Plans to reduce driving test waiting times to seven weeks are unlikely to be achieved until November 2027, according to a report by the National Audit Office (NAO). The average wait for a practical test currently stands at 22 weeks across Great Britain, with some centres fully booked for the maximum 24 weeks ahead.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has struggled to recruit examiners, netting only 83 additional staff despite 19 recruitment campaigns since 2021. Many examiners are leaving due to safety concerns and low pay. The DVSA also makes a loss of £24 per test, as the fee has not changed since 2009, resulting in a £44m deficit over the year.
An estimated 680,000 people who have passed their theory test may not have booked a practical test. The NAO highlighted exploitation by third parties reselling slots at up to eight times the £62 fee. The government has announced plans to ban bots and limit test bookings to learner drivers from spring 2026.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has pledged to deploy military examiners and has already conducted 74,847 extra tests between June and November 2025 compared to 2024. However, the NAO head Gareth Davies stated that the current system is not working satisfactorily and called for decisive action to restore a fit-for-purpose service.
