Still waiting for a driving test despite being test ready for months? You’re not alone. Figures released by the Department for Transport earlier this year revealed the number of driving tests taken reached a record level of 1.9 million in the 12 months to the end of March 2024.
With the average wait time in England for a driving test at 21 weeks or just under 5 months and possibly even more depending on where in the country you live, it has led to a surge in Driving Test Scams - whereby third parties buy up available slots, and re-sell them to students for double, sometimes even triple the price.
With the system threatening to hit breaking point after several years of backlogs caused by the Covid 19 pandemic and a shortage of examiners, the DVSA has recently announced a 7 point plan to cut waiting times.
The DVSA has set an ambitious target of reducing the waiting time for driving tests to 7 weeks by December 2025. This means by this time next year, you will hopefully not be looking at a 5 or 6 months wait to book in your test once you’re ready. To do this, they plan to recruit and train 450 more examiners as well as make some changes to the booking system.
If you’ve tried to book a test over the past year or so, you’ll know how frustrating the system is. New test slots are released at 6 am every Monday but are snapped up instantly, leaving students another week until they can even attempt to book a slot. With no cancellation notification system in place, the system is unfit for purpose and in need of some real change to make it more user friendly.
The DVSA plan to improve the booking system by making the terms and conditions for instructors booking tests tougher which will come into force on 6th January 2025. This means that only instructors or businesses that employ driving instructors can book car tests for students, and they won’t be able to book students who they can’t teach.
Within this, the DVSA are planning to increase the time you have to wait to book another test and increase the amount of notice you have to give ahead of cancellations. Currently, you can book a driving test 24 weeks in advance, but this is set to change. So, making any changes to your test, or cancelling it will now have to have to be done 10 working days in advance, as opposed to just 3.
Furthermore, the DVSA plan on continuing their ‘Ready to Pass’ campaign to remind learners of the skills they must have before they attempt their test. This comes ahead of their research which showed 23% of learners take their first test within one month of starting lessons.
Amidst Test Centre Backlogs, increased frustration from learners who are keen to get on the road and a system that has been under strain for the best part of four years, it’s positive to see that the DVSA recognise the problem and is taking actionable steps to resolve the backlog. However, it remains to be seen whether these will be the changes learners need to make booking a test and getting on the road a seamless process.
Do you know a learner who would love to start Under 17 Driving Lessons? Children as young as 10 can start learning the basics before heading out on the roads. Explore our range of lessons or even book them in for a Junior Supercar Experience to put the fun back into driving after months of waiting for a test.
