Mitcham

Somewhere real to practise

6 circuits from the test centre on Redhouse Road, Mitcham, each one 23 minutes or more, taking in the junctions a Mitcham test actually uses. Turn by turn, with the roundabout exits numbered, and a manoeuvre to try on each one.

Straight to the routes Swap your Mitcham test

Is your test on the right date? If it is too soon or too far off, a learner at Mitcham who wants the opposite could swap with you. Get an email when one joins

Before you drive any of these

Practising in your own car is legal and it is the cheapest way to get better. The rules are short:

Whoever sits beside you must be over 21, qualified to drive that type of car, and have held their full licence for three years.
The car needs L plates front and rear, and insurance that covers you as a learner. Some insurers also want the supervisor to be over 25.
No motorways. A learner can only go on one with an approved instructor in a dual-control car, so none of these routes touch one.

The rules on GOV.UK

These are not the examiner's routes, and nobody else's are either.

DVSA stopped publishing test routes in 2010 and refuses freedom-of-information requests for them. Since December 2017 four tests in five are led by a sat nav the examiner sets up, so even the examiner's route is not a fixed thing you could learn.

What these are: loops on the real roads around the centre, put together so you meet the junctions and road types the test actually assesses. Drive the roads, not a sequence.

You drive. Somebody else reads.

Nobody can read a numbered list while driving, and a sat nav will not tell you which exit to take early enough to get in the right lane. So these routes are written for the person in the passenger seat: the supervising driver who has to be there anyway.

Two ways to do that: print the route and put it on their lap, or send it to them on WhatsApp. Either way they call the turns and you drive.

If the phone and the written steps disagree, the written steps are the route. Google plots its own line between the places we hand it, and it will sometimes take a turn this page would not print.

About the Google Maps links

Google does not follow our route. It draws its own between the places we give it, and it is bound by none of the rules these pages are built on, two of which matter here: no turn in the road and no motorway.

So a route goes to Google in legs, and each leg ends at a real place to stop: a car park, a quiet side street, a loop road, with a manoeuvre to do there. The next leg starts from a parked car, so there is nothing behind you for Google to turn round for. Every leg is opened in Google Maps and checked by hand before its button goes on the page.

A route whose legs have not been checked yet has no Google Maps button. Drive it with the written directions read out, which is how the test itself works anyway.

Two other things Google will not tell you: its travel time assumes a confident driver in clear traffic, so expect ours to be closer; and it will happily route you down something a learner should not be on. Look at it before you set off.

The small map on each route is ours, drawn from the same data. It needs no permission, loads instantly and prints, which is why it is the one you see first.

Route 1 · Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout → Lombard Roundabout

Thornton Heath Pond and Lombard

The two junctions closest to the centre, down the A23 and back by Mitcham Road. Much the shortest of the six and the one to drive first.

4.3 milesabout 27 min

Test centre1Stops

Send to my navigator on WhatsApp

Drive it in 4 legs

Each button opens one leg in Google Maps. A leg ends at a stop with something to practise, so do the leg, park, do the manoeuvre, then open the next.

Leg 1 · 1 milesTo Peall Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Left off Thornton Road, a quiet side road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 14 steps
1. 1
  Start on Red House Road 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
3. 3
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Thornton Road 350 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn left into Peall Road 120 yards
5. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 2 · 1.3 milesTo Broughton Road Open inGoogle Maps

Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out

Left off Thornton Road, a quiet residential road
Keep it slow and look all round before every move. Finish facing back towards Thornton Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 26 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Peall Road to the end 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Thornton Road 0.5 miles
3. 3
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto London Road 310 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn right into London Road 0.2 miles
  
  Turn left through the short link road first.
5. 5
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Thornton Road 380 yards
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
6. 6
  Turn left into Broughton Road 70 yards
7. Stop here: Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out.
Leg 3 · 0.9 milesTo Allen Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

A side road off the route, quiet residential road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards the main road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 35 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Broughton Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Thornton Road 0.5 miles
3. 3
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Mitcham Road 330 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn right into Fairmead Road 130 yards
5. 5
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Allen Road 70 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
6. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 4 · 1.1 milesBack to the test centre Open inGoogle Maps
The last leg. Nothing to do at the end of it but park.
Directions for the passenger, leg 45 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Allen Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Fairmead Road 130 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
3. 3
  Turn right into Purley Way 340 yards
4. 4
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
5. 5
  Turn left into Red House Road 120 yards
6. You are back at the test centre. Park where you started.

Stop only where it is safe and legal, and read the signs: a car park is somebody's, and a residential street has driveways and junctions to stay clear of.

Route 2 · Rosehill Roundabout → Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout

Rosehill and Thornton Heath Pond

West to Rosehill, where six roads meet, then south east across to Thornton Heath. Eight roundabouts and heavy traffic for most of it.

10.7 milesabout 60 min

Test centre1Stops

Send to my navigator on WhatsApp

Drive it in 5 legs

Each button opens one leg in Google Maps. A leg ends at a stop with something to practise, so do the leg, park, do the manoeuvre, then open the next.

Leg 1 · 2.2 milesTo Watermead Lane Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Right off Middleton Road, a quiet side road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 15 steps
1. 1
  Start on Red House Road 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Croydon Road 1.2 miles
3. 3
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Carshalton Road 0.6 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn right into Goat Road 0.3 miles
5. 5
  Turn right into Watermead Lane 150 yards
6. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 2 · 2.1 milesTo Muchelney Road Open inGoogle Maps

Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out

Left off Middleton Road, a quiet residential road
Keep it slow and look all round before every move. Finish facing back towards Middleton Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 27 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Watermead Lane to the end 150 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Middleton Road 0.5 miles
3. 3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Middleton Road 0.4 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn left into Bishopsford Road 0.4 miles
5. 5
  At Rosehill Roundabout, take the 5th exit onto St. Helier Avenue 0.4 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
6. 6
  Turn right into Middleton Road 310 yards
7. 7
  Turn left into Muchelney Road 70 yards
8. Stop here: Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out.
Leg 3 · 1.3 milesTo Wates Way Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Left off Goat Road, a quiet side road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards Goat Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 35 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Muchelney Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Middleton Road 0.6 miles
3. 3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Middleton Road 0.5 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Carry on into Goat Road 230 yards
5. 5
  Turn left into Wates Way 70 yards
6. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 4 · 3 milesTo Broughton Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Right off Thornton Road, a quiet residential road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 410 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Wates Way to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Goat Road 210 yards
3. 3
  Turn left into Carshalton Road 0.6 miles
  
  Turn left through the short link road first.
4. 4
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Croydon Road 0.6 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
5. 5
  Turn left to stay on Croydon Road 0.6 miles
6. 6
  Carry on into Mitcham Road 0.4 miles
7. 7
  Turn left into Aurelia Road 0.3 miles
8. 8
  Turn right into Shamrock Road 210 yards
9. 9
  Turn left into Thornton Road 310 yards
10. 10
  Turn right into Broughton Road 70 yards
11. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 5 · 2.1 milesBack to the test centre Open inGoogle Maps
The last leg. Nothing to do at the end of it but park.
Directions for the passenger, leg 510 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Broughton Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Thornton Road 0.2 miles
3. 3
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Raymead Avenue 360 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn left into Colliers Water Lane 290 yards
5. 5
  Turn left into London Road 70 yards
6. 6
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Thornton Road 0.4 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
7. 7
  Turn right into Shamrock Road 210 yards
8. 8
  Turn left into Aurelia Road 0.3 miles
9. 9
  Turn right into Mitcham Road 0.4 miles
10. 10
  Turn left into Red House Road 120 yards
11. You are back at the test centre. Park where you started.

Stop only where it is safe and legal, and read the signs: a car park is somebody's, and a residential street has driveways and junctions to stay clear of.

Practising for the wrong date? A learner at Mitcham who wants the opposite date could swap with you, and DVSA does the swap on the phone. Tell me when one joins

Route 3 · Lombard Roundabout → Paxton Green Roundabout

Lombard and Paxton Green

Out to Gipsy Hill by way of Lombard, which is the furthest east these routes go. Long and slow rather than difficult.

11.6 milesabout 65 min

Test centre1Stops

Send to my navigator on WhatsApp

Drive it in 5 legs

Each button opens one leg in Google Maps. A leg ends at a stop with something to practise, so do the leg, park, do the manoeuvre, then open the next.

Leg 1 · 2.2 milesTo Boswell Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Right off Brigstock Road, a quiet residential road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards Brigstock Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 16 steps
1. 1
  Start on Red House Road 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
3. 3
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Thornton Road 0.7 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 5th exit onto London Road 70 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
5. 5
  Turn left into Brigstock Road 0.6 miles
6. 6
  Turn right into Boswell Road 70 yards
7. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 2 · 2.3 milesTo Coxwell Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Left off Westow Street, a quiet side road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 27 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Boswell Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Brigstock Road 320 yards
3. 3
  Turn right into High Street 0.3 miles
4. 4
  Turn left into Whitehorse Lane 0.7 miles
5. 5
  Turn left into South Norwood Hill 0.5 miles
6. 6
  Turn right into Church Road 0.6 miles
7. 7
  Turn left into Coxwell Road 70 yards
8. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 3 · 2.2 milesTo Jasper Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then parallel park behind a parked car

On the route, the residential stretch of Jasper Road between Farquhar Road and Westow Hill
Use a gap well away from junctions. Go slowly, and stop if anyone comes past while you reverse.
Directions for the passenger, leg 311 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Coxwell Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Westow Street 310 yards
3. 3
  Carry on into Gipsy Hill 0.6 miles
4. 4
  At Paxton Green Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto South Croxted Road 0.3 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
5. 5
  Turn right into Church Approach 110 yards
6. 6
  Turn right into Alleyn Road 0.3 miles
7. 7
  Turn left into South Croxted Road 80 yards
8. 8
  At Paxton Green Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Dulwich Wood Park 0.3 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
9. 9
  Turn right into Farquhar Road 0.2 miles
10. 10
  Turn right into Jasper Road 220 yards
11. 11
  Turn right to stay on Jasper Road 0 yards
12. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then parallel park behind a parked car.
Leg 4 · 2.4 milesTo Gillett Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Left off High Street, a quiet residential road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards High Street.
Directions for the passenger, leg 47 steps
1. 1
  Check your mirrors and blind spot, then move off along Jasper Road 240 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Westow Hill 90 yards
3. 3
  Turn right into Church Road 0.8 miles
4. 4
  Turn left into South Norwood Hill 0.5 miles
5. 5
  Turn right into Whitehorse Lane 0.7 miles
6. 6
  Turn right into High Street 250 yards
7. 7
  Turn left into Gillett Road 90 yards
8. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 5 · 2.6 milesBack to the test centre Open inGoogle Maps
The last leg. Nothing to do at the end of it but park.
Directions for the passenger, leg 58 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Gillett Road to the end 90 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into High Street 220 yards
3. 3
  Carry on into Brigstock Road 0.5 miles
4. 4
  Turn right into Colliers Water Lane 0.3 miles
5. 5
  Turn left into London Road 70 yards
6. 6
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Thornton Road 0.7 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
7. 7
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
8. 8
  Turn left into Red House Road 120 yards
9. You are back at the test centre. Park where you started.

Stop only where it is safe and legal, and read the signs: a car park is somebody's, and a residential street has driveways and junctions to stay clear of.

Route 4 · Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout → Paxton Green Roundabout

Thornton Heath Pond and Paxton Green

The A23 south and then up through Crystal Palace to Paxton Green. A steady drive that never leaves town speeds.

11.3 milesabout 63 min

Test centre1Stops

Send to my navigator on WhatsApp

Drive it in 5 legs

Each button opens one leg in Google Maps. A leg ends at a stop with something to practise, so do the leg, park, do the manoeuvre, then open the next.

Leg 1 · 2 milesTo Ederline Avenue Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Right off London Road, a quiet residential road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards London Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 17 steps
1. 1
  Start on Red House Road 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Mitcham Road 0.4 miles
3. 3
  Turn left into Aurelia Road 0.3 miles
4. 4
  Turn right into Shamrock Road 210 yards
5. 5
  Turn left into Thornton Road 0.4 miles
6. 6
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto London Road 0.7 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
7. 7
  Turn right into Ederline Avenue 50 yards
8. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 2 · 2.3 milesTo Moore Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Right off Crown Dale, a quiet residential road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 28 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Ederline Avenue to the end 50 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into London Road 0.7 miles
3. 3
  Carry on into Streatham High Road 260 yards
4. 4
  Turn right into Green Lane 0.5 miles
5. 5
  Turn left into Norbury Hill 0.5 miles
6. 6
  Turn left into Beulah Hill 0.2 miles
7. 7
  Turn right into Crown Dale 240 yards
8. 8
  Turn right into Moore Road 140 yards
9. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 3 · 2.3 milesTo Jasper Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then parallel park behind a parked car

On the route, the residential stretch of Jasper Road between Farquhar Road and Westow Hill
Pick a gap at least a car and a half long, clear of driveways, and keep checking all round as you reverse in.
Directions for the passenger, leg 313 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Moore Road to the end 140 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Crown Dale 0.3 miles
3. 3
  Carry on into Central Hill 120 yards
4. 4
  Turn left into Salters Hill 0.4 miles
  
  Turn left through the short link road first.
5. 5
  Turn right into Gipsy Road 290 yards
6. 6
  At Paxton Green Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto South Croxted Road 0.3 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
7. 7
  Turn right into Church Approach 110 yards
8. 8
  Turn right into Alleyn Road 0.3 miles
9. 9
  Turn left into South Croxted Road 80 yards
10. 10
  At Paxton Green Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Dulwich Wood Park 0.3 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
11. 11
  Turn right into Farquhar Road 0.2 miles
12. 12
  Turn right into Jasper Road 220 yards
13. 13
  Turn right to stay on Jasper Road 10 yards
14. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then parallel park behind a parked car.
Leg 4 · 2.3 milesTo Gillett Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Left off High Street, a quiet residential road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards High Street.
Directions for the passenger, leg 47 steps
1. 1
  Check your mirrors and blind spot, then move off along Jasper Road 230 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Westow Hill 90 yards
3. 3
  Turn right into Church Road 0.8 miles
4. 4
  Turn left into South Norwood Hill 0.5 miles
5. 5
  Turn right into Whitehorse Lane 0.7 miles
6. 6
  Turn right into High Street 250 yards
7. 7
  Turn left into Gillett Road 90 yards
8. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 5 · 2.2 milesBack to the test centre Open inGoogle Maps
The last leg. Nothing to do at the end of it but park.
Directions for the passenger, leg 59 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Gillett Road to the end 90 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into High Street 220 yards
3. 3
  Carry on into Brigstock Road 0.8 miles
4. 4
  Turn right into London Road 50 yards
5. 5
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Thornton Road 0.4 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
6. 6
  Turn right into Shamrock Road 210 yards
7. 7
  Turn left into Aurelia Road 0.3 miles
8. 8
  Turn right into Mitcham Road 0.4 miles
9. 9
  Turn left into Red House Road 120 yards
10. You are back at the test centre. Park where you started.

Stop only where it is safe and legal, and read the signs: a car park is somebody's, and a residential street has driveways and junctions to stay clear of.

Route 5 · Rosehill Roundabout → Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout → Lombard Roundabout

Rosehill, Thornton Heath Pond and Lombard

Three named junctions and eleven roundabouts, more than anything else here. Drive this one twice if exits and lane discipline are where the faults come from.

12.4 milesabout 68 min

Test centre1Stops

Send to my navigator on WhatsApp

Drive it in 5 legs

Each button opens one leg in Google Maps. A leg ends at a stop with something to practise, so do the leg, park, do the manoeuvre, then open the next.

Leg 1 · 2.2 milesTo Watermead Lane Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Right off Middleton Road, a quiet side road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards Middleton Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 15 steps
1. 1
  Start on Red House Road 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Croydon Road 1.2 miles
3. 3
  At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Carshalton Road 0.6 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn right into Goat Road 0.3 miles
5. 5
  Turn right into Watermead Lane 150 yards
6. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 2 · 3.3 milesTo Muchelney Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Left off Middleton Road, a quiet residential road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 28 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Watermead Lane to the end 150 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Middleton Road 0.5 miles
3. 3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Middleton Road 0.4 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn left into Bishopsford Road 0.4 miles
5. 5
  At Rosehill Roundabout, take the 5th exit onto St. Helier Avenue 0.4 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
6. 6
  Turn right into Middleton Road 0.7 miles
7. 7
  At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Middleton Road 0.6 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
8. 8
  Turn right into Muchelney Road 70 yards
9. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 3 · 3.3 milesTo Moys Close Open inGoogle Maps

Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out

Left off Mitcham Road, a quiet residential road
Keep it slow and look all round before every move. Finish facing back towards Mitcham Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 39 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Muchelney Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Middleton Road 0.6 miles
3. 3
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Middleton Road 0.5 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Carry on into Goat Road 0.3 miles
5. 5
  Turn left into Carshalton Road 0.6 miles
  
  Turn left through the short link road first.
6. 6
  At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Croydon Road 0.6 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
7. 7
  Turn left to stay on Croydon Road 0.6 miles
8. 8
  Carry on into Mitcham Road 170 yards
9. 9
  Turn left into Moys Close 70 yards
10. Stop here: Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out.
Leg 4 · 1.6 milesTo Lyndhurst Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road

Left off London Road, a quiet residential road
Use forward and reverse, as few moves as you need, and finish facing back towards London Road.
Directions for the passenger, leg 47 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Moys Close to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Mitcham Road 0.3 miles
3. 3
  Turn left into Aurelia Road 0.3 miles
4. 4
  Turn right into Shamrock Road 210 yards
5. 5
  Turn left into Thornton Road 0.4 miles
6. 6
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto London Road 320 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
7. 7
  Turn right into Lyndhurst Road 0.2 miles
8. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 5 · 2 milesBack to the test centre Open inGoogle Maps
The last leg. Nothing to do at the end of it but park.
Directions for the passenger, leg 55 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Lyndhurst Road to the end 0.2 miles
2. 2
  Turn left into London Road 320 yards
3. 3
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Thornton Road 0.7 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
4. 4
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
5. 5
  Turn left into Red House Road 120 yards
6. You are back at the test centre. Park where you started.

Stop only where it is safe and legal, and read the signs: a car park is somebody's, and a residential street has driveways and junctions to stay clear of.

Route 6 · Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout → Lombard Roundabout → Paxton Green Roundabout

The long way round by Gipsy Hill

Thornton Heath, Lombard and out to Paxton Green, which makes it longer than a real test. Worth driving once in the fortnight before the date, because tiredness is what turns a good drive into a careless fault.

12.0 milesabout 68 min

Test centre1Stops

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Drive it in 5 legs

Each button opens one leg in Google Maps. A leg ends at a stop with something to practise, so do the leg, park, do the manoeuvre, then open the next.

Leg 1 · 1 milesTo Lancing Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then move off again along Lancing Road

Right off Boston Road, a quiet residential road
Check all round before each move, and move off only when the road behind is clear.
Directions for the passenger, leg 15 steps
1. 1
  Start on Red House Road 120 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
3. 3
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Thornton Road 290 yards
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
4. 4
  Turn right into Boston Road 90 yards
5. 5
  Turn right into Lancing Road 70 yards
6. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then move off again along Lancing Road.
Leg 2 · 2.6 milesTo Dixon Road Open inGoogle Maps

Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out

Right off Whitehorse Lane, a quiet residential road
Keep it slow and look all round before every move. Finish facing back towards Whitehorse Lane.
Directions for the passenger, leg 27 steps
1. 1
  Check your mirrors and blind spot, then move off along Lancing Road 210 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into Canterbury Road 0.4 miles
3. 3
  Turn left into London Road 0.4 miles
4. 4
  Turn right into Brigstock Road 0.8 miles
5. 5
  Turn right into High Street 0.3 miles
6. 6
  Turn left into Whitehorse Lane 0.6 miles
7. 7
  Turn right into Dixon Road 70 yards
8. Stop here: Turn the car round in the road, then pull up on the left facing back out.
Leg 3 · 2.5 milesTo Alleyn Road Open inGoogle Maps

Pull up on the left, then parallel park behind a parked car

On the route, the residential stretch of Alleyn Road between Church Approach and South Croxted Road
Pick a gap at least a car and a half long, clear of driveways, and keep checking all round as you reverse in.
Directions for the passenger, leg 39 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Dixon Road to the end 70 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Whitehorse Lane 250 yards
3. 3
  Turn left into South Norwood Hill 0.5 miles
4. 4
  Turn right into Church Road 0.5 miles
5. 5
  Turn left into Westow Street 380 yards
6. 6
  Carry on into Gipsy Hill 0.6 miles
7. 7
  At Paxton Green Roundabout, take the 1st exit onto South Croxted Road 0.3 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
8. 8
  Turn right into Church Approach 110 yards
9. 9
  Turn right into Alleyn Road 180 yards
10. Stop here: Pull up on the left, then parallel park behind a parked car.
Leg 4 · 2.7 milesTo Egerton Road Open inGoogle Maps

Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road

Right off Whitehorse Lane, a quiet residential road
Check all round before each move, and finish facing back the way you came in, ready for the next leg.
Directions for the passenger, leg 49 steps
1. 1
  Check your mirrors and blind spot, then move off along Alleyn Road 270 yards
2. 2
  Turn left into South Croxted Road 80 yards
3. 3
  At Paxton Green Roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Gipsy Road 40 yards
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
4. 4
  Turn left into Gipsy Hill 0.6 miles
5. 5
  Turn left into Westow Hill 360 yards
6. 6
  Turn right into Church Road 0.8 miles
7. 7
  Turn left into South Norwood Hill 0.5 miles
8. 8
  Turn right into Whitehorse Lane 0.3 miles
9. 9
  Turn right into Egerton Road 160 yards
10. Stop here: Parallel park behind a parked car, then turn the car round in the road.
Leg 5 · 3.1 milesBack to the test centre Open inGoogle Maps
The last leg. Nothing to do at the end of it but park.
Directions for the passenger, leg 59 steps
1. 1
  Facing back the way you came in, drive along Egerton Road to the end 160 yards
2. 2
  Turn right into Whitehorse Lane 0.4 miles
3. 3
  Turn right into High Street 0.3 miles
4. 4
  Carry on into Brigstock Road 0.5 miles
5. 5
  Turn right into Colliers Water Lane 0.3 miles
6. 6
  Turn left into London Road 70 yards
7. 7
  At Thornton Heath Pond Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Thornton Road 0.7 miles
  No signal on the approach. Keep left unless the markings say otherwise, then signal left after the exit before yours.
8. 8
  At Lombard Roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Mitcham Road 0.7 miles
  Approach in the left lane and signal left.
9. 9
  Turn left into Red House Road 120 yards
10. You are back at the test centre. Park where you started.

Stop only where it is safe and legal, and read the signs: a car park is somebody's, and a residential street has driveways and junctions to stay clear of.

Before you drive it

Watch somebody else drive Mitcham first

Instructors film these roads constantly. Watch for the roads: which roundabout, which multi-lane approach, where the lanes split. Not for a sequence to memorise, because the sequence is the one thing that changes.

Find more Mitcham route videos

Opens a YouTube search for this centre. A video only goes on this page once somebody here has watched the whole thing.

Mitcham · free

Is your Mitcham test on the right date?

Practising for a date that is too far off, or one that comes before you are ready? A swap with a learner at Mitcham who wants the opposite moves both of you, and DVSA does it over the phone. DVSA's median wait from booking to test at Mitcham was 16.1 weeks in September 2026. Tell us which way you want to move and we email you when a learner who could swap with you joins. Your email is never shown to anyone.

One email to confirm, no password, and one click takes you off the list. How we handle your details.

No test booked yet? There is nothing to swap until you have one. Book on GOV.UK, then come back.

Where the roads come from

Every road, roundabout and car park named on this page comes from OpenStreetMap, used under the Open Database Licence. Trust the signs, not us.

Distances and times are calculated, not driven. The turns between the junctions are worked out by OSRM, an open source router running on that same map data. The times assume town-centre averages, so treat them as a rough guide.

Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it, or fix it in OpenStreetMap and it corrects itself everywhere.

Somewhere real to practise

Before you drive any of these

You drive. Somebody else reads.

Thornton Heath Pond and Lombard

Drive it in 4 legs

Rosehill and Thornton Heath Pond

Drive it in 5 legs

Lombard and Paxton Green

Drive it in 5 legs

Thornton Heath Pond and Paxton Green

Drive it in 5 legs

Rosehill, Thornton Heath Pond and Lombard

Drive it in 5 legs

The long way round by Gipsy Hill

Drive it in 5 legs

Watch somebody else drive Mitcham first

You are already on Driving Test Hero

Is your Mitcham test on the right date?

Where the roads come from