Driving test waiting times get worse at 2 in 5 test centres as learners struggle to book practical test

Driving test waiting times have increased at more than 100 test centres since the start of 2023, according to new figures. 

Figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) show that waiting times have worsened at 138 test centres - 43% of all centres - since January. They also show there has been no progress at dozens more centres across England, Scotland and Wales.

The DVSA’s chief executive said that the agency was working to address the problems in the system but admitted that it had fallen short of its targets. 

Learner drivers have faced more than two years of disruption and delay to practical driving tests in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and social distancing rules meant the DVSA lost around a million tests, resulting in a huge backlog of learners trying to secure a test slot. 

As a result, waiting times have soared across the country, from a pre-pandemic average of six weeks to more than 17 weeks. The number of learners waiting to sit their test has remained above half a million since June 2021, with 551,271 in May 2023 - down by just 65 from April 2023. 

The data, obtained by the AA Driving School via a Freedom of Information show some minor improvement in overall waiting times, with 80% of test centres exceeding the pre-pandemic average of six weeks in April 2023 - down from 88% at the start of 2023. More than a third of centres recorded a drop in waiting times, with several cutting the wait from 24 weeks to between three and six weeks. 

However, 43% recorded an increase in waiting times and 21% of those where waiting times were below 24 weeks reported no improvement. A total of 59 other centres where the waiting time was 24 weeks - the furthest ahead the DVSA allows bookings - also failed to improve between January and April, meaning they were are essentially fully booked until late September.

Camilla Benitz, AA Driving School managing director said: “It’s simply unacceptable that two fifths of driving test centres have increased waiting times since the start of the year.

“The DVSA’s own survey data shows long test waiting times are the most common reason for learners to take an extended break from driving lessons, so the true ‘backlog’ may be much higher as some people have dropped off the system entirely.

 “We need to see a concerted effort to tackle the issue otherwise the backlog will remain. This means the DVSA making more tests available, recruiting examiners to increase their numbers and improving their pupil booking website. Only then will we start to see an improvement in the backlog.”

The DVSA’s chief executive Loveday Ryder admitted that the agency had failed to get anywhere near its target to cut the backlog. Giving evidence to the Transport Select Committee she said: "What we set in the business plan was that we wanted to achieve a lower wait time by December 2022—a time of nine weeks. We did not manage to achieve that at all. The current wait time that we are looking at is about 17.3 weeks, so clearly a lot higher.”

In January, transport minister Richard Holden claimed waiting times would be back to pre-pandemic levels "within months", however, Ms Ryder said that the DVSA now aimed to bring the average wait down to 12 weeks by the end of the business year.

She blamed the backwards shift on a number of factors, including strike action by examiners, learners booking their tests further in advance, along with third parties using block booking and bots to scoop up and resell test slots. She explained that the “slack” in the system - the proportion of slots available - had fallen back from 15% in December 2022 to around 9%. Before the pandemic, the slack was around 45%. 

Camilla Benitz added: “The extortionate costs of resold driving tests unfairly penalise those on lower incomes and more must be done to close the loopholes in the DVSA’s booking system. Greater visibility of tests and waiting times at test centres should be available to all learners, not just those who can afford to pay extra through booking services.”

A spokesperson for the DVSA said it was taking measures to increase test availability, including recruiting 474 new examiners and changing rules around resits, in an effort to reduce waiting times. They told NationalWorld that the combined measures, which also involved boosting overtime, using qualified staff working in other roles and bringing back recently retired staff, had helped create more than one million extra test appointments since April 2021.

Loveday Ryder commented: "We are taking all the measures we can to reduce driving test waiting times, including recruiting almost 500 new driving examiners and creating more than one million new tests since 2021, and we strongly urge learners only to book their driving test when they are ‘Ready to Pass.”