Near Tolworth Test Centre
Rated demanding from its real manoeuvre load, 10 roundabouts and 18 turns across 39 navigation steps.
This is an independent 13.5 km practice loop near Tolworth Test Centre, taking roughly 19 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 Malden Junction and Upper Brighton Road. 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 independent driving. 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 shops, stations, churches and parks, 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 Tolworth 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:
The full 39-step drive on real, named roads (about 13.4 km). An indicative practice loop, not an official DVSA route — the roads and junctions are real, the sequence is a rehearsal.
Drive north on Douglas Road.
Douglas Road165 m
Turn right onto Ewell Road/A240. Continue on A240.
A2401.0 km
Enter Tolworth Junction and take the 1st exit onto Tolworth Rise North.
Tolworth Junction9 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tolworth Rise North.
Tolworth Rise North340 m
Stay straight to take the ramp.
Tolworth Rise North77 m
Keep right to take A3/Tolworth Rise North.
A3708 m
Move left onto Elmbridge Avenue.
Elmbridge Avenue35 m
Move right onto Malden Way.
Malden Way612 m
Turn right.
35 m
Move left onto A3/Malden Way.
A3330 m
Take the Malden Junction exit onto A2043 towards New Malden/Worcester Park.
417 m
Enter Malden Junction and take the 4th exit.
Malden Junction197 m
Exit the roundabout onto A3.
A32.1 km
Take the exit.
Tolworth Rise South404 m
Enter Tolworth Junction and take the 2nd exit onto A240/Kingston Road.
Tolworth Junction43 m
Exit the roundabout onto A240/Kingston Road.
A240398 m
Turn left onto Old Kingston Road.
Old Kingston Road28 m
Make a sharp right to stay on Old Kingston Road.
Old Kingston Road43 m
Turn right onto A240/Kingston Road.
A240399 m
Enter Tolworth Junction and take the 2nd exit onto Tolworth Broadway/A240.
Tolworth Junction108 m
Exit the roundabout onto Tolworth Broadway/A240. Continue on A240.
A2401.3 km
Turn left onto Kingsdowne Road/A3210.
Kingsdowne Road11 m
Move right to stay on Kingsdowne Road/A3210.
Kingsdowne Road388 m
Enter the roundabout and take the 3rd exit onto Upper Brighton Road/A243.
32 m
Exit the roundabout onto Upper Brighton Road/A243.
Upper Brighton Road421 m
Turn left onto Lovelace Road.
Lovelace Road747 m
Turn right onto Saint Mary's Road.
Saint Mary's Road202 m
Turn left onto Fleece Road.
Fleece Road210 m
Turn left.
25 m
Turn right.
18 m
Turn left onto Fleece Road.
Fleece Road193 m
Turn left onto Ditton Hill Road.
Ditton Hill Road1.6 km
Move right onto Ditton Road.
Ditton Road16 m
Turn left onto Hook Road/A243. Continue on A243.
A24340 m
Turn right onto Ditton Road/B3364.
Ditton Road212 m
Turn right onto Cotterill Road.
Cotterill Road163 m
Turn left onto Dennan Road.
Dennan Road289 m
Turn left onto Douglas Road.
Douglas Road128 m
You have arrived at your destination.
Directions for the Tolworth Test Centre · Residential practice loop 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.
Expect busier traffic, pick-ups and pedestrians around these.
Watch for 20 mph zones, crossings and children near these.
Useful navigation anchors on the loop.
Pedestrian crossings and parked cars are common nearby.
Easy landmarks to navigate the loop by.
Frequent stop-start traffic and pedestrians, keep your speed down.
Local junctions
Take each junction on its merits, good observation, clear signalling and the right speed on approach. Rehearse the sequence so nothing surprises you on the day.
Navigate by these 20 catalogued landmarks rather than a memorised turn list, an indicative loop, not an official DVSA route.
Capelli Avanti Unisex Hair Salon
Start near Capelli Avanti Unisex Hair Salon.
Panels Plus
Continue to Panels Plus.
Tolworth / King Charles Road
Continue to Tolworth / King Charles Road.
William Hill
Continue to William Hill.
Our Lady Immaculate
Continue to Our Lady Immaculate.
Marks & Spencer
Continue to Marks & Spencer.
Hogsmill Wood Nature Reserve
Continue to Hogsmill Wood Nature Reserve.
Malden Junction
Continue to Malden Junction, taking the junction with good observation.
Tolworth
Continue to Tolworth.
Golden Thread
Continue to Golden Thread.
K9 Paws n Play
Continue to K9 Paws n Play.
Pets on the Parade
Continue to Pets on the Parade.
Royal Oak
Continue to Royal Oak.
St Matthew's
Continue to St Matthew's.
Upper Brighton Road
Continue to Upper Brighton Road, taking the junction with good observation.
Bathroom & Kitchen Eleven
Continue to Bathroom & Kitchen Eleven.
Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School
Continue to Long Ditton Infant and Nursery School.
Plough and Harrow
Continue to Plough and Harrow.
Shrewsbury House School
Continue to Shrewsbury House School.
Maypole
Finish back near Maypole, completing the loop.
34 roundabouts · 7 turns
12 roundabouts · 7 turns
16 roundabouts · 15 turns
8 roundabouts · 13 turns
This route is 13.5 km and takes about 19 min to drive at a steady learner pace. It is an independent practice loop near Tolworth Test Centre, not an official DVSA route.