Further action to reduce waiting times will see thousands of additional tests made available every month, the DVSA says.

Transport Secretary announces plan to deliver thousands more driving tests per month

In an attempt to stop bots from buying up driving tests and reduce waiting times, the Transport Secretary has instructed the DVSA to increase its efforts to deal with the issues.

Heidi Alexander, who became Transport Secretary in November 2024, has made the following announcements:

Those in other DVSA roles who are qualified examiners will be asked to return

The DVSA plans to double the number of permanent examiner trainers, which in turn will increase the number of examiners able to conduct driving tests

The consultation into potential abuse into the test booking system and how to prevent this will be accelerated

A reintroduction of overtime incentives for everyone delivering driving tests

The government has said they aim for these measures to reduce driving test wait times to 7 weeks by Summer 2026.

"We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L-Plates but being forced to endure record waiting time for their tests", Alexander said. "We simply cannot deliver on our Plan for Change if thousands remain held back, with their aspirations on pause."

"I am instructing DVSA to take further action immediately to reduce waiting times which will see thousands of additional tests made available every month. We’re acting fast to get Britain’s drivers moving."

The DVSA’s Additional Testing Award scheme will reopen for up to 18 months, allowing more examiners to deliver additional tests.

The scheme encourages and incentivises driving test examiners to conduct extra tests beyond their usual workload, helping to decrease waiting times.

An accelerated consultation will also launch in May, with the aim of improving the booking system and blocking bots from accessing tests. The DVSA is already working with IT specialists to enhance their resilience against resellers.

The new measures are part of the government's new 'Plan for Change'. This plan is a mission to improve the opportunities and start in life every child receives, regardless of their background.

Part of the government's Plan for Change is to help build skills and growth opportunity for every young person, giving them more power to take advantage of career or learning opportunities.

DVSA Driver Services director, Pauline Reeves, said: "Since December 2024, we’ve made significant progress on implementing our plan to reduce waiting times. But we know that many learner drivers are not seeing the immediate effects of the measures."

"The further action which the Secretary of State has announced today will help us to accelerate those measures, including expanding training capacity for newly recruited driving examiners so more of them can start carrying out driving tests sooner."

ADI Network Wins Gold & Bronze at Intelligent Instructor Awards 2025

ADI Network celebrates a double win at the Intelligent Instructor Awards 2025, taking home Gold for Support Provider of the Year and Bronze for Product of the Year. Read more about our success!

We’re thrilled to announce that ADI Network has been recognised with not one, but two awards at the Intelligent Instructor Awards 2025!

Gold – Support Provider of the Year
Bronze – Product of the Year

These prestigious awards celebrate the best in the industry, and we’re honoured to be recognised for our commitment to supporting ADIs with the tools, resources, and community they need to succeed.

What these awards showcase for ADI Network

Winning Support Provider of the Year reflects our goal to make life easier for driving instructors. From our free, easy-to-use platform to monthly Continued Professional Development and customer support, everything we do is designed to help ADIs focus and improve on what they do best—teaching.

Securing Bronze for Product of the Year for the second year running is also a huge milestone. Our platform is built specifically for ADIs, offering a nationwide jobs board, digital diary and student management, finance tools and more help instructors stay organised, save time, and grow their business with confidence.

These awards wouldn’t be possible without the amazing driving instructors within our network. Your feedback, engagement, and trust help us continuously improve and innovate, and we’re so proud to support such a dedicated community of instructors.

We’re excited for what’s next and remain committed to delivering even more value to ADIs in the future.

Want to see what makes ADI Network an award-winning platform? Download the app here

ADI Network Wins at the Intelligent Instructor Awards!

In a recent talk at the ADINJC & Intelligent Instructor Driving Instructor Convention, new Road Safety Minister Lilian Greenwood has outlined her commitment to improving road management and reducing the alarming rate of road accidents.

Lilian Greenwood announces new road safety strategy

In a recent talk at the ADINJC & Intelligent Instructor Driving Instructor Convention, new Road Safety Minister Lilian Greenwood has outlined her commitment to improving road management and reducing the alarming rate of road accidents. 

Each year, approximately 30,000 people are killed or injured on the UK's roads, prompting Greenwood to advocate for a new road safety strategy. 

The detailed plan is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, addressing key issues and proposing measures to enhance safety for all road users.

In addition to road safety, Greenwood highlighted growing concerns over driving test availability.

Increased waiting times for driving tests have been exacerbated by scalpers and opportunists who book tests only to resell them at inflated prices. 

As a result, many learner drivers are left with a choice between long wait times, tests scheduled too early, or test centres far from their homes.

In response, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is reviewing its booking and management systems. 

Their goal is to simplify the process and ensure fair access to tests for all. 

To meet the demand, the DVSA has acknowledged that some areas require 20% more driving examiners, particularly for evening and weekend slots.

Driving instructors are also being called upon to support the "Ready to Pass" campaign, encouraging learners to delay taking their test until they are fully prepared. 

This initiative is aimed at reducing the number of learners booking tests prematurely, which adds to the backlog and contributes to longer wait times.

With these changes, Greenwood and the DVSA hope to create a more efficient, safer driving environment, while making road safety a top priority across the UK.

Lilian Greenwood announces new road safety strategy amid driving test delays

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association has warned British drivers about issues they might face when leasing cars and driving abroad, as digital driving licences become the norm across the world.

Drivers warned about 'digital' licences when driving abroad

Experts have issued a warning to all British drivers about 'digital' driving licences, which may cause issues when you try to drive abroad.

Although digital driving licences aren't legal or used in the UK, they're becoming more common across other parts of the world.

Australia, New Zealand and some US states are among those who have implemented the change as they aim to provide a more modern experience for the drivers in their country.

The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) has said that individuals and businesses may start to find it more difficult for rental companies to verify their UK licence.

They stated: "There is nothing within the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic at Annexes 6 or 7 about the validity of a digital permit, nor is there anything within other pertinent legislation."

"Members may wish to consider adding something to their booking process, stating that a digital driving licence is not accepted in the UK and therefore a physical licence will need to be presented and/or an International Driving Permit."

In Queensland, Australia, digital driving licences have been accepted and commonly used since 2020, whilst New Zealand recently launched an app that allows users to pay for road user charges like vehicle registration.

Although British drivers will need to bring extra documentation with them to certain countries, the DVLA is beginning the process of digitising the industry with new online features introduced last year.

British drivers can now see their licence information, vehicle details, MOT status, penalty points and more in one centralised place. They can also use the website to update their contact details.

Julie Lennard, chief executive of the DVLA, spearheaded this innovative change, and said that more features would be added in due course.

The UK's new transport secretary has hit out at websites re-selling driving tests for a profit, calling them "unacceptable".

DfT boss slams 'dodgy' websites re-selling driving tests

As learners are becoming increasingly frustrated with the lack of tests available, many are turning to online websites and social media to buy their driving tests at a higher price.

These tests are booked using bots. They're able to enter information faster than a human, meaning any available tests are quickly taken by those looking to sell the slot.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has called this practice "unacceptable", and said that tackling the DVSA backlog was a "key priority" for the new Labour government.

Wait times are also getting longer thanks to an increase in learners booking tests before they're ready.

The DVSA says that 8.2% of learners are booking a practical test before taking any driving lessons.

An extra 145,000 tests were made available between October 2023 and March 2024 in an attempt to try to tackle the growing backlog.

Despite that, 65,534 driving tests were cancelled in the year up to March 2024 with annual leave, industrial action, bad weather, examiner sickness and coronavirus cited as reasons for cancelling.

Cities with the longest wait-times revealed

After a Freedom of Information request from the BBC, the DVSA have revealed that driving test wait times are 4 and a half months on average across all of England, Scotland and Wales, as of May 2024.

It's also been revealed that a staggering 81 of the 242 test centres (33.5%) across England, Scotland and Wales have wait times of 24 weeks, or 6 months.

Most of the test centres with the longest waiting times are based in the South of England, with several in London appearing on the list.

Cities such as Bristol, Bradford, Portsmouth and Southampton are also struggling with test-centre wait times of 24 weeks.

According to evidence seen by the BBC, brokers are using WhatsApp, Snapchat and other social media platforms to sell driving tests for upwards of £200. Desperate learners who need to pass their test quickly for their personal or work lives are forking out the money to avoid waiting for months.

The DVSA has said it is using artificial intelligence to try to prevent tests from being booked by bots, and is actively banning and suspending accounts who exhibit suspicious activity.

The DVLA has released new stats showing the number of elderly drivers on the road is higher than ever before, leading to renewed calls for mandatory fitness tests to continue driving once you reach a certain age.

Calls for elderly drivers to undergo mandatory fitness test

Last year, the DVLA recorded more than 40 million in the UK with a licence. The proportion of drivers aged 70 or above has also increased from 45% in 2002 to 73% in 2022.

This shows that driving is the most common mode of transport for elderly people, but there are concerns that the frailty and diminishing reaction times as you age could be dangerous.

John Wilmot, the CEO of LeaseLoco, commented:

"The number of qualified drivers on UK roads has reached record levels, showing that travelling by car continues to be the main and most convenient form of transport, particularly for older people."

Meanwhile, Steve Gooding from The RAC Foundation said: "Active motorists aged over 80 tend to be very aware of their abilities and self-regulate their driving avoiding, for example, driving at night or in the rush hour."

"The challenge is that as we age our bodies become more frail, so older people caught up in collisions tend to suffer worse injuries something car designers should have at the front of their mind."

He explained, "One thing that would allow all drivers not just those at an arbitrary old age to help judge their fitness to drive would be compulsory eye tests when licences are renewed."

As it stands, drivers over 70 must renew their licence every three years, but they aren't required to undergo any further testing.

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