Waiting times for practical driving tests in Great Britain have dropped below 20 weeks for the first time since November 2024, the BBC reported, citing official figures. Learner drivers in September still had to wait an average of 19.7 weeks, or around five months, for a test. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has been trying to clear a backlog that began during the Covid pandemic in 2020. The agency initially hoped to reduce the average wait to seven weeks by the end of last year. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander later pushed that target back to summer 2026, then admitted even that would not be possible. Waits are now not expected to fall to seven weeks until next autumn.
The DVSA conducted 191,682 practical tests in September, with more than half of candidates passing. Until earlier this year, many learners paid inflated prices to third-party resellers who used automated programs, or bots, to block-book slots. The agency changed the booking system so that only the learner can book a test, a move officials say has stopped that trade. "Whilst the re-selling of tests does seem to have stopped, which is a massive positive, they've still failed to recruit enough examiners to cope with demand," Sophie Stuchfield, a driving instructor in Watford, told the BBC. She said the slight fall in waiting times was "not anything to boast about," and that in many areas the wait when booking is still 21 weeks.
"On many occasions, my drivers wake up at 5.45am on a Monday, only to not end up with a test as when they click on something, by the time they put their details in, they are told the test has already been taken," she said. She also said the five-month wait means many people "who haven't even started driving lessons will book a test knowing it's 5 months away," putting themselves and the instructor under pressure. Learner drivers have repeatedly told the BBC that a lack of tests has limited their freedom, education, and job prospects.
Justin Madders, the minister for roads, said the government "inherited record waiting times and a significant backlog." "While driving test waiting times are still not where we want them to be, these figures show real progress is being made," he said. A DVSA spokesperson said examiner numbers are at their highest since November 2017, that the agency is "committed to reducing waiting times," and that "we won't stop until every learner can get a test slot when they need one, wherever they're learning to drive." The verified snapshot is one month below 20 weeks, a large test volume, a booking-rule change, and a seven-week target that has now slipped to next autumn.