Six-month wait for driving tests set to last until 2027

Learner drivers face months of delays in booking practical tests as the backlog will not be cleared until November 2027, a watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said there was a backlog of 1.1 million tests not carried out in the 2020/21 financial year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with around 360,000 of these still unreserved.

The average wait time in September was 22 weeks, but in 70% of testing centres, the wait reached 24 weeks; This is the maximum time allowed.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was “taking decisive action to address the backlog”. including the employment of military driving examiners.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had planned to reduce waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025.

The NAO’s investigation found that delays led to people paying third parties to secure tests, some of whom “paid significantly inflated prices of up to £500”; this is almost eight times the official DVSA rate of £62 for a weekday slot.

It was stated that the DVSA was struggling to “understand the true demand for tests” as third-party websites quickly booked available places using automated programs known as bots.

“These delays could have a serious impact on learner drivers’ income and economy, with 30% of respondents to the DVSA survey saying they need to be able to drive for work,” the watchdog said. he said.

The NAO also reported a shortage of examiners and found that many were leaving “due to uncompetitive pay and safety concerns”. Despite running 19 recruitment campaigns since 2021, the DVSA has only recruited 83 extra examiners; This fell far short of the 400 target.

In the 2023/24 financial year, the DVSA had a total of 220 staff who were qualified examiners across 240 testing centres.

Student driver Shiromi Gaughan, who owns a small business in London, said she had been trying to book a test for the past eight months since passing her theory test two years ago and felt “sick” when she learned it would cost her £350 to buy a slot from a third-party vendor.

He told the BBC: “It’s really unfair and I’m extremely disappointed. “As a small business owner living in London, I’ve really struggled over time.

“People like us are so helpless.”

Normally, students are required to take the practical exam within two years of passing the theoretical exam.

He called on the government to “do something about this because it is absolutely unacceptable.”

He added: “I think the government needs to review the whole system because they are actually aware of what is happening to fraudsters or third party organisations.

“Now I have to retake my theory exam and spend more money, so I’m extremely disappointed.”

Learner driver Martha Machiek, a single parent from Stockport, said she was “very stressed” trying to book a seat for her driving test.

He needs a license to save time and money driving his kids to and from school and soccer practices.

Ms. Machiek says her theoretical exam certificate will expire at the end of the month and if she cannot register for the practical exam in time, she will have to start over, which she cannot afford.

“The system doesn’t treat people like us fairly,” he said.

“I don’t have the money to make another reservation.”

The NAO has called on the DVSA and DfT to consider whether there is sufficient support for students to book exams and to investigate how they can increase the examiner workforce.

NAO chief executive Gareth Davies said “decisive action” was needed to fix delays and improve the service.

“The current system of providing driving tests in England, Scotland and Wales does not work satisfactorily due to long waiting times and exploitation of learner drivers by sellers of test slots.”

The DfT said it inherited a “frustrating” and exploitable system that left students waiting weeks for exams.

A spokesman said the government was “seeing improvement” in the measures it had taken.

From spring, only learner drivers will be able to book tests and there will be limits on how many times they can carry or replace a test.

The government said it hoped this would stop third-party companies “exploiting vulnerable students” and make the whole process more transparent.

“DVSA carried out 74,847 extra tests between June and November this year compared to 2024, and these new measures will deliver thousands more extra tests next year,” the spokesperson added.