Chingford driving test centre has a pass rate 39.9% overall and 38.3% in automatic cars. Find it in Chingford, north of Walthamstow (E4), nearest station Chingford (London Overground). Expect routes built around the A112 Chingford Mount Road, the A406 North Circular, Larkshall Road and Station Road, with hill starts on Kings Head Hill plus standard manoeuvres on quieter roads.
Taking your driving test at Chingford? Here's everything you need to know about the Chingford test centre (the routes, the roads, the pass rate and the faults that catch people out), plus how Wharf Driving School prepares you for all of it.
Chingford Test Centre: Quick Facts
Source: Driving test and theory test data: cars, gov.uk, table DRT122A for the overall rate and DRT122E for the automatic rate, sheet 2025-26. Figures cover April 2025 to March 2026, the most recent period DVSA publishes at test-centre level.
The Chingford Test Routes
A common route runs Station Road, Kings Road and Larkshall Road, over the roundabouts at Simmons Lane, then up the steep Friday Hill and Kings Head Hill, with manoeuvres around Hatch Lane and Richmond Road.
Routes commonly take in the A112 Chingford Mount Road, the A406 North Circular, Larkshall Road and Station Road, with the Chingford Mount Road (A112) junctions and the Larkshall Road corridor, Kings Head Hill's steep slope and roundabouts and Friday Hill where the road narrows.
Common Faults at Chingford
Stalling or rolling back on the steep gradients of Friday Hill and Kings Head Hill, and clipping the kerb on the tight, car-lined streets off Larkshall Road. We rehearse manoeuvres on the residential pockets around Hatch Lane, Richmond Road and the streets off Larkshall Road so nothing surprises you on the day, and we keep returning to the spots that catch people out until they feel routine.
On the Day at Chingford
The test itself is the same everywhere in Great Britain; only the roads change. Arrive about ten minutes early with your provisional licence, and in a car that is taxed, insured for the test and roadworthy. If you are taking your test in our car, all of that is our job rather than yours.
- An eyesight check first: you read a number plate from 20 metres. Get it wrong and the test stops there, so bring your glasses or lenses if you need them.
- One "tell me" question before you drive off and one "show me" question while you are driving.
- Around 35 minutes of driving, of which 20 to 35 minutes is independent driving, following either a sat nav or road signs.
- One manoeuvre from the four, set on the residential pockets around Hatch Lane, Richmond Road and the streets off Larkshall Road.
- Up to 15 driving faults and you still pass. One serious or dangerous fault and you do not, however well the rest went.
Getting There and Parking
The centre is in Chingford, north of Walthamstow (E4). Nearby residential roads. The nearest station is Chingford (London Overground), which matters more than it sounds: arriving flustered after a rushed journey is a poor way to start 40 minutes of assessed driving.
We collect you from home, work or college on test day and drive out together, so you arrive having already warmed up on the roads the examiner is about to take you on. The hour before a test is worth more than most hours of practice, and it is included rather than charged as an extra.
If It Does Not Go Your Way
Roughly half of all candidates do not pass first time, and at Chingford the figure is 39.9% overall and 38.3% in automatic cars. If it goes against you, the examiner gives you a fault sheet showing exactly what was marked and where. That sheet is the most useful teaching document you will ever get, and we go through it with you line by line rather than simply booking more hours.
You have to wait 10 working days before you can take another practical test. That gap is normally enough to fix what the sheet actually shows, which is usually one repeated habit rather than a general lack of skill.
Areas We Cover for the Chingford Test
We teach learners from across East London who test at Chingford:
Lessons and Courses for Chingford
Everything we teach is aimed at getting you through a test at Chingford, whichever route in you take:
Chingford Test Centre: FAQs
Where is the Chingford driving test centre?
It's in Chingford, north of Walthamstow (E4). The nearest station is Chingford (London Overground), and nearby residential roads.
What is the pass rate at Chingford?
The Chingford pass rate is 39.9% overall and 38.3% in automatic cars. Chingford is the hardest of the three centres we cover, and hill starts are the reason: the steep gradients cause more rolling-back faults here than anywhere else on these routes.
What roads are on the Chingford test routes?
Expect the A112 Chingford Mount Road, the A406 North Circular, Larkshall Road and Station Road, plus the Chingford Mount Road (A112) junctions and the Larkshall Road corridor, Kings Head Hill's steep slope and roundabouts and Friday Hill where the road narrows. Your instructor drives the full set with you beforehand.
What's the most common fault at Chingford?
The mark that costs Chingford candidates most often comes from stalling or rolling back on the steep gradients of Friday Hill and Kings Head Hill, and clipping the kerb on the tight, car-lined streets off Larkshall Road, so that is what we drill hardest, alongside manoeuvre practice on the residential pockets around Hatch Lane, Richmond Road and the streets off Larkshall Road.
Do you teach the Chingford test routes?
Yes. We run lessons on the Chingford routes every week and will rehearse them with you until they feel routine. We cover Hackney, Victoria Park, Leyton, Dalston, Clapton and Homerton and more.
Reviewed and updated August 2026 by the Wharf Driving School team.