An replace from DVSA
DVSA stays dedicated to decreasing driving take a look at ready instances.
The typical ready time for a automotive sensible driving take a look at as of the top of Could 2025 is:
- Nice Britain – 22.5 weeks
- Wales – 19.1 weeks
- Scotland – 21 weeks
- England – 22.8 weeks
The typical ready time is the variety of weeks earlier than 10% of exams can be found to e-book.
DVSA’s figures for common driving take a look at ready instances stay right on the time of publication. These are official statistics and no different legitimate measures for driving take a look at ready instances exist.
DVSA launched its session on bettering driving take a look at reserving guidelines on 28th Could 2025. The session closes on 9th July 2025.
Loveday Ryder, DVSA Chief Govt, mentioned: “We’ve been working tirelessly to carry down the driving take a look at ready instances. To assist deal with this, in December 2024 we introduced a brand new plan, on which we’re making good progress.
“DVSA is presently working a session on enhancements we are able to make to the take a look at reserving system, which can assist us plan our subsequent steps.
“DVSA’s objective is to make reserving a driving take a look at simpler and fairer for everybody whereas stopping extreme prices for learner drivers. GOV.UK is the one official technique to e-book your sensible driving take a look at.”
Additional Info
Session on bettering automotive driving take a look at reserving guidelines
The session asks for views on:
- Who must be allowed to e-book and handle driving exams
- If we should always restrict or take away the power to swap exams between completely different learners or change take a look at places
Slightly than creating new legal guidelines particularly banning the reselling of exams, the session focuses on proposals to vary how the system works to assist forestall reselling. That is preferable because it:
- stops the issue at its supply relatively than simply the signs
- could be extra instantly efficient than enforcement after resales occur
- makes the system fairer for all learners with out creating further regulatory burden
The adjustments proposed would make take a look at reselling virtually not possible, whereas preserving respectable makes use of of the system by learners and instructors.
Extra particulars in regards to the session can be found on GOV.UK.
Sensible driving take a look at ready instances
Automotive sensible take a look at ready instances started to extend in 2020 after a number of months of driving exams being suspended, a sustained improve in demand and low learner driver confidence in driving take a look at availability, leading to a change of their reserving behaviour. This variation in behaviour has endured.
Many learner drivers e-book their exams early of their studying journey. On common it takes learners drivers 6 months or longer to realize the on-road expertise wanted to be able to drive safely on their very own as soon as they’ve handed.
DVSA offered over 1.95 million sensible driving exams within the yr 2024-5.
Measures to scale back ready instances
The Secretary of State introduced additional motion to assist cut back ready instances on 23 April 2025.
These included:
- A quick-tracked launch for our deliberate session on placing a cease to the exploitation of learner drivers – launched on 28 Could 2025
- Incentivised further testing provides for driving examiners – doubtlessly creating 1000’s of additional exams per thirty days
- Doubling our everlasting coaching capability for brand spanking new driving examiners – that means extra can begin finishing up driving exams sooner
- A name for volunteers from these presently in different roles (however certified to look at) to hold out sensible driving exams
The Division for Transport’s press launch could be considered right here: Transport Secretary acts to make 1000’s of additional driving exams obtainable every month – GOV.UK
This adopted a plan introduced in December 2024 to scale back ready instances.
These measures are:
- Recruit and prepare 450 driving examiners.
- Overview and enhance the foundations for reserving driving exams.
- Introduce more durable phrases and circumstances for the service driving instructors use to e-book and handle automotive driving exams for his or her pupils.
- Seek the advice of on new proposals to extend the ready time to e-book one other take a look at in sure conditions.
- Enhance the quantity of discover that you must give to vary or cancel a automotive driving take a look at with out dropping the charge to 10 days.
- Discover altering the present 24-week restrict on how far forward automotive driving exams could be booked.
- Encourage learner drivers to be higher ready for his or her driving take a look at by the ‘Able to Go?’ marketing campaign.
DVSA’s press launch could be considered right here: DVSA units out plan to scale back driving take a look at ready instances – GOV.UK
DVSA’s progress to date in opposition to the measures:
- DVSA’s newest driving examiner recruitment marketing campaign has lately closed, and we’re presently processing the purposes
- the introduction of more durable phrases and circumstances for driving instructors who can e-book exams for his or her pupils (6 January)
- adjustments to the brief discover cancellation interval carried out (8 April)
- following a name for proof (answered by over 27,000 folks), DVSA launched its session on 28 Could on the reserving of driving exams
In January 2023, DVSA modified the phrases and circumstances for utilizing the reserving service to assist forestall anybody from promoting exams at revenue.
Between 9 January 2023 and 5 January 2025, the DVSA issued 350 warnings, 792 suspensions, and closed 813 enterprise accounts for misuse of its reserving service.
On 6 January 2025 ,DVSA launched new phrases and circumstances to be used of the service driving instructors and trainers use to e-book and handle sensible driving exams for his or her pupils.
Since this alteration DVSA has issued 73 warnings, 217 suspensions, and closed 358 enterprise accounts.
