New figures reveal that half of learner drivers in the UK face waiting times of more than four months to sit their driving test. One Scottish centre has the longest average wait of nearly seven months.
Longest waits in Scotland
Official statistics show that the median average waiting time between booking and taking a test in June was 17.3 weeks (four months) or longer at 60 test centres across the UK. This means that while half of learners waited less time, the other half experienced even longer gaps.
The longest median average wait was found at a test centre serving Forfar in Angus, where the average wait time was 29.7 weeks – nearly seven months. Locations in Edinburgh and Glasgow are also among those with the longest backlogs.
Frustration among learners
The analysis comes from the latest monthly statistics published by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for 313 test centres across the UK. Learners can book test slots up to 24 weeks in advance, but the RAC Foundation, a motoring research charity, has described the current gap as “frustrating” for affected drivers.
The waiting time has widened significantly since before the pandemic: the average gap was 5.8 weeks in February 2020, but jumped to 20.9 weeks across Britain by June 2026. This is far off the government's previous goal of reducing the figure to seven weeks by the end of 2025.
Efforts to reduce backlog
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has warned that it could take until autumn 2027 to bring waiting times down to acceptable levels. Measures already taken include reforming the booking process, recruiting more examiners, training them faster, and using military examiners.
A DVSA spokesperson said: “Our latest data shows the median waiting time for Great Britain was 10.7 weeks in June 2026. Test slot availability was at its highest point since November 2024 and the pass rate remains above 50 per cent. But we recognise how frustrating it is for every learner who has to wait longer for their test date. That’s why we’re continuing to put more tests into the system, with almost 280,000 extra tests carried out since June 2025.”
