Driving Test Nightmare? Instructor Warns Against One Essex Location

A driving instructor thinks Basildon is hard for tests. He calls people who pass there “legends.” Francis runs a channel called Driving School TV. He visits driving test centers across England, finding the best and worst places for learners.

Francis shares videos on social media platforms and has many TikTok followers and YouTube subscribers. He said Basildon tests are much harder, while another Essex test center is like “Lego Land.”

He was shocked by the number of roundabouts in Basildon, saying there’s not much time to relax during tests. Some routes have back-to-back roundabouts, then they go onto dual carriageways.

He asked why there were so many roundabouts, stating the difficulty level is very high. He described navigating two roundabouts followed by a slip road and wondered where he could take a breath, giving a “heart” to those passing in Basildon.

He thinks licenses should show where you passed, suggesting Basildon passers get a gold license and Loughton passers get a pink one. Loughton is, in his opinion, like the “Lego Land” test.

DVSA figures show 3,277 first attempts in Basildon for the year up to March 2024 with only 45.1 percent of people passing.

Basildon has Essex’s lowest first-time pass rate. Brentwood has the best rate at 51.2 percent, followed by Clacton-on-Sea with 51.1 percent. Eight centers exist in Essex overall.