Driving test waits hit 22 weeks as government tackles backlog

Learner drivers are facing months-long waits that have turned a basic licence test into a gatekeeper for work, study and independence. In Great Britain, the average practical car test wait stood at 22.5 weeks at the end of May 2025, with England at 22.8 weeks and Scotland at 21 weeks, far above the five-week wait seen before the pandemic.

The Driving Instructors Association put the average wait at 22.5 weeks at the end of May 2025, while government figures later showed it was still 22.3 weeks at the end of June 2025. By May 5, 2025, 258 test locations, 81% of all sites, were already sitting at the maximum 24-week booking horizon. For many learners, that left only the hope of a cancellation or the chance to keep refreshing the booking system for an opening.

The shortage has also created a market of its own. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has said demand surged and that people are booking earlier than before, but the backlog has also fuelled allegations that third-party services are using automated bots to snap up slots for resale. What should be a public service has started to resemble a scarce commodity, with line-jumping and cancellations-for-profit thriving in the gaps left by an overloaded system.

The stakes are not just bureaucratic. Government campaign material said 50 out of every 100 driving tests were failed in Great Britain in February 2026, reinforcing fears that many learners are arriving before they are ready. Every failed attempt sends another driver back into the queue, adding pressure to a system already stretched to its limit and keeping young people off the road longer than they should be.

Ministers have said they want to cut average waits to seven weeks, but the National Audit Office said in December 2025 that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency did not expect to reach that target until November 2027. The agency’s seven-point plan includes recruiting 450 examiners and using military driving examiners to carry out up to 6,500 extra tests over the next year.

Booking rules are also being tightened in spring 2026. From 12 May 2026, only the learner will be able to book or amend a test, and from 9 June 2026, moves will be limited to the three nearest test centres. The consultation on the changes drew responses from 11,000 approved driving instructors, a sign of how deeply the backlog has spread through the sector.

For young people trying to start work, get to college, or simply gain independence, the delay has become more than an inconvenience. It is a national bottleneck, and the longer it lasts, the more it reshapes everyday economic life.