An replace from DVSA
DVSA stays dedicated to decreasing driving check ready instances.
The typical ready time for a automotive sensible driving check as of the tip of Might 2025 is:
- Nice Britain – 22.5 weeks
- Wales – 19.1 weeks
- Scotland – 21 weeks
- England – 22.8 weeks
The typical ready time is the variety of weeks earlier than 10% of assessments can be found to guide.
DVSA’s figures for common driving check ready instances stay appropriate on the time of publication. These are official statistics and no different legitimate measures for driving check ready instances exist.
DVSA launched its session on bettering driving check reserving guidelines on 28th Might 2025. The session closes on 9th July 2025.
Loveday Ryder, DVSA Chief Govt, stated: “We’ve been working tirelessly to convey down the driving check ready instances. To assist deal with this, in December 2024 we introduced a brand new plan, on which we’re making good progress.
“DVSA is at present working a session on enhancements we are able to make to the check reserving system, which is able to assist us plan our subsequent steps.
“DVSA’s aim is to make reserving a driving check simpler and fairer for everybody whereas stopping extreme costs for learner drivers. GOV.UK is the one official strategy to guide your sensible driving check.”
Additional Info
Session on bettering automotive driving check reserving guidelines
The session asks for views on:
- Who must be allowed to guide and handle driving assessments
- If we must always restrict or take away the flexibility to swap assessments between completely different learners or change check places
Fairly than creating new legal guidelines particularly banning the reselling of assessments, the session focuses on proposals to vary how the system works to assist stop reselling. That is preferable because it:
- stops the issue at its supply moderately than simply the signs
- can be extra instantly efficient than enforcement after resales occur
- makes the system fairer for all learners with out creating extra regulatory burden
The adjustments proposed would make check reselling virtually unattainable, whereas preserving authentic makes use of of the system by learners and instructors.
Extra particulars in regards to the session can be found on GOV.UK.
Sensible driving check ready instances
Automobile sensible check ready instances started to extend in 2020 after a number of months of driving assessments being suspended, a sustained enhance in demand and low learner driver confidence in driving check availability, leading to a change of their reserving behaviour. This variation in behaviour has endured.
Many learner drivers guide their assessments early of their studying journey. On common it takes learners drivers 6 months or longer to realize the on-road expertise wanted to be able to drive safely on their very own as soon as they’ve handed.
DVSA supplied over 1.95 million sensible driving assessments within the yr 2024-5.
Measures to scale back ready instances
The Secretary of State introduced additional motion to assist cut back ready instances on 23 April 2025.
These included:
- A quick-tracked launch for our deliberate session on placing a cease to the exploitation of learner drivers – launched on 28 Might 2025
- Incentivised extra testing affords for driving examiners – doubtlessly creating 1000’s of additional assessments per 30 days
- Doubling our everlasting coaching capability for brand new driving examiners – that means extra can begin finishing up driving assessments sooner
- A name for volunteers from these at present in different roles (however certified to look at) to hold out sensible driving assessments
The Division for Transport’s press launch might be considered right here: Transport Secretary acts to make 1000’s of additional driving assessments obtainable every month – GOV.UK
This adopted a plan introduced in December 2024 to scale back ready instances.
These measures are:
- Recruit and prepare 450 driving examiners.
- Evaluation and enhance the principles for reserving driving assessments.
- Introduce more durable phrases and situations for the service driving instructors use to guide and handle automotive driving assessments for his or her pupils.
- Seek the advice of on new proposals to extend the ready time to guide one other check in sure conditions.
- Enhance the quantity of discover you must give to vary or cancel a automotive driving check with out dropping the payment to 10 days.
- Discover altering the present 24-week restrict on how far forward automotive driving assessments might be booked.
- Encourage learner drivers to be higher ready for his or her driving check via the ‘Able to Cross?’ marketing campaign.
DVSA’s press launch might be considered right here: DVSA units out plan to scale back driving check ready instances – GOV.UK
DVSA’s progress thus far towards the measures:
- DVSA’s newest driving examiner recruitment marketing campaign has just lately closed, and we’re at present processing the purposes
- the introduction of more durable phrases and situations for driving instructors who can guide assessments for his or her pupils (6 January)
- adjustments to the quick discover cancellation interval applied (8 April)
- following a name for proof (answered by over 27,000 individuals), DVSA launched its session on 28 Might on the reserving of driving assessments
In January 2023, DVSA modified the phrases and situations for utilizing the reserving service to assist stop anybody from promoting assessments at revenue.
Between 9 January 2023 and 5 January 2025, the DVSA issued 350 warnings, 792 suspensions, and closed 813 enterprise accounts for misuse of its reserving service.
On 6 January 2025 ,DVSA launched new phrases and situations to be used of the service driving instructors and trainers use to guide and handle sensible driving assessments for his or her pupils.
Since this modification DVSA has issued 73 warnings, 217 suspensions, and closed 358 enterprise accounts.
