12/11/2025
We may be getting somewhere!
Update on driving test waiting times
Today (12 November) the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, updated the Transport Select Committee (TSC) on the government’s ongoing response to driving test waiting times.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked
make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times
Outcome of the consultation
As part of her update to the TSC, the Secretary of State announced the outcome of the consultation to make the driving test booking service fairer.
Below is more detail about the options being taken forward:
Option 1A: only allowing learner drivers to book and manage their own test
70.7% of respondents agreed with this option. This change will stop unofficial businesses providing third-party services from reselling tests, preventing additional test costs and unfair practices for your pupils.
We understand that this change will affect your business as you book tests on behalf of your pupils. This decision was not taken lightly.
The level of support showed the strength of feeling of us being able to stop your pupils and all learner drivers from being exploited by the unofficial reselling of tests at greatly heightened prices.
You will still be able to use the online business service to book and manage driving tests to set dates and times when you are available to take your pupils for driving tests.
Option 2B: limiting the number of times a test can be swapped or changed, this limit will be set at 2
50.8% of driving instructors that responded agreed with this option. Alongside limiting the number of times a test can be swapped or changed, we will also be limiting the area a test can be moved to once booked.
This will stop tests being booked in quieter areas to then move it to a test centre with higher demand. This will allow local learner drivers in quieter areas to have better access to tests at their preferred centre.
Making these changes together will give greater control to learner drivers, removing the ability for third parties to buy and sell on tests in higher demand locations – making booking a practical car driving test fairer for your pupils.
We have contacted your pupils with a car theory test or practical car test booking to let them know about the upcoming changes.
Next steps
We are finalising the official consultation response and will publish it on GOV.UK.
These changes will not be introduced straight away. The implementation of these options requires a combination of legislative and technical changes.
We expect both changes to be made in spring 2026.
Working in partnership with the MOD
We have agreed with the MOD that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will do driving tests for one day a week for 12 months. They will predominantly focus on car driving tests but will have the flexibility to do vocational testing as well if needed.
The DDEs will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand nearest to either their MOD base location or where they live.
Before they start testing, all DDEs will do up to 10 days of training to support them to do non-military testing and so they can learn the test routes of the test centre they are based at.
Update on the summer 2026 waiting times target
During the TSC session on 12 November, the Secretary of State confirmed that the latest DVSA modelling shows it is not possible to meet the aspiration of reaching a 7-week waiting time by summer 2026.
We recognise that you and your pupils will be dismayed by this. There are several factors driving higher demand for tests and it is not clear when or even if this will ease.
Even with all the measures we have put in place, we are still not able to keep up with the rise in demand.
Reducing the driving test waiting times continues to be the priority for DVSA and we will continue to do all we can to reduce them.
