It has the lowest first-time pass rate out of all of Essex driving test centres so if you did pass there you must be an incredible driver
Matt Lee Senior Multimedia Journalist
09:00, 04 Jan 2026
Avoid taking your driving test in this one part of Essex(Image: PA)
A driving instructor has dubbed Basildon a “nightmare” location for driving tests, claiming that those who pass there are “legends.” Francis, who runs Driving School TV, has been visiting test centres across England to find the best and worst locations for learners.
Francis shares videos on social media to almost 300,000 followers on TikTok and 100,000 subscribers on YouTube. The experienced instructor claimed that driving tests in Basildon are far more difficult than what he is used to, while also nicknaming one in Essex as a “Lego Land test”.
He was particularly shocked by the number of roundabouts in the south Essex town. He also said there were very few chances for those taking their tests to breathe, pointing out that on some routes, there are back-to-back roundabouts before heading onto dual carriageways.
“Come on, how are there so many roundabouts in such a small area,” he said on TikTok. “Basildon, what are you doing? I’m a minute into the test and at 50mph. If you’re an instructor in Basildon, you’re having a nightmare. What the hell? Dual carriageway slip road? This place is ridiculous. It’s bosh after bosh after bosh.
“The difficulty level here is insane. I had to do two roundabouts in a row, followed by a slip road. Where’s my chance to breathe? Where do I take a breath? Listen, I don’t know anybody from Basildon. If you’re from Basildon, give me the tea – spill it all over my comments section. If you passed in Basildon, you get an instant heart comment because you are a driving legend.
“On your driving licence, it should say where you passed, and anybody who says Basildon gets a gold one, and if you pass in somewhere like Loughton, you get a pink one as you’ve taken the Lego Land test.”
Official Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) figures show there 3,277 first driving test attempts at Basildon in the year to March 2024. Of these, just 45.1 per cent of them passed.
That’s the lowest first-time pass percentage rate of the centres in Essex – Basildon, Brentwood, Chelmsford, Clacton-on-Sea, Colchester, Loughton, Southend-on-Sea and Tilbury – with the best pass rate at Brentwood (51.2%) and followed by Clacton-on-Sea (51.1%).