20 minute sat nav driving test: drills for Essex & Suffolk learners

20 minute Sat Nav driving test: drills for Essex & Suffolk learners

Yes, examiners use a sat nav for the independent driving part of most UK practical tests. The duration of the independent drive is solely at the examiner's discretion, it can be anything from 15 minutes to the whole duration of your test. The examiner sets it up and programmes it, meaning you never touch the screen yourself. Missing a turn is not a fault on its own; how you react to it is what the examiner marks.

Table of Contents

• What happens during the sat nav driving test section
• Who controls the sat nav, and what the rules say
• How the sat nav section is marked and where candidates lose marks
• How to practise the sat nav section before test day
• How Costello's Driving School prepares you for the sat nav section
• Ready to practise the sat nav section with an instructor
• Sources
• FAQ

What happens during the sat nav driving test section

The independent driving section sits in the middle of your test, sandwiched between manoeuvres and general driving. It runs for about 20 minutes and asks you to follow directions with minimal input from the examiner, which mirrors how you'd navigate on a normal journey rather than obey turn-by-turn commands from an instructor sat beside you.

The examiner's sat nav gives spoken directions and shows the route on screen, much like any consumer device would. You're allowed to glance at it, but the expectation is that you listen more than you look. Before the section starts, the examiner briefs you clearly, telling you to follow the directions unless they conflict with a road sign or feel unsafe, in which case the road takes priority every time.

Around four in five tests now use a sat nav for this section, with the remainder asking candidates to follow traffic signs instead. Either way, the skill being tested is the same.

A few practical points worth knowing before test day include that you can ask the examiner to repeat an instruction if you didn't catch it.

• Volume and clarity are the examiner's responsibility to sort out beforehand.
• The screen doesn't need to be looked at constantly. Treat it like background information.
• If you're following signs instead of a sat nav, the examiner will tell you at the start.

Who controls the sat nav, and what the rules say

You cannot bring your own device. The examiner supplies, sets up, and programmes the sat nav before your test begins, and you're not expected to enter destinations or touch it once the independent section starts, according to official DVSA guidance.

That responsibility is spelled out in detail in examiner guidance known as DT1, which instructs examiners to preload routes, carry the necessary equipment, and brief candidates clearly before pulling away. The same guidance covers reasonable adjustments, so if you've declared a condition such as dyslexia or dyspraxia that affects how you process spoken or visual instructions, the examiner can choose the method (sat nav or signs) that suits you best.

A few rules worth locking in before your test:

• Road signs and markings always override a sat nav instruction if the two disagree.
• If the device tries to send you somewhere unsafe or illegal, the examiner will step in.
• You won't be penalised for asking, "Can you repeat that, please?"
• Declared needs can change which independent method the examiner uses, not whether you're tested on it at all.

How the sat nav section is marked and where candidates lose marks

Missing a turn isn't a driving fault. It only becomes a problem if your response to it is unsafe, and that distinction catches out more learners than the navigation itself does.

Examiners are watching your observation, positioning, speed, and how you respond to hazards throughout the independent section, exactly as they do everywhere else on the test. The sat nav is simply the backdrop. If you sail past a turning, the device recalculates and gives you a new route, or the examiner steps in with a fresh direction. Neither of those things costs you a mark on their own.

Where candidates actually come unstuck:

1. Braking sharply to check the screen. A sudden stop because you glanced down and panicked is a control fault, not a navigation one.
2. Cutting across lanes late. Realising you need the left lane with two seconds to spare and swerving across traffic is dangerous, regardless of the sat nav.
3. Freezing at a junction. Hesitating because you're unsure which way to go, rather than making a safe decision and continuing, unsettles your flow and can trigger other faults.
4. Ignoring a road sign that contradicts the device. The sat nav is not the final word; the road always is.

Pro Tip: If you miss a turn, keep driving normally and let the sat nav recalculate. Trainers consistently find the missed turn itself never fails anyone. It's the panicked lane change or emergency stop straight afterwards that does the damage.

How to practise the sat nav section before test day

Treat the sat nav as something you listen to, not something you watch. That single habit shift solves most of the problems learners have with this section, and it's worth building early rather than leaving until your last few lessons.

A few habits worth drilling with your instructor:

• Practise full 20-minute mock independent drives. Get your instructor to programme a genuine destination and stay quiet, just as an examiner would, so you feel the real rhythm of the section rather than a shortened version of it.
• Rehearse missed-turn recovery on purpose. Deliberately let a turn go past during a lesson so you get used to the recalculation and learn to stay calm rather than reacting for the first time on test day.
• Vary the voice and volume. Different sat nav voices and accents can catch you off guard, so practise with more than one setting rather than getting used to just one.
• Keep your PSL and MSM routine running underneath. Position, speed, look and mirror, signal, manoeuvre don't pause just because you're following a device, and independent driving guidance puts planning ahead and concentration at the centre of the skill being tested.
• Ask your instructor to run sudden-route-change drills. A quick reroute mid-lesson trains the same dual-focus skill (listening while still scanning the road) that catches many candidates unprepared.

Pro Tip: Ask your instructor to deliberately give you a slightly wrong or delayed instruction during a lesson. Learning to say "can you repeat that?" calmly, rather than guessing, is a habit worth building long before test day.

How Costello's Driving School prepares you for the sat nav section

Every learner working through lessons with Costello's Driving School runs through mock independent drives as a standard part of their preparation, not an add-on squeezed in near the end. Instructors programme realistic routes and step back exactly as an examiner would, so the first time you experience a full 20-minute independent section under pressure isn't on test day itself.

That practice tends to happen on the same roads you'll be tested on. A learner working towards a test in Colchester or Ipswich benefits from running the actual junctions and roundabouts they're likely to face, and that familiarity does more to settle nerves than any generic advice about "staying calm" ever manages on its own.

With over 25 years teaching learners across Essex and Suffolk, our DVSA-approved instructors build sat nav practice into both standard lessons and intensive courses, using modern dual-controlled vehicles that give instructors the confidence to let you make (and recover from) small mistakes safely.

Ready to practise the sat nav section with an instructor

Reading about missed-turn recovery only gets you so far. What actually builds the habit is doing it, ideally in a dual-controlled car with someone qualified sitting beside you the first few times you let a turning go past on purpose.

Costello's Driving School builds mock independent drives into ordinary driving lessons across Essex and Suffolk, so you're rehearsing the sat nav section weeks before your actual test rather than meeting it cold. If your test date is close and you want concentrated practice, the Guaranteed Pass course packs multiple mock independent sections into a short run of lessons with a DVSA-approved instructor. Book a lesson or ask about intensive availability in your area to get a proper feel for the independent section before it counts.

Sources

For the exact wording examiners work from, read GOV.UK's guide to what happens during the test and the DT1 examiner guidance. For skills training, see Ready to Pass on following routes and ExamRoutes' practical sat nav tips.

• Driving test: cars: What happens during the test
• Following routes (Ready to Pass)
• Sat navs and the driving test

FAQ

What sat nav do they use in driving tests?

Examiners typically use a TomTom Start 52, though the exact model can vary by test centre. You never need to buy or practise on that specific device, since the examiner sets it up entirely.

How long is the sat nav section in a driving test?

The independent driving section, whether following a sat nav or road signs, lasts around 20 minutes out of the full test.

Is the driving test now all sat nav?

No. Roughly 80% of tests use a sat nav for the independent section, while the remaining tests ask candidates to follow traffic signs instead, and the examiner tells you which method applies at the start.

What happens if I miss a turn during the sat nav section?

Missing a turn is not a fault by itself. The sat nav recalculates or the examiner gives you a new direction, and marks are only lost if your reaction to the missed turn is unsafe.

Can I use my own sat nav on the test?

No. You cannot bring or use your own device. The examiner supplies and programmes the sat nav, and candidates are not expected to operate it during the independent section, per GOV.UK guidance.

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• Ipswich driving test routes: what learners must practise
• What to expect on Colchester driving test routes
• Driving Test in Colchester - Everything You Need To Know
• Chelmsford driving test routes: local guide to Hanbury Road