Driving Test Booking Rules Consultation and Wait Time Reduction

Government Updates on Driving Test Waiting Times

Driving test waiting times remain a critically important concern for transport operators, drivers, and compliance professionals. The Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) have announced measures aimed at improving the fairness and efficiency of the driving test booking system and reducing delays.

Changes to the Driving Test Booking Service

The DVSA will implement several changes to the booking service in the coming months:

• Only learner car drivers will be able to book and manage their own driving tests. This aims to prevent third-party businesses from reselling tests at inflated prices. Learner drivers will be limited to swapping or moving a test a maximum of twice. Additionally, the area to which a test can be moved after booking will be restricted to prevent tests being booked in low-demand locations and then transferred to busier centres.
• The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will provide up to 36 defence driving examiners (DDEs) to conduct driving tests one day per week for 12 months. These examiners will primarily focus on car tests but may also assist with vocational testing.

Consultation Outcomes

The government conducted a consultation on making the booking service fairer. Key findings include:

• 70. 7% of respondents supported restricting booking and management of tests to learner drivers only. This change is intended to protect learners from exploitation by unofficial resellers.
• 50. 8% of driving instructors agreed with limiting the number of test swaps to two and restricting the area for test moves. This will help ensure local learners have better access to tests at their preferred centres.

While these changes will affect driving instructors who currently book tests on behalf of pupils, the DVSA will maintain an online business service allowing instructors to set available dates and times for tests.

Implementation Timeline and Additional Support

The official consultation response is being finalised and will be published on GOV. UK. The changes require legislative and technical adjustments and are expected to be introduced in spring 2026.

The MOD driving examiners will receive up to 10 days of training before starting to conduct civilian driving tests. They will be based at test centres with the highest demand near their MOD base or home.

Update on Waiting Time Targets

The Secretary of State for Transport confirmed that the DVSA’s latest modelling indicates the target of reducing driving test waiting times to seven weeks by summer 2026 is unlikely to be met. Demand for tests remains high, and it is uncertain when this will ease.

Despite ongoing efforts, the DVSA continues to prioritise reducing waiting times and will implement all possible measures to address the issue.

Mi Compliance Insight

Transport operators and compliance professionals should prepare for the upcoming changes to the driving test booking system, particularly the restrictions on test management and movement. Staying informed will help manage expectations for learners and instructors alike.

For further guidance or support on adapting to these changes, please contact Mi Compliance.

Source: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKDVSA/bulletins/3faf49a