Driving test waiting times in Britain have reached a record high.
The average waiting time to book a test was 20 weeks in February, according to figures obtained by the AA Driving School.
That’s up from 14 weeks last year – as the Department for Transport (DfT) aims to tackle the backlog.
The DfT has launched a campaign to recruit and train 450 new driving examiners.
And the notice period for making any changes to a booked test slot will be extended from three working days to 10 working days from 8 April.
Seven weeks or below is the DVSA’s nationwide target for the end of the year, but as of February only 14 centres met that.
The number of test centres with a 24-week waiting time nearly doubled from 94 to 183 over the 12-month period.
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Emma Bush, managing director of the AA Driving School, said it was “pleased” the DVSA had set out its plans to reduce waiting times.
“It is crucial efforts to meet this target are effective and result in this significant reduction,” she added.
“Bringing down driving test waiting times is vital to ensure a lack of driving licence does not become an ongoing barrier for young people trying to access education and employment.”
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Latest statistics from the DfT show the percentage of 17 to 20-year-olds in England with a driving licence fell from 35% in 2019 to 29% in 2023.
Read more:
Driving test bosses ‘bullying examiners to be lenient with learners’
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A DVSA spokesperson said waiting times remained high “due to an increase in demand and low customer confidence in driving test availability”.
“We continue to work on implementing our seven-point plan to reduce waiting times and encouraging learner drivers to only book their driving test when their instructor agrees they are ready.”
