Portsmouth driving test centre
Opposite Fort Southwick, James Callaghan Drive, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO17 6AR
A swap only works when one of you moves forward and the other moves back, so the date somebody cannot use is worth as much as the date somebody wants. DVSA will exchange the two bookings over the phone, free. What they will not do is put the two of you in touch, and that is the part this page is for. Not ready for your Portsmouth date? How to postpone it without losing the fee.
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No test booked yet? There is nothing to swap until you have one. Book on GOV.UK, then come back.
Portsmouth in numbers
52.8% of car tests at Portsmouth end in a pass, 2.8 points above the national average of 50%. Within South-east England it ranks 17th of 29. It is also one of the busiest centres in the country, putting roughly 260 car tests through every week, which means a lot of learners holding a Portsmouth slot at any one time.
Pass rate
Above average- Passed here
- 52.8%13,518 tests, Apr 2025 to Mar 2026
- National average
- 50%same period
- On last year
- +1.0points up (51.8% the year before)
Waiting time
Longer than most- Median wait
- 16.1 weeks3.7 weeks longer than the national median of 12.4
- Still free to book
- 23.1%of the next 24 weeks
- Already taken
- 4,511of 5,866 slots in that window
Centres you can swap with from Portsmouth
GOV.UK allows a swap with a learner booked at the same centre as you, at one of your three nearest, or at a centre you first booked at. Three nearest is measured by driving distance avoiding motorways, and DVSA publishes the list. A swap moves both learners, so the condition has to hold from each side, and the centres below are the ones that work in both directions from Portsmouth. Anywhere else is refused on the call.
| Centre | Distance | Wait, weeks | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee On The Solent | about 7 miles | 18.9 | 63.2% +10.4 |
| Chichester | about 21 miles | 3.7 | 61.6% +8.8 |
| Southampton (Maybush) | about 22 miles | 14.4 | 50.3% -2.5 |
The four rules, applied here
You both need a change left
Two changes per car test, and a swap spends one of them. How changing a test works.
10 working days' notice
To whichever of the two tests is first. Monday to Saturday count; Sundays and public holidays do not.
Centres near each other
Portsmouth's own three nearest are Lee On The Solent, Chichester, Southampton (Maybush).
Same test type
Weekday with weekday; evening and weekend tests only with each other.
Getting to Portsmouth, and what to take
Straight from DVSA's own list of test centres. Worth reading the week before rather than the morning of.
Where it is
Opposite Fort Southwick
James Callaghan Drive
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO17 6AR
- Parking is only available for candidates on test)
- Toilets
- Arrangements will be made at this test centre if you have a disability
DVSA's note for this centre: There is NO ENTRY to the car park. The only exception is attending for a driving test, practising is not permitted at any time
What to take
- Your UK driving licence. No photocard means a valid passport and your paper licence.
- Your theory test pass certificate if you have it. If it is lost the examiner can look the pass up.
- A car. Most people use their instructor's.
Driving around Portsmouth before test day
Nobody can give you the examiner's route. DVSA stopped publishing routes in 2010, and four tests in five are led by a sat nav the examiner sets up, so there is no sequence to learn. The roads are a different matter: which roundabout, which multi-lane junction, where the limit changes. Instructors film those, and watching them is the cheapest practice available.
Find Portsmouth route videos
Swaps at Portsmouth, month by month
Most people know the month they need rather than the date. Each of these says how much of that month can still be swapped into under the ten working day rule, and which centres a Portsmouth booking can move to. DVSA releases slots in a rolling 24-week window, so these are the months anybody can be holding a test in.
Three quick questions
One each on the car safety questions, road signs and warning lights: the parts of the test you can learn off the page. Have a guess, then open the answer.
-
Show me, tell me
When is the "show me" question asked?
- Before you set off, with the bonnet open
- At the end of the test, parked
- While you are driving
- Only if you make a mistake earlier
Show the answer
While you are driving. The "tell me" question comes at the start. The "show me" question is asked while you are driving, so it also tests whether you can do it safely on the move.
-
Road signs
What shape are most warning signs?
- A triangle
- A rectangle
- An octagon
- A circle
Show the answer
A triangle. Warning signs are mostly red-bordered triangles, point up.
-
Warning lights
A red warning light comes on while you are driving. What does red generally mean?
- Stop as soon as it is safe and find out why
- Nothing; red lights are only tested at start-up
- Something is switched on
- Have it checked at your next service
Show the answer
Stop as soon as it is safe and find out why. Red means a problem that should not be driven on: oil pressure, brakes, overheating, charging. Stop when safe and find out why.
Swapping at Portsmouth: questions
Can I swap a test at Portsmouth for one at another centre?
Only if it is the same centre, one of your three nearest, or a centre you first booked at. A swap moves both learners, so it has to work from each side. From Portsmouth the list is Lee On The Solent, Chichester, Southampton (Maybush). Anywhere else is refused on the call.
What is the pass rate at Portsmouth?
52.8% of car tests at Portsmouth ended in a pass between April 2025 and March 2026, from 13,518 tests. The national average over the same period was 50%, so Portsmouth is 2.8 points above it, ranking 147th of 314 centres in Great Britain. These are DVSA's own published figures and they describe the centre, not you.
Which nearby centre has a better pass rate than Portsmouth?
Of the centres you can legally move a Portsmouth test to, Lee On The Solent has the highest pass rate at 63.2%, against 52.8% here. That is a difference in the centre, not a promise about your test, and a swap has to suit the other learner too.
How long is the wait for a driving test at Portsmouth?
16.1 weeks. That is the median wait between booking and taking a test for people who sat one at Portsmouth in September 2026, from DVSA's own monthly figures, so half of them waited longer. The national median that month was 12.4 weeks. 23.1% of the slots in DVSA's 24-week booking window here were still free to book. A swap sidesteps that queue entirely, because you are moving into a date another learner has already booked.
How long does it take to find a swap at Portsmouth?
That depends on how many learners hold a slot here and whether any of them want the opposite of what you want. DVSA runs about 260 car tests a week at Portsmouth, so the pool holding a slot is large. Join the list at the top of this page and we email you when a learner who could swap with you joins. A three-way chain often resolves faster than waiting for a perfect pair.
Does swapping at Portsmouth cost anything?
No. You exchange slots rather than rebooking, so you keep your original booking reference and payment. Matching here is free, and DVSA does the swap on the phone at no charge.
How much notice do I need?
At least 10 full working days before whichever of the two tests comes first. Monday to Saturday count as working days; Sundays and public holidays do not, so the real deadline falls earlier than the calendar suggests.
Can my instructor arrange it for me?
No. Since 12 May 2026 only the candidate can book or manage their own test, and that applies to instructors too. Yours can sit next to you while you make the call.
Is this the same as a cancellation app for Portsmouth?
No. A cancellation app scans the booking service for unclaimed appointments, and since 12 May 2026 learners are not allowed to use services that do that. A swap works the other way round: the date you want is already booked by another learner, the two of you agree to exchange, and you make the call yourself.
Your Portsmouth date is somebody's dream date
Somewhere there is a learner holding the slot you want, who would rather have yours. Join the list and we email you when a learner who could swap with you joins. Free, no card, nothing to pay when it works.