Listed in the official practical test centre dataset when last checked. Opening hours may change. Check the official office page before travelling.
DVSA will make arrangements for you at this test centre if you have a disability.
Portsmouth follows the standard DVSA format for car driving tests. Practise observing traffic, managing speed, choosing a safe road position and driving independently on a range of roads.
The published address is Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, Southampton Road, Portsmouth, PO6 4SH. Before you travel, check the map, your booking confirmation and any instructions on where to report. Check whether parking is available for candidates.
Local access, parking, and reception arrangements can change. Follow current signs and official appointment instructions when you arrive.
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.
Make moving off, stopping, steering, speed changes, and safe clearance feel routine enough that your attention stays on the road around you.
Vary the junctions and roundabouts you practise. Look early, judge gaps without pressure, and choose the correct lane before the decision becomes rushed.
Follow traffic signs or directions from a sat nav. If you miss a turn, keep driving safely and avoid sudden changes in direction.
Practise on suitable local roads, including residential streets, urban and rural roads, and roads with higher speed limits. Build the skills to adapt to unfamiliar routes.
Read a number plate from 20 metres away, or from 20.5 metres if the plate uses the older format. Before you drive, answer a ‘tell me’ question about vehicle safety.
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.
Follow a sat nav, traffic signs, or both for 20 to 35 minutes. A wrong turn is not a fault if you continue safely.
Complete one reversing exercise and answer a “show me” question while driving. You might also be asked for an emergency stop.
DVSA does not publish routes used in driving tests. If you take a wrong turn during independent driving, the examiner will help you get back on route. The turn itself does not count as a fault. Practise on a variety of local roads to build confidence in unfamiliar conditions.
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 car. If you bring your own, check that it meets the DVSA rules.
Recheck the appointment time, published address, route to the centre, and any instructions in your confirmation.
Allow extra time for travel and follow any arrival instructions 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.
In 2025/26, 7,141 of 13,518 car driving tests at Portsmouth resulted in a pass. The pass rate was 52.8%. The national average was 50.0%. Portsmouth ranked 148th out of 317 car test centres in Great Britain. The rate is 1 percentage point higher than the 51.8% recorded in 2024/25.
Among the 4 nearest driving test centres with published figures, Lee On The Solent has the highest pass rate at 63.2% and Southampton (Maybush) the lowest at 50.3%. 3 of those 4 pass more candidates than Portsmouth.
Source: DVSA table DRT122A, financial years 2025/26 and 2024/25. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
DVSA reports a median wait of 13 weeks for a car driving test at Portsmouth, 0.3 weeks shorter than a year earlier. 1,195 of 6,096 appointment slots in the current booking window are still open. Figures are for July 2026.
08/25 to 07/26 · Median wait in weeks
Monthly median waits ranged from 11.7 to 16.4 weeks. Each point shows the monthly median published by DVSA. Current appointment availability can vary.
The longest wait for a driving test at Portsmouth in this period was 16.4 weeks in September 2025, and the shortest was 11.7 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 12 August 2026.
Scale is the defining feature of this centre's numbers: 13,518 tests were taken in 2025/26 and 7,141 ended in a pass. The resulting 52.8% pass rate places it 148th of the 317 rated GB centres: mid-table, but still 2.8 points above the national average of 50%, and up from 51.8% in 2024/25. A pass rate built on that many attempts is also less prone to random year-to-year swings than one from a low-volume site, so the recent improvement carries some weight.
The July 2026 snapshot records a median actual wait of 13 weeks at this centre, compared with 13.29 weeks in July 2025, a year-on-year shortening of 0.3 weeks. 19.6% of standard slots were shown as available. These figures describe completed tests and a monthly view of booking capacity rather than the next appointment, so they are strongest as evidence of recent booking pressure, not a promise about a date.
Nearby results show why distance, waiting time and pass rate should stay separate. Lee On The Solent, 5.4 miles away, records a median wait of 20 weeks and a 63.2% pass rate. Newport (Isle Of Wight), 12.8 miles away, records 8.9 weeks and 54.1%. Against this centre's 13-week wait and 52.8% rate, the alternatives shift each measure independently, so the practical choice still depends on travel and familiar roads as well as the published figures.
Analysis by the Drivings editorial team, drafted with AI assistance and checked against the DVSA figures on this page on 14 August 2026. Every figure is tested against the published datasets before release.
This test centre provides these types of tests: car, ADI part 3. Candidates are to park in the DVSA marked parking bays and arrive no more than 5 minutes before their test. There is no practicing allowed on site. There is a waiting area, and toilets are available.
Published by Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Check the official listing before travelling.
Portsmouth does not run that test. The nearest theory test centre is a separate site of the same name, 3.3 miles away.
The closest is Lee On The Solent, 5.4 miles from Portsmouth. The furthest is 17 miles away. 2 of the 6 are within 10 miles.
Distances are measured directly between locations. Driving distances can vary.