Six-month wait for driving tests will last until 2027

Learner drivers face months of delays in booking practical tests because the backlog will not be cleared until November 2027, a watchdog has warned.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said there was a backlog of 1.1 million tests not carried out in the 2020/21 financial year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and around 360,000 of them had not yet been booked.

The average waiting time was 22 weeks in September, but in 70% of testing centers the wait reached 24 weeks, the maximum allowed.

The Department for Transport (DfT) said it was “taking decisive action to address the backlog”, including employing military driving examiners.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had planned to reduce waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025.

The NAO investigation found that delays have led to people paying third parties to obtain tests, some of whom were “paying significantly inflated prices of up to £500”, almost eight times the DVSA’s official rate of £62 for a weekday slot.

He said the DVSA had difficulty “understanding the real demand for testing” because third-party websites quickly book available slots using automated programs known as bots.

“These delays can have a serious impact on learner drivers’ earnings and the economy, with 30% of respondents to a DVSA survey saying they need to be able to drive for work,” the watchdog said.

The NAO also reported a shortage of examiners and found many were leaving “due to non-competitive salaries and safety concerns”. Despite running 19 recruitment drives since 2021, the DVSA has only recruited 83 additional examiners, well short of its target of 400.

In the 2023/24 financial year, DVSA had a total of 220 employees across its 240 test centers who were qualified examiners.

Driver Shiromi Gaughan, a small business owner in London, says she has been trying to book an exam for the past eight months since she passed her theory exam two years ago, and felt “sick” when she discovered it would cost £350 for a slot from a third-party seller.

She told the BBC: “It’s really unfair and I’m extremely frustrated. As a small business owner from London, I’ve been struggling a lot over time.”

“People like us are very desperate.”

Normally, students must take the practical exam within two years of passing the theory exam.

He urged the government to “do something about this because it is totally unacceptable.”

He added: “I think the government needs to review the whole system as they are actually aware of what is happening with scammers or third party agencies.

“Now I have to redo my theory exam and spend more money, so I’m very disappointed.”

Learner driver Martha Machiek, a single mother from Stockport, said she is “very stressed” trying to book a spot for her driving test.

You need a license to save time and money taking your kids to and from school and soccer practice.

Machiek says his theory exam certificate expires at the end of the month, and if he can’t book a practical exam in time, he will have to start over, something he can’t afford.

“The system is not being fair to people like us,” he said.

“I don’t have the money to book another one.”

The NAO urged the DVSA and DfT to assess whether there was sufficient support for students to book exams and to investigate how to increase the examiner workforce.

Gareth Davies, director of the NAO, said “decisive action” needed to be taken to address delays and improve the service.

“The current system for offering driving tests in England, Scotland and Wales is not working satisfactorily, with long waiting times and exploitation of learner drivers by test slot resellers.”

The DfT said it had inherited a system that was “frustrating” and open to abuse, leaving students waiting weeks for an exam.

A spokesperson said the government was “seeing improvement” with the measures it had been taking.

From spring, only learner drivers will be able to book tests and limits will be placed on the number of times they can move or exchange a test.

The government said it hopes this will stop third-party companies from “exploiting vulnerable students and make the entire process more transparent.”

“The DVSA has already carried out an additional 74,847 tests between June and November this year compared to 2024, and these new measures will allow for thousands of additional tests over the next year,” the spokesperson added.