UK learner drivers are facing a shocking wait to secure driving tests, with officials warning that a massive backlog is still in place. The average DVSA waiting time for a test in May stood at 22 weeks, or more than five months, in a blow to learners desperate to obtain their driving licence and get behind the wheel.
Backlog Expected to Persist Until 2027
The DVSA had previously hoped to cut waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025, with the goal eventually pushed back to 2026. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has now warned that the issue is unlikely to be solved until 2027. It has been revealed that 70% of driving test centres across the UK operate at maximum waiting times.
In comparison, waiting lists stood at around five weeks in early 2020, with the Coronavirus pandemic partly behind the staggering wait times. There has also been a shortage of examiners, with around 147 further assessors understood to have been recruited in the 12 months to May 2026.
Transport Secretary Comments on the Crisis
Ms Alexander said: "Realistically, this is going to take a long time to sort this problem out, and I think by the autumn of next year we should be back down to the seven-week aspiration that we've got." She added: "My aspiration is to get us back down to a point where, when someone is booking a test, they're not having to wait months on end to get one, which is the situation for some people in some locations at the moment."
Rule Changes to Tackle Speculative Bookings
It comes after the DVSA issued a series of updates this spring in a bid to cut down the staggering waiting lists. From the end of March, the DVSA changed the rules to cut back on the number of changes learners are allowed to make. Under previous rules, learners could change their test up to six times, but this has now been reduced to just two.
In May, rules around who can book a test were also tightened, with driving instructors no longer able to secure a slot for their students. Where learners can move their exam has also been altered, with individuals now only able to book a slot at the three nearest test centres.
However, the Transport Secretary has warned that the impact of the changes will not be felt too soon in another blow. Heidi Alexander added: "The action that we've taken in the last couple of months, it's too early to draw completely definitive conclusions on it, but we have seen evidence that swap volumes have gone down by 70 per cent and refund volumes also fell by around a third since May 12, which I think indicates that this sort of speculative booking and then rebooking, perhaps there's less of that happening."
