Swindon Driving Test Centre: What to Expect

Swindon Driving Test Centre is at 1 Fenn Close, Peatmoor, Swindon, SN5 5BL, near Hillmead Industrial Estate. Here's what actually happens once you arrive.

Arrival and parking

Due to how busy the centre is, they've asked that your instructor or supervising driver be the one to drive the car into the test centre car park, rather than the learner. At the start of the test, the car needs to be reverse parked in the test centre car park. This is accurate as of 9 August 2026, but test centre arrangements can change, so it's worth checking with us or the centre directly before your test date.

Licence check and the eyesight test

The examiner will check your provisional licence, then take you outside for the eyesight check, reading a number plate from around 20 metres away. You get more than one attempt, but if you still can't read it, the test ends there and then.

Can your instructor come with you?

Yes, in two separate ways. The examiner will ask whether you'd like your accompanying driver, usually your instructor, to join you in the car for the test itself, and separately, whether you'd like them there at the end for the result and debrief. You can say yes to either, both, or neither.

The drive itself

Expect a genuine mix of road types from Swindon's test routes: town centre driving, quieter residential streets, and country roads heading out towards the surrounding villages. You won't be tested on the motorway, though it's still worth having had a motorway lesson at some point.

Manoeuvres

You'll be asked to carry out one of four manoeuvres: parallel parking, bay parking (either driving in and reversing out, or reversing in and driving out), or pulling up on the right and reversing about two car lengths before rejoining traffic. You won't know which one until the examiner asks. For the exact official detail, DVSA's own page covers it fully: What happens during your driving test (GOV.UK)