Wanstead Driving Test Centre
- Tests conducted
- 8,258
- Male / female
- 46.1% / 41.7%
- Rank in GB
- 267 of 308
- GB average
- 50.0%
Insider Tips for Wanstead
Charlie Brown's Roundabout is where the A406, the A113 Chigwell Road and the A1400 Woodford Avenue meet. It is a 40mph, multi lane roundabout. Choose your lane from the signs on the approach and hold it all the way round.
Many routes use the George Lane one way loop around the A406 in South Woodford (George Lane, The Viaduct and Mulberry Way). Read the lane arrows early and keep to the one way flow.
The A406 North Circular runs at 50mph here. Build your speed on the slip road and join at the speed of the traffic, not below it.
Waterworks Roundabout, where Woodford New Road meets the A406, is 40mph with up to five lanes. Look well ahead and pick your lane before you arrive.
Most routes start in the streets between Hermon Hill and Chigwell Road (Ashbourne Avenue, Elmcroft Avenue, Cranbourne Avenue). Parts are 20mph with parked cars on both sides, so expect to give way and to be asked for a manoeuvre here.
Wanstead High Street has bus stop clearways and loading bays. If asked to pull up, keep driving until you find a legal, safe and convenient spot.
What Wanstead Test Routes Look Like
Wanstead routes stay mostly within Wanstead, Snaresbrook and South Woodford. A typical test leaves the centre on Hermon Hill (the A113), drives the quiet streets between Hermon Hill and Chigwell Road, then heads north to the George Lane one way loop around the A406 at South Woodford. From there most routes take in at least one big junction: Charlie Brown's Roundabout, the Waterworks Roundabout on the A406, or the A12 Eastern Avenue towards Gants Hill or Redbridge. The drive back usually comes through Snaresbrook on Hollybush Hill and down Wanstead High Street. Examiners choose the route on the day, so learn the roads rather than one fixed route.
Common Wanstead Test Routes
The most frequently used route patterns at Wanstead Driving Test Centre, drawn from instructor experience and student debriefs.
1. South Woodford and the George Lane Loop
The most common pattern. Leaves on Hermon Hill into the residential streets, crosses to George Lane and goes round the one way loop by the A406, then comes back through South Woodford and Snaresbrook to Wanstead High Street.
- Hermon Hill
- Ashbourne Avenue
- George Lane
- Woodford Road
- Hollybush Hill
- Wanstead High Street
- Lane choice in the George Lane one way loop
- Parked car pinch points in the residential streets
- Busy traffic light junctions on Hollybush Hill
2. Charlie Brown's via Gants Hill
Heads down Wanstead High Street onto the A12 Eastern Avenue, turns north up Beehive Lane to Woodford Avenue, and returns through Charlie Brown's Roundabout onto Chigwell Road and Hermon Hill.
- Wanstead High Street
- A12 Eastern Avenue
- Beehive Lane
- Woodford Avenue
- Charlie Brown's Roundabout
- Chigwell Road
- Joining and leaving the 40mph A12
- Lane discipline through Charlie Brown's Roundabout
- Speed changes between 40mph and 30mph roads
3. The North Circular and Waterworks
Goes through Snaresbrook to Woodford New Road, joins the A406 at the Waterworks Roundabout and runs east to Charlie Brown's before coming back down Chigwell Road. Some versions run the other way, joining the A406 from the George Lane loop.
- Hollybush Hill
- Snaresbrook Road
- Woodford New Road
- Waterworks Roundabout
- A406 North Circular
- Chigwell Road
- Merging onto the 50mph A406
- Choosing a lane on the multi lane Waterworks Roundabout
- Leaving the A406 and dropping back to 30mph
4. Redbridge and the Green Man
Goes out along Cambridge Park and Blake Hall Road into the 20mph streets around Overton Drive, then joins the A12 Eastern Avenue. It either heads east over the Redbridge Roundabout or west to the Green Man Roundabout, and returns up Hollybush Hill.
- Cambridge Park
- Blake Hall Road
- Overton Drive
- Redbridge Lane West
- A12 Eastern Avenue
- Green Man Roundabout
- Holding 20mph in the residential zone
- Joining the A12 from a side road
- Lane choice at the Redbridge and Green Man roundabouts
Common Faults at Wanstead
The mistakes we see most often on Wanstead routes, with the fix.
What to Expect at Wanstead
Test Centre Facilities
- On Hermon Hill, at the corner of Wellesley Road
- Short drive to South Woodford and Snaresbrook
- Good variety of road types
- Access to the A406 North Circular and A12
Areas Served by Wanstead
Students from these areas typically use Wanstead for their driving test:
Driving lessons in Leytonstone
Driving lessons in South Woodford
Driving lessons in Forest Gate
Postcodes Covered
Practice Near Wanstead
Our instructors know every route from this test centre. Get lessons focused on your actual test area.
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