The average waiting time across all test centres has increased in recent months.
Learner drivers are being forced to wait more than five months to book a driving test, according to new figures. The AA Driving School obtained figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), and claimed the situation “cannot get much worse” for learner drivers.
The average waiting time across all test centres is now 22 weeks, up from 14 weeks in February 2024. In March, we reported that waiting times for learner drivers were currently at 20 weeks. As of May 5, some 258 locations in Britain had the maximum possible waiting time of 24 weeks for a test, which is 81% of all sites.
That is up from 161 at the start of the year. The DVSA blames the backlog on an increase in demand and, according to the Manchester Evening News, said some learner motorists are booking their tests much earlier than before.
Officials hope an increase in the number of tests being conducted will gradually bring waiting times down.
The number of future bookings in the DVSA’s system was 122,000 higher in June compared with the same month last year.
Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office recently announced it will investigate the “root causes” of delays to booking tests, and “how the DVSA is responding”.
In April, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the Labour Government “inherited an enormous backlog” but was “acting fast” to fix the issue.
She told the Commons Transport Select Committee her department aimed to reduce the average waiting time to seven weeks by summer 2026.
A Government consultation on amending the test booking system closed last week.
This featured a plan aimed at stopping bots from mass-booking new slots so they can be resold on the black market for inflated prices.
The Department for Transport also instructed the DVSA to offer additional overtime payments to incentivise instructors to conduct more tests.
Staff at the agency qualified to conduct tests are being asked to voluntarily return to the front line, while the number of permanent trainers for new examiners is being doubled.
Emma Bush, managing director of AA Driving School, said: “With the vast majority of driving test centres now showing waits at the maximum the system will allow, the situation cannot get much worse.
“There are signs of recovery, though, putting both the industry and learners on tenterhooks for more signs of improvement in the coming months.”
She added: “While we would expect these changes to take a few months to show a positive impact, it is still disappointing to see that learners are continuing to face an uphill battle when it comes to booking their driving test.”
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