Learner drivers are facing long waiting times due to a failure from the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to resolve test booking issues, a new National Audit Office report has found.
The average waiting time for a test was 22 weeks as of September 2025, compared with just over five weeks in early 2020.
Although DVSA created and implemented a plan in 2024 to reduce wait times down to seven weeks by the end of 2025, it does not expect to meet this target until the end of 2027.
These delays can have a serious impact on learner drivers’ income and the economy, with 30% of respondents to a DVSA survey saying they need to be able to drive for their jobs.
A large backlog of driving tests (estimated at 1.1 million) accumulated over the Covid-19 pandemic and an estimated 360,000 of these tests have not yet been booked.
DVSA has been slow to react to other factors that are increasing the number of tests needed, such as an increase in those taking theory tests
It has also struggled to understand the real demand for driving tests due to high demand being generated by automated programmes (bots) booking up available slots.
Delays in getting a test are resulting in just under a third of learners booking their tests through third-party websites,4 sometimes paying significantly inflated prices of up to £500, compared to the standard weekday test fee of £62 charged by DVSA.
DVSA has taken action against the reselling of slots through third parties, recently announcing that only learners will be able to purchase tests.
Through this, DVSA is also hoping to limit the use of automated programmes to book tests, which remains at high levels despite the implementation of anti-bot protection software.
The NAO report found high exit rates among examiners due to perceived uncompetitive pay and safety concerns. Despite 19 recruitment campaigns by DVSA there are only 83 more examiners in place than in 2021, against a goal of 400.
