Swap your Southend-on-Sea driving test for an earlier date
The Tickfield Centre, Tickfield Industrial Estate, Tickfield Ave, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6LL
Southend-on-Sea driving test centre is a DVSA practical test centre in the East of England, on The Tickfield Centre.
As of July 2026 the median wait here is 7.5 weeks — 4.4 weeks shorter than the 11.9-week national median, making it one of the quicker centres to get a test at.
Its closest alternative is Basildon, 10.5 miles away.
Southend-on-Sea driving test waiting times, August 2025 to July 2026
Median weeks between booking and taking a driving test at Southend-on-Sea. Source: DVSA table DRT122F, published monthly. Latest month: July 2026.
| Month | Median wait | Still bookable |
|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 7.5 wks | 5.5% |
| June 2026 | 11 wks | 5.8% |
| May 2026 | 7.6 wks | 5.5% |
| April 2026 | 7.7 wks | 6.4% |
| March 2026 | 14.3 wks | 5.6% |
| February 2026 | 13.3 wks | 1.9% |
| January 2026 | 9.3 wks | 2.7% |
| December 2025 | 5.3 wks | 2.2% |
| November 2025 | 6.7 wks | 4.5% |
| October 2025 | 10 wks | 4.4% |
| September 2025 | 11.1 wks | 4.4% |
| August 2025 | 14.4 wks | 5.2% |
The 3 centres you can move this test to
Since 9 June 2026, DVSA only lets you move a car test to one of your 3 nearest test centres, or the centre you first booked at. If you are booked at Southend-on-Sea, these are those three — measured as straight-line distance from the centre itself.
Basildon is currently 2.7 weeks quicker than Southend-on-Sea. Moving a test there is allowed under the location rule, and it is one of the changes a learner-to-learner swap can achieve.
How to swap a driving test in Southend-on-Sea
Zwitch introduces the two learners and stops there — you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for anyone else to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf. Never give another learner your driving licence number or booking reference.
Getting to the centre
- Address
- The Tickfield Centre, Tickfield Industrial Estate, Tickfield Ave, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 6LL
- Postcode
- SS2 6LL
- Coordinates
- 51.54859, 0.70885
- Region
- East of England, England
- Parking
- Limited car parking space available
- Toilets
- Male and female toilets available
How Southend-on-Sea compares
- 62 of 311 centres on this site, counting up from the shortest wait.
- 3.5 weeks shorter than the East of England median of 11 weeks, across 24 centres. 5 centres in East of England currently wait less.
- DVSA made 3,388 tests available here in July 2026; 3,202 were booked — 186 went unused.
- The wait has moved 31.8% shorter across the months on record.
Questions about swapping a Southend-on-Sea test
- How long is the wait for a driving test at Southend-on-Sea?
- The median wait at Southend-on-Sea is 7.5 weeks as of July 2026, from DVSA's own figures, which makes it the 62nd shortest of the 311 centres on this site.
- Can I get an earlier driving test near Southend-on-Sea?
- Yes. Of the three centres you may legally move this test to, 2 are quicker — Basildon at 4.8 weeks (2.7 weeks sooner, 10.5 miles away), Tilbury at 7.1 weeks (0.4 weeks sooner, 16.4 miles away). You can also swap with another learner holding an earlier date at this centre.
- Can someone book a Southend-on-Sea driving test cancellation for me?
- No — not at Southend-on-Sea or anywhere else. Since 12 May 2026 it is against the law for a third party to change, cancel or swap a test on your behalf, which is why the 7.5-week wait here cannot be jumped by paying someone to watch for cancellations. Zwitch introduces two learners who each want the other's date; you complete the swap with DVSA yourselves.
- Which centres can I swap a Southend-on-Sea test to?
- DVSA allows a move to the centre you first booked at or one of the three nearest to it — for Southend-on-Sea those are Basildon (10.5 miles), Gillingham (14 miles), Tilbury (16.4 miles).
Where these numbers come from
- Waiting times and availability — DVSA table DRT122F: car driving test availability by driving test centre, published monthly on the second Wednesday. Latest month in this dataset: July 2026. "Median wait" is DVSA's own measure of the middle waiting time between booking and taking a test.
- Address, postcode, coordinates and facilities — the DVSA test centre list behind the GOV.UK find a driving test centre service.
- Distances — great-circle distance calculated from the published coordinates. Straight-line, not driving distance.
- Known limitation — the DVSA centre list lags the live GOV.UK finder, so a centre that has recently been renamed or split may appear here in its older form. Closed centres are excluded using DRT122F. Always confirm on GOV.UK before booking.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Zwitch is not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. Page data last updated 2026-08-18.