Portsmouth Life in the UK Test Centre

Car

The testing site in Portsmouth is on Clarendon Road, which is in the Southsea neighbourhood of the city. Because Portsmouth is pretty far away, there aren’t many important roads that go straight there. But if you come from the north, the M275 highway is a good way to get to the city.

Parking

On-street parking is accessible on Eastern Villas Road, which is close by, but you might not be able to find a spot on the day of your choice.

Pyramids Car Park, which is about 650 m south-west of the test centre, is the only other semi-convenient parking spot. The price of a £3.10 parking ticket covers you for two hours, which is more than enough time to get to Clarendon Road, take your test, and safely return to your car. Head east on Clarence Esplanade, then turn left and go north up Burgoyne Road to get to the test site. Turn right onto Clarendon Road at the roundabout, and keep going until you reach the venue.

On the appropriate Parkopedia page you can find more “local” parking choices. However, please be aware that these remaining options will save you a long trip to the test site.

Bus

Near the test centre, there are a lot of bus lines that run. Should you choose to use Portsmouth’s local bus system, we suggest that you try to get off at one of the following stops:

On Clarendon Road, on The Strand, and at South Parade Pier. All of these places are only a six-minute walk from where the tests are being given.

If you want to plan your own trip, click on this page and scroll down until you see “bus lines.”

Train

Many train stops are in Portsmouth, but Portsmouth & Southsea handles the most people and the widest range of services. Please keep in mind that Fratton station is a little closer to Clarendon Road and has the same travel time to the test centre. If your train comes into this stop, please click on this link to find out how to get to the event.

There is more than 2.5 km between Portsmouth & Southsea station and the test centre. To get to Clarendon Road, we suggest taking a local bus instead of walking. Please go to the City Shops South bus stop, which is about 100 m north of the train station and right next to Sainsbury’s Local. Take the 23 (Southsea train) to get to The Strand. The test site is only a two-minute walk from this stop. It takes about nineteen minutes to complete the trip.

Go to the Southern Railway website to see live departures and arrivals, as well as details on station facilities and how to get there.