Learner drivers across the UK are being forced to take extreme and costly measures, including travelling hundreds of miles, to secure a driving test slot amid a national backlog that shows little sign of easing.
The Scale of the Driving Test Crisis
Official figures from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) paint a stark picture. As of November, the average waiting time for a driving test nationally stands at 22 weeks, with a staggering 638,270 people on the forward bookings list. Experts warn this backlog, partly caused by an estimated one million missed tests during Covid lockdowns, could persist for another two years.
The DVSA attributes the ongoing issues to a perfect storm of increased demand, learners booking tests far in advance, and the widespread use of bots and middlemen who instantly snap up slots to resell at a profit. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander admitted in November that the Labour government, which "inherited an enormous backlog," would fail to meet its target of reducing average waiting times to seven weeks by summer 2026.
Desperate Journeys: Learners' Extreme Measures
Faced with a system many describe as a "dead end," learners are going to remarkable lengths. Colette Bodde, 29, from London, ultimately passed her test in Fort William in the Scottish Highlands—a journey of nearly ten hours from her home. She opted for Scotland to use her mother's car, stating that by 28, passing her test "felt like something I should be able to do."
Similarly, 18-year-old Londoner Rafa James booked a test 200 miles away in Carmarthen, Wales, due to "time pressure" before travelling abroad. He criticised the DVSA system as "clunky and frustrating" and said spending a significant sum on train tickets put him at an "immediate disadvantage" in an unfamiliar area.
Halima Abdi, a 21-year-old student journalist from London, spent five months waking at 5am every Monday to search for slots. She eventually secured one almost three hours away in Birmingham. Carrying heavy camera equipment on trains for her work is "stressful," she explained, calling for a priority system for those who need a licence for employment.
Government Action and Long-Term Concerns
The National Audit Office (NAO) delivered a sobering assessment this month, predicting the backlog will not clear until November 2027. Its report revealed nearly one in three learners are paying third parties up to £500 to secure a slot. NAO head Gareth Davies stated the system is "not working satisfactorily" and leads to the "exploitation of learner drivers."
In response, the government says it is taking "decisive action." The DVSA points to delivering over 14,400 more tests in October 2025 compared to October 2024. Planned changes to the booking system include:
- Restricting bookings to learner drivers only, not instructors.
- Limiting test edits (like moves and swaps) to two before cancellation.
- Restricting learners to a limited number of test centres near their original booking.
- Deploying 36 military examiners to provide up to 6,500 extra tests annually.
Emma Bush, Managing Director of the AA Driving School, warned that "excessive and restrictive waiting times" are hampering mobility and job prospects. While acknowledging the new measures might offer slight improvement, she stressed that "long-term, sustained action" focused on both recruiting and retaining examiners is vital to return waiting times to pre-pandemic levels.
