booking window remain open.
Does DVSA publish the Chelmsford driving test routes?
No. DVSA does not publish routes used for real driving tests at Chelmsford or any other test centre. Practise a varied mix of suitable roads and junctions rather than memorising an unofficial route.
How long does the car driving test at Chelmsford take?
GOV.UK says you drive for around 35 minutes. The test also includes an eyesight check, two vehicle-safety questions, independent driving, and one reversing exercise.
What should I bring to my Chelmsford driving test?
Bring your UK driving licence, your theory test pass certificate if you have it, and a suitable car. If you use your own car, it must meet the DVSA rules for driving tests.
What tests can I take at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)?
You can take practical driving tests at Chelmsford (Hanbury Road).
Who runs Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)?
Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) is run by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). DVSA publishes the pass-rate and waiting-time figures shown on this page.
Where do I take the theory test if I use Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)?
Chelmsford (Hanbury Road) does not run the theory test. The nearest theory test centre is Chelmsford, 9 miles away.
Which other practical test centres are near Chelmsford (Hanbury Road)?
The closest are Colchester (12.8 miles), Basildon (16.5 miles), Southend-on-Sea (18.1 miles). 6 of the 6 nearest are within 25 miles.