Near Coventry test centre
Rated challenging from its real manoeuvre load, 6 roundabouts, 14 turns and 6 signalled junctions across 26 navigation steps.
This is an independent 28.8 km practice loop near Coventry test centre, taking roughly 35 min to drive. It is NOT an official DVSA examiner route, the DVSA does not publish those, but it uses the same local roads and junction types an examiner is likely to choose.
Along the way you'll meet Blackhorse Road, Exhall Interchange and Rowleys Green Roundabout. Knowing the approach, lane and exit at each one before you arrive is the difference between a planned manoeuvre and a last-second reaction, and last-second reactions are where avoidable faults come from.
On this route you’ll practise multiple roundabouts, dual-carriageway joins, national-speed roads, changing speed limits, residential manoeuvres, busy a-roads, independent driving and sustained concentration. Driving it a few times before your test builds the muscle memory that frees up attention for observation and decision-making on the day.
The loop is anchored by 20 catalogued landmarks, including churches, shops, named junctions and pubs, so you can navigate it from recognisable features rather than a memorised turn list. Rehearsing it in this way means that on test day the area already feels familiar, and your attention is free for the traffic rather than the map.
Whatever the route, your practical test follows the same national shape: an eyesight check, a couple of vehicle-safety questions, around forty minutes of general driving, one reversing manoeuvre chosen by the examiner, and roughly twenty minutes of independent driving following signs or a sat-nav. Practising on roads like these is how you make each of those elements feel routine rather than new.
Treat this route as practice, not a script. The value is not in repeating one fixed sequence but in getting comfortable with the road types, speed changes and junction patterns of the area around Coventry test centre, so that whatever order your examiner chooses on the day, none of it is unfamiliar. Drive it a few times, focus on smooth observation and planning, and it becomes one more stretch of road you already know, which is exactly the kind of preparation that turns nerves into confidence.
If you are practising with a supervising driver rather than an instructor, take it steadily: agree the manoeuvre spots in advance, keep to a comfortable pace, and stop to talk through anything that felt rushed. And remember the basics that apply on every road, mirrors before any change of speed or direction, signals in good time, and a following distance that gives you room to react. Those habits travel with you long after the test is passed.
What you’ll actually do on this loop, counted from its turn-by-turn directions.
This route helps you practise:
Road mix
The full 53-step drive on real, named roads (about 28.8 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive northwest.
18 m
Turn left onto Bayton Road.
Bayton Road552 m
Turn right onto Coventry Road Exhall/B4113.
Coventry Road Exhall549 m
Turn left onto Hayes Lane.
Hayes Lane270 m
Turn left onto Windmill Road.
Windmill Road291 m
Turn left to stay on Windmill Road.
Windmill Road48 m
Turn right onto Exhall Green.
Exhall Green201 m
Turn left onto School Lane.
School Lane282 m
Turn right onto Coventry Road Exhall/B4113.
Coventry Road Exhall181 m
Turn left onto Blackhorse Road.
Blackhorse Road489 m
Move right onto Ironbridge Way.
Ironbridge Way505 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Blackhorse Road.
43 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blackhorse Road.
Blackhorse Road1.4 km
Turn right onto Longford Road/B4113. Continue on B4113.
B41131.1 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 4th exit onto Longford Road.
171 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longford Road.
Longford Road55 m
Move left onto Longford Road/B4113. Continue on B4113.
B4113505 m
Turn left onto School Lane.
School Lane282 m
Turn right onto Exhall Green.
Exhall Green201 m
Turn left onto Windmill Road.
Windmill Road48 m
Turn right to stay on Windmill Road.
Windmill Road291 m
Turn right onto Hayes Lane.
Hayes Lane270 m
Turn right onto Coventry Road Exhall/B4113.
Coventry Road Exhall1.1 km
Enter Longford Road and take the 1st exit onto Longford Road/B4113.
Longford Road12 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longford Road/B4113. Continue on B4113.
B41131.1 km
Turn left onto Oakmoor Road.
Oakmoor Road1.4 km
Enter the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto Ironbridge Way.
25 m
Exit the roundabout onto Ironbridge Way.
Ironbridge Way506 m
Turn right onto Blackhorse Road.
Blackhorse Road432 m
Turn right to stay on Blackhorse Road.
Blackhorse Road225 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 1st exit onto Blackhorse Road.
24 m
Exit the roundabout onto Blackhorse Road.
Blackhorse Road1.4 km
Turn right onto Longford Road/B4113. Continue on B4113.
B4113575 m
Turn left onto Oban Road.
Oban Road253 m
Turn right onto Sydnall Road.
Sydnall Road254 m
Turn right onto Wilsons Lane.
Wilsons Lane695 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Longford Road.
85 m
Exit the roundabout onto Longford Road.
Longford Road55 m
Move left onto Longford Road/B4113. Continue on B4113.
B41132.1 km
Turn left onto Park Road.
Park Road499 m
Turn left onto Newtown Road.
Newtown Road337 m
Turn right onto Newdegate Road.
Newdegate Road825 m
Turn left onto Sutherland Drive.
Sutherland Drive228 m
Move left onto A444/Bedworth Bypass.
A4442.7 km
Enter Exhall Interchange and take the 3rd exit onto A444/Phoenix Way.
Exhall Interchange278 m
Exit the roundabout onto A444/Phoenix Way.
A4441.5 km
Enter Rowleys Green Roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Winding House Lane.
Rowleys Green Roundabout171 m
Exit the roundabout onto Winding House Lane.
Winding House Lane781 m
Turn right onto Wheelwright Lane.
Wheelwright Lane881 m
Turn right onto St Giles Road.
St Giles Road663 m
Turn right onto Church Lane.
Church Lane527 m
Turn right onto School Lane.
School Lane1.4 km
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Coventry · Route 18 loop. Always drive to the road and conditions you see, not the list — signs, signals and other traffic take priority.
These are the real named features along the loop, straight from our route catalogue. Use them to recognise where you are and to anticipate the hazard each one brings, not to memorise a fixed order.
Decide your lane and exit on the approach to each of these, get set up early.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Multiple roundabouts
Watch your lane discipline and signalling at Rowleys Green Roundabout. Get into the correct lane early and check your exit mirror before leaving.
Dual-carriageway join
About 4.2 km of this loop is dual carriageway. Build your speed on the slip road, take an effective rearward observation, and merge without forcing other traffic to brake.
Changing speed limits
Limits change across this route (30, 50, 60, 70 mph). Watch for repeater signs and adjust early, examiners mark you down for carrying the wrong speed into a new limit.
Residential streets
Narrow residential roads mean parked cars, pedestrians and reduced visibility. Cover the brake, keep your speed down and be ready to give way.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Gurdwara Dhan Dhan Baba Vadbhag Singh Ji
Start near Gurdwara Dhan Dhan Baba Vadbhag Singh Ji.
Gurdwara Dukh Nirwaran Sahib
Continue to Gurdwara Dukh Nirwaran Sahib.
Vogue Bridal
Continue to Vogue Bridal.
Blackhorse Road
Continue to Blackhorse Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Costcutter
Continue to Costcutter.
Longford Engine
Continue to Longford Engine.
St. Thomas
Continue to St. Thomas.
Ashcroft School
Continue to Ashcroft School.
Coach & Horses
Continue to Coach & Horses.
Wavelength Unisex Hair Salon
Continue to Wavelength Unisex Hair Salon.
Boat Inn
Continue to Boat Inn.
Union Place Baptist Church
Continue to Union Place Baptist Church.
Black Bank
Continue to Black Bank.
Cake Shop
Continue to Cake Shop.
Zion Baptist Church
Continue to Zion Baptist Church.
B&P Convenience
Continue to B&P Convenience.
Exhall Interchange
Continue to Exhall Interchange, taking the junction with good observation.
Rowleys Green Roundabout
Continue to Rowleys Green Roundabout, taking the junction with good observation.
Bull & Anchor
Continue to Bull & Anchor.
Bayton Vehicle Services
Finish back near Bayton Vehicle Services, completing the loop.
11 roundabouts · 12 turns · 3 sets of lights
8 roundabouts · 15 turns · 6 sets of lights
9 roundabouts · 14 turns · 3 sets of lights
6 roundabouts · 19 turns · 6 sets of lights
This route is 28.8 km and takes about 35 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Coventry test centre, not an official DVSA route.