A critical government target to slash driving test waiting times to just seven weeks has been pushed back by two years and is now unlikely to be met before November 2027, according to a damning official audit.
Recruitment Failure Fuels Record Backlog
The National Audit Office (NAO) investigation found that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has made minimal progress in hiring examiners, despite launching 19 separate recruitment campaigns since 2021. These efforts have resulted in a net gain of only 83 additional testers, a figure woefully inadequate to tackle the crisis.
Consequently, the average wait for a practical driving test across Great Britain now stands at 22 weeks, or over five months. The report also states that approximately 70% of test centres have every available slot fully booked for the maximum 24-week period they can schedule in advance.
Learner Drivers Exploited by 'Rogue' Resellers
The severe shortage of test slots has created a lucrative market for third-party resellers, who are exploiting desperate learner drivers. The NAO report highlights that nearly one in three learners is now paying these third parties fees of up to £500 to secure a booking.
Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, condemned the situation. "The current system for providing driving tests in England, Scotland and Wales is not working satisfactorily, with long waiting times and exploitation of learner drivers by resellers of test slots," he said.
Legacy of Pandemic and Mounting Pressure
The roots of the backlog trace back to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020/21 financial year, 1.1 million tests could not be conducted due to restrictions. An estimated 360,000 of those missed tests have still not been rebooked.
Compounding the problem, the DVSA estimates that roughly 680,000 people who have passed their theory test are currently unable to book a practical exam. The NAO's report urges the DVSA and the Department for Transport (DfT) to take "decisive action" to restore a functional service.
A spokesperson for the DfT acknowledged the inherited challenges, stating the system was "ripe for rogue individuals to exploit." They pointed to measures including deploying military driving examiners and, from spring 2026, new rules to limit test moves and ensure only learners can book slots.
The department also claimed the DVSA carried out 74,847 extra tests between June and November 2025 compared to 2024, asserting that new policies will deliver thousands more tests in the coming year.
