Longest Driving Test Wait in a Generation

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is grappling with significantly longer waiting times for driving tests, with the average learner facing a six-week increase compared to last year. The DVSA aims to substantially reduce this delay by 2025. February figures from the DVSA show that the UK is experiencing the longest driving test wait in 20 years.

Have your say! Are you or someone you know struggling to get a test this year? How has it affected job prospects and social life? Join the conversation and comment below.

Learning to drive can be stressful, especially with rising lesson costs and car purchase expenses. Young and new drivers now encounter an average 20-week wait to book a driving test, as test centers grapple with a substantial backlog.

The COVID-19 pandemic and industrial action have resulted in a considerable backlog of practical tests, leading to rescheduling and lengthy waiting periods. Unprecedented demand has also led to the use of automated software to reserve multiple test slots, often sold to eager new drivers.

The DVSA has been tasked with reducing average waiting times to seven weeks by year-end, a challenging goal over the next 9 months. As of February, only seven test centers across the country met this target, with Scotland and Wales generally experiencing shorter waits.

Strategies to alleviate waiting times include hiring more examiners to conduct tests simultaneously and extending the cancellation notice period from 3 to 10 working days, enabling learners to withdraw in advance if unprepared.

The inability to drive independently can hinder access to jobs and education for young people, leading to a decline in the percentage of 17-20 year-olds holding a full license from 35% in 2019 to 29% in 2023.

Have your say! Are you or someone you know struggling to get a test this year? How has it affected job prospects and social life? Join the conversation and comment below.