INTENSIVE DRIVING COURSE CHATHAM
ENTER A FULL UK POSTCODE
- DVSA-licensed
- Manual or automatic
- £250 deposit
- Secure Stripe payment
Intensive driving course Chatham
prices
In Chatham, £48 an hour applies from 10 to 40 hours, and 45 hours drops to about £45.33 an hour. The ladder runs from 10 hours (£480) to 45 hours (£2,040); a £250 deposit reserves it, and paying upfront knocks £50 off.
Course prices and DVSA test fees
Budget for DVSA fees on top of tuition. GOV.UK driving test costs lists the car practical test at £62 for a weekday slot and £75 for an evening, weekend or bank holiday slot; that money is paid to the DVSA directly. The theory test must be passed first.
| Course length | Total price | Price per hour | Deposit to reserve |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 hours | £480 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 15 hours | £720 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 20 hours | £960 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 25 hours | £1,200 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 30 hours | £1,440 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 35 hours | £1,680 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 40 hours | £1,920 | £48.00/hr | £250 |
| 45 hours | £2,040 | £45.33/hr | £250 |
| Fee | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Theory test | Listed on GOV.UK | DVSA, booked on GOV.UK |
| Practical, Monday to Friday daytime | £62 | DVSA, booked on GOV.UK |
| Practical, evenings, weekends, bank holidays | £75 | DVSA, booked on GOV.UK |
Intensive course options
in Chatham
Two choices shape a Chatham intensive course: gearbox and hours. Complete novices begin at 30 hours, while anyone with earlier lessons can often get to test standard with 10 to 20.
Manual: covers both
Learning in a manual car takes longer at first, yet the licence then covers both transmissions. Manual candidates there passed 59.4% of 8,902 tests (DVSA 2025/26).
No clutch to learn
Automatic cars remove stalling and gear selection, so lessons spend the saved time on observation and lane discipline. The hourly rate is identical. At Gillingham, automatic candidates passed 51.9% of 5,984 tests (DVSA 2025/26).
Never driven before?
For someone who has never driven, 30 hours (£1,440) is the usual opening booking. Progress is assessed during the course and extra hours can be bought if needed.
Polishing before test day
If a test date is already fixed, 10, 15 or 20 hours (£480, £720 or £960) can target the specific faults holding you back near Gillingham.
How booking an intensive course works
- STEP 1
Look at test dates first
Enter a full postcode so we can confirm instructor coverage before you pay anything.
- STEP 2
Pick a course
A £250 Stripe deposit holds the course; the balance is due later, or pay now and save £50.
- STEP 3
Pay £250 to reserve
Sessions run back to back, which keeps skills fresh between lessons.
- STEP 4
Learn intensively
Find and book a slot on GOV.UK test booking; DVSA sets the availability, not us.
Prefer weekly lessons?
If an intensive course does not fit, see Chatham driving lessons for weekly lessons with the same independent instructors.
Chatham test centre
pass rates (2025/26)
Across 14,886 car tests in DVSA 2025/26 data, Gillingham Driving Test Centre recorded a pass rate of 56.4%. Learners from Chatham can also test at Maidstone and Sevenoaks.
Gillingham Driving Test Centre · 14,886 tests conducted · DVSA 2025/26
Source: GOV.UK DVSA driving test statistics (DRT tables). Find centre addresses with the GOV.UK test centre finder.
Nearby practical test centres compared
These are historic centre results from the DVSA tables and say nothing certain about any single candidate. Automatic tests at Gillingham passed at 51.9% from 5,984, against 59.4% for manual from 8,902 (DVSA 2025/26).
| Test centre | Address | Pass rate 2025/26 | Tests conducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gillingham Driving Test Centre | Unit 1, Astra Park, Courteney Road, Gillingham, ME8 0EZ | 56.4% | 14,886 |
| Maidstone | Unit 1 North Court, South Park Business Village, Armstrong Road, Maidstone, ME15 6JZ | 60.2% | 8,053 |
| Sevenoaks | 45 Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, TN13 1HJ | 59.0% | 6,740 |
| Sidcup | 2 Crayside, Five Arches Business Estate, Maidstone Road, Sidcup, DA14 5AG | 58.7% | 14,318 |
| Erith | Crabtree, Manor Way North, Erith, DA17 6LJ | 51.6% | 5,809 |
Chatham areas
and test centres
Intensive courses in Chatham finish at a nearby DVSA practical centre, such as those in the ME15, ME8, TN13 postcode districts. Enter your postcode to check instructor availability near you in Chatham before you reserve with a £250 deposit.
- Gillingham test centre (ME8 0EZ): about 2.5 miles south-east of the town centre, in the Rainham South West ward of Medway (Gillingham and Rainham constituency).
- Maidstone test centre (ME15 6JZ): about 8.2 miles south of the town centre, in the Tovil ward of Maidstone (Maidstone and Malling constituency).
- Sevenoaks test centre (TN13 1HJ): about 16.4 miles south-west of the town centre, in the Sevenoaks Town and St John's ward of Sevenoaks (Sevenoaks constituency).
- Theory test centre, 14-16 High Street, Kent (ME4 4EP): about 0.5 miles north-west of the town centre, in the Fort Pitt ward of Medway (Rochester and Strood constituency).
Centre addresses from GOV.UK. Wards, districts and positions from the ONS Postcode Directory. Distances are straight-line from the town reference point and rounded.
Chatham roads
and roundabouts
Because Chatham lessons run on back-to-back days, there is time to progress from residential roads to the busiest parts of town within one course. The test centre sits about 2.5 miles south-east of the town reference point, in the Rainham South West ward.
Pickups run from home addresses across the ME1, ME7, ME5 and ME2 postcode districts, so the first hours can use streets in wards such as Rochester West & Borstal, Chatham Central & Brompton, Gillingham North, Watling, Wayfield & Weeds Wood, Rochester East & Warren Wood, St Mary's Island and Strood Rural. That ground sits in Medway, within the Rochester and Strood constituency, and routes then widen toward the Gillingham test centre about 2.5 miles south-east. By postcode sector: Rochester West & Borstal takes in sectors ME1 1 and ME1 3. Chatham Central & Brompton takes in sectors ME4 3, ME4 4, ME4 5, ME4 9 and ME5 8. Gillingham North takes in sectors ME7 1 and ME7 2. Watling takes in sectors ME5 7 and ME7 3. Wayfield & Weeds Wood takes in sector ME5 0. Rochester East & Warren Wood takes in sectors ME1 2 and ME1 3. St Mary's Island takes in sectors ME4 3 and ME4 4. Strood Rural takes in sector ME2 4. Parishes on the edge of the patch include Frindsbury Extra. Ward and district names: ONS via postcodes.io.
Controls and checks
Pulling away, steering, stopping smoothly and checking mirrors, all on calm side-road routes.
Junction work
Emerging, turning right across traffic and reading signals in central Chatham.
Speed and planning
Merging, overtaking awareness and keeping safe gaps on the main routes out of town.
Mock tests
Timed mock tests from Gillingham with sat-nav or sign-following independent driving.
Theory test centres for Chatham learners
The practical test cannot be booked until the theory test is passed. The nearest listed centre is the Chatham Theory Test Centre, 14-16 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4EP. Dates and other locations are on the GOV.UK theory centre finder, and booking is through GOV.UK theory test booking.
Rated Driving
reviews
Learners across the UK give Rated Driving 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Rated Driving scores 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Intensive driving course Chatham
questions
What learners in Chatham ask before booking, answered with the official figures.
Each Chatham course length follows one ladder: £480 (10 hours) rising in five-hour steps to £2,040 (45 hours), £48 an hour up to 40 hours and about £45.33 an hour at 45 hours. You can reserve for £250 or pay in full to save £50. DVSA charges its test fees separately.
In 2025/26 Gillingham Driving Test Centre, about 2.5 miles from Chatham, conducted 14,886 car tests with a 56.4% pass rate (DVSA statistics on GOV.UK). Those are past centre results only, not a prediction for you.
In Chatham, Gillingham Driving Test Centre at Unit 1, Astra Park, Courteney Road, Gillingham, ME8 0EZ is the usual choice. Nearby alternatives in the same 2025/26 DVSA data are Maidstone (60.2%) and Sevenoaks (59.0%). Slot availability on GOV.UK often decides.
The Chatham Theory Test Centre is at 14-16 High Street, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4EP. Search GOV.UK by postcode for Chatham options; the practical can only be booked after a theory pass, often 4 to 12 weeks later.
It comes down to time for Chatham learners. Intensive suits a clear week or two; weekly suits a regular diary. See our Chatham driving lessons page for weekly lessons. For Chatham learners, the Gillingham practical centre is about 2.5 miles south-east of the town reference point (GOV.UK address, ONS position).
You can in Chatham. Automatic and manual cost the same from £480; only a manual pass lets you drive both types of car. Book either transmission when you reserve with a £250 deposit.
Use GOV.UK after your Chatham intensive. Check dates at Gillingham first, since DVSA availability at any centre is never guaranteed and waits of 4 to 12 weeks are common. Home pickups in Chatham cover the ME1, ME7 and ME5 postcode districts, so lessons can start from your own street.
Yes. Book 30 hours (£1,440) to begin in Chatham; extra hours are optional if you need them before a test, and your instructor will say when you are ready to book.
No instructor match for your Chatham postcode within 14 business days means your money, including the £250 deposit, comes back in full. The Chatham ladder runs from 10 hours at £480 to 45 hours at £2,040, all at the same hourly rate up to 40 hours.
No, it is a platform for Chatham. Lessons come from independent DVSA-licensed instructors, and Stripe handles payment from the £250 deposit with refunds set out in our learner terms. Ward names on this Chatham page, such as Rochester West & Borstal and Chatham Central & Brompton, come from ONS data via postcodes.io and cover roughly 2 miles around the town.
More intensive
course towns
Also available: intensive driving courses in Gillingham and intensive driving courses in Rochester. Each town with lessons is listed on the intensive driving course hub.
Type your postcode to see if an instructor covers you, then hold the course for £250.
Weekly driving lessons in Chatham
An intensive course is not the only route. If you would rather spread your learning across weeks, we cover Chatham for weekly lessons too.
