Update on driving test booking rules consultation and reducing waiting times

Today (12 November) the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, updated the Transport Select Committee (TSC) on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests

• introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked

• make use of Ministry of Defence (MOD) driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times

Outcome of the consultation

As part of her update to the TSC, the Secretary of State announced the outcome of the consultation to make the driving test booking service fairer.

Below is more detail about the options being taken forward:

Option 1A: only allowing learner drivers to book and manage their own test

70.7% of respondents agreed with this option. This change will stop unofficial businesses providing third-party services from reselling tests, preventing additional test costs and unfair practices for your pupils.

Option 2B: limiting the number of times a test can be swapped or changed, this limit will be set at 2

50.8% of driving instructors that responded agreed with this option. Alongside limiting the number of times a test can be swapped or changed, we will also be limiting the area a test can be moved to once booked.

This will stop tests being booked in quieter areas to then move it to a test centre with higher demand. This will allow local learner drivers in quieter areas to have better access to tests at their preferred centre.

Making these changes together will give greater control to the learner driver, removing the ability for third parties to buy and sell on tests in higher demand locations – making booking a practical car driving test fairer for your pupils.

We have contacted your pupils with a car theory test or practical car test booking to let them know about the upcoming changes.

Next steps

We are finalising the full consultation summary of responses and will publish this on GOV.UK.

These changes will not be introduced straight away as they require a combination of legislative and technical changes.

The changes will be implemented in spring 2026.

We will provide more details about the changes and what they mean for you and your pupils ahead of them coming into force.

Working in partnership with the MOD

We have agreed with the MOD that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will do driving tests for one day a week for 12 months.

They will predominantly focus on car driving tests but will have the flexibility to do vocational testing as well if needed. They will usually conduct 7 tests in a day, which is the expectation for DVSA examiners doing car tests.

The DDEs will be based at the driving test centre with the highest demand nearest to either their MOD base location or where they live.

Before they start testing, all DDEs will do up to 10 days of training to support them to do non-military testing and so they can learn the test routes of the test centre they are based at.

Update on the summer 2026 waiting times target

During the TSC session on 12 November, the Secretary of State confirmed that the latest DVSA modelling shows it is not possible to meet the aspiration of reaching a 7-week waiting time by summer 2026.

We recognise that you and your pupils will be dismayed by this. There are several factors driving higher demand for tests and it is not clear when or even if this will ease.

Even with all the measures we have put in place, we are still not able to keep up with the rise in demand.

Reducing the driving test waiting times continues to be the priority for DVSA and we will continue to do all we can to reduce them.