Southampton (Forest Hills)

This practical driving test centre is now permanently closed. The nearest alternative is Southampton (Maybush).

Learners in the Southampton area are spoilt for choice, with two test centres on offer. If you’re heading to Forest Hills test centre, you’ll find it on Forest Hills Drive in close vicinity to the River Itchen and the M27. If you want to give yourself the best chance possible, we’d advise you actually get to know the test centre, not to mention the actual process of the practical. You’ll find this information—along with directionspass rates and test routes—in the guide below!


Address

Forest Hills Drive Southampton Hampshire SO18 2FY

Tests Offered at Southampton (Forest Hills)

  • Car
  • ADI part 3

Parking

There are parking spaces available

Toilets

Male and female toilets are available

Disabled Access

You can get into the test centre in a wheelchair

Phone Number

0238 0558544

Check the book your driving test service for availability.

How To Get There

If you’re situated near the centre of Southampton, you can reach the test centre via the A335 or A3024. Don’t panic if you’re not so centrally located: Forest Hills test centre is in close proximity to roads like the M27 and A27, so it’s easy enough to reach. If you’re scoping things out at Forest Hills test centre for the first time, it might make things easier if you use these directions with your sat nav.

A Bit More About Forest Hills

As you’d expect, your driving test won’t be easy. The driving examiner will take you through as many road types and conditions as possible in order to truly test whether you’re ready to drive unsupervised. You’ll move through busy A roads like the A27 towards residential areas. You might even pass the University of Southampton Highfield Campus, in which case you’ll want to keep an eye out for pedestrians.

If you’re looking for more general information about Southampton, read up on the resources below.

Forest Hills Test Route

Though test centres no longer publish test routes for learner drivers, that doesn’t mean you have to go into your practical completely unprepared. You can make a few educated guesses as to which roads will crop up by watching videos of Forest Hills test routes on YouTube or by downloading our sample Forest Hills driving test routes. Still feeling nervous? If you’re learning with a local ADI, you’ll be practising on the very same roads that will feature on your test. In fact, you’ll probably recognise most of the route during your test!

Forest Hills Test Pass Rates

If you’ve been learning to drive for a while now, you’ve probably heard all about how your best friend or sibling passed on their first attempt—with zero minors! Being surrounded by qualified drivers can push you to wonder exactly what your chances are of passing the practical. Well, for those in the UK, the average pass rate stands at 45.9%. As you’re taking your test at Forest Hills, you’re probably more interested in finding out how learners fare there. You’re in luck—we’ve compiled pass rates from the last five years below…

2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 2018-19 2019-20
45.8% 48.3% 46.2% 47.6% 47.3%

Though pass rates at Forest Hills aren’t much to brag about, they’re also not the worst out there. Instead of spending all of your time measuring yourself up to other learners or qualified drivers, we’d suggest putting all of your energy into your lessons. Brush up on your bad habits and try to pay attention to your instructor’s tips—it will pay off tenfold when you take your driving test, trust us!

What If I Can’t Go To Forest Hills?

If you’re on the lookout for a different test centre to Forest Hills in the Hampshire area, you’re in luck—you’ve got more than enough test centres to choose between. Your closest alternatives are Southampton Maybush and Winchester.

What To Expect On The Day

Unsurprisingly, the driving test is a source of terror for most learner drivers. Of course, when you dispel some of the mystery and actually get to know what takes place in the practical, it suddenly seems completely doable—which is exactly why we include this section in all of our essential test centre guides.

Before you head out for your driving test, don’t let nerves get in the way of you remembering to bring your provisional. Try and aim to get to Forest Hills test centre 10 minutes before your test is due to start. You’ll meet your examiner in the waiting room there. Your driving test will then consist of:

  • An eyesight test, where you’ll need to read a number plate from a distance of 20 metres
  • Two “show me, tell me” questions covering vehicle safety and maintenance
  • Twenty minutes of general driving, where you’ll be guided by the examiner, and will also need to perform one of the following manoeuvres:
  • Twenty minutes of independent driving, during which you’ll either follow sat nav directions or sign posts to reach a set destination

Your driving test will officially finish once you’ve parked back up at Forest Hills test centre—so you can finally relax your shoulders and give yourself a pat on the back. If you’re a pretty impatient person, you’ll be pleased to hear that you’ll only need to wait a few minutes to get your result. Regardless of the outcome, the examiner will hand you a feedback sheet or send you one via the driving test app.

But What If I Fail?

Failing the driving test can be a huge blow to your driving confidence, it’s true. What’s also true is that you’ll get over it. It’s a common occurrence for learners across the UK, as your instructor will undoubtedly tell you. Instead of spending your time complaining about the result, you should dedicate time to improving your driving. If you picked up multiple faults in a certain area, for example, then ask your instructor for a few more lessons.

If the thought of waiting months for your next test has you groaning in despair, we’ve got the perfect answer: a fast-track practical test! Yep, that’s right. PassMeFast can find you an ideal test date weeks or even months earlier than standard waiting times. Simply give us a call on 0333 123 4949 or contact us online to get booked in.

Improve Your Chances With PassMeFast

If you’re looking to pass your driving test in Southampton, you’ll be pleased to hear that PassMeFast covers your area. If you book a course with us, we’ll match you with one of our local instructors who will help you get accustomed to driving around Southampton—not to mention helping you to become a safe and confident driver. It doesn’t matter if you want to learn intensively or semi-intensively, in manual or automatic, you’re in charge of designing your PassMeFast course.

To get your booking underway today, check out our course prices page for our crash course packages. If you already know what you want, book online or give us a call on 0333 123 4949.