Tilbury driving test centre
The pass rate, how long you'll wait for a test, and the other centres nearby.
Tilbury's pass rate has been above Britain's pass rate for the last three years, after mostly being below it before then.
Quick answers
- Where is it? Montana House, Russell Road, Tilbury, RM18 7AE. Directions
- What's the pass rate? 50% overall (manual 54%, automatic 46%), compared with the 50% national average.
- How long is the wait? If you book now, expect about 1 month. Check gov.uk for the real earliest date.
- Is it hard to pass? About average: it's around the middle of Britain's 276 bigger test centres.
- What's nearby? Basildon is the closest, 18 minutes away. Its pass rate is 49% and its typical wait about 1 month.
Waiting times
Over the last 12 months, the typical wait here averaged about 1½ months, about the same as in the 12 months before.
Before the pandemic, from May 2019 to February 2020, the typical wait here was about the same.
| Year | Tilbury | Great Britain |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1½ months | 1½ months |
| 2020 | 2½ months | 2½ months |
| 2021 | 6 months | 4 months |
| 2022 | 4 months | 2½ months |
| 2023 | 3½ months | 2½ months |
| 2024 | 1½ months | 2 months |
| 2025 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
| 2026 | 1½ months | 2½ months |
2019 starts in May and 2026 runs to September.
See how waits have changed across Britain in our report on driving test waiting times.
Other test centres nearby
There are four other centres within half an hour's drive. Of those, Basildon has the shortest wait, about 1 month, and Sidcup the highest pass rate, 59%.
| Test centre | Driving time | Pass rate | Typical wait | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| Basildon 14 miles by road | 18 minutes | 49.1% | 51.1% | 45.2% | 1 month |
| Brentwood (London) 16 miles by road | 23 minutes | 48.5% | 49.8% | 46.1% | 1 month |
| Hornchurch (London) 17 miles by road | 24 minutes | 46.3% | 48.3% | 43.4% | 5 months |
| Sidcup (London) 21 miles by road | 28 minutes | 58.7% | 60.6% | 56.7% | 5½ months |
Driving times are without traffic.
Pass rate over the years
In the 12 months to March 2026, Tilbury's pass rate was 50%, the same as across Great Britain.
The automatic pass rate here was lower than manual, as it is almost everywhere: 46%, compared with 54%. That gap is about the same as at most centres. Its automatic pass rate is around the middle of the 267 centres that ran 100 or more automatic tests. 42% of tests here were in automatic cars, compared with 29% across Great Britain.
Men had a higher pass rate than women here: 51%, compared with 50%. That's a similar gap to Great Britain's, where men's pass rate was 51% and women's 49%.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Place | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Manual | Automatic | |||
| 2025 to 2026 | 5,083 | 50.4% | 53.5% | 46.0% | 163rd of 276 |
| 2024 to 2025 | 4,185 | 49.1% | 52.1% | 44.4% | 153rd of 275 |
| 2023 to 2024 | 4,350 | 51.1% | 53.2% | 47.6% | 102nd of 277 |
| 2022 to 2023 | 3,698 | 42.8% | 44.1% | 40.4% | 227th of 271 |
| 2021 to 2022 | 3,717 | 44.8% | 45.7% | 42.1% | 222nd of 280 |
Each year runs from April to March.
Compare every centre in our report on driving test pass rates.
Before your test
In the weeks before your test, ask your instructor to take you round the roads near the centre, and practise the faults learners make most often. If you're still looking for an instructor, see who teaches in Grays.
Frequently asked questions
What's the pass rate for automatic cars at Tilbury?
46% in the 12 months to March 2026, compared with Britain's automatic pass rate of 45%.
How can I get a test sooner at Tilbury?
Check gov.uk often: tests other people cancel come back up there.
How busy is Tilbury test centre?
It ran 5,083 car tests in the 12 months to March 2026. That's around the middle for Britain's test centres.
Can I move my test from Tilbury to another centre?
Yes. You can move it to any centre with a free date, on gov.uk. Before you do, check your instructor can take you there, and bear in mind it's harder to pass on roads you don't know. The closest other centre is Basildon, about 18 minutes away by road.
Figures from DVSA: pass rates for the 12 months to March 2026, waits for September 2026, published 14 October 2026. Driving times by road, from OpenRouteService. How we worked these out.