Back in April, the government set a target to bring waiting times down to seven weeks by summer 2026. However, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander recently admitted that this target will now be missed.

To address the longstanding challenge, Alexander made two big announcements about how the driving test is booked and examined that should drive down waiting times (the average wait is 21.8 weeks as of June).

Learners only

The first big shake up is that only learners will be able to book their driving test. Previously, instructors have been able to on their pupils’ behalf – but no longer.

This means other third parties won’t be able to book, significantly reducing the use of bots to secure and sell on driving tests at inflated prices to frustrated learner drivers.

To toughen up the process even further, limits will also be rolled out, including reducing the number of times a learner can swap or move their booked test. Restrictions will also be placed on the number of times you can change the location of your driving test.

New examiners

The second measure being introduced is drafting in military driving test examiners to bulk up the number of examiners available to conduct tests. Thirty-six are being brought in from the Ministry of Defence to join the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) own examiners. They will work one day a week for the next 12 months, creating a further 6,500 tests a year.

While 316 examiners have been recruited by the DVSA in recent times, other examiners have left, leaving the agency with a net gain of only 40. To combat this, the agency will be offering a £5,000 ‘retention payment’ from next year to encourage examiners not to quit.

While the two announcements have been broadly welcomed as a step in the right direction, some do have concerns. One instructor told the BBC that curbing the ability to swap tests with other instructors – because a learner is not ready to take their test – could be a ‘nightmare’ in the future.

“We inherited an enormous backlog of learners ready to ditch their L plates, who have been sadly forced to endure record waiting times for their tests. Every learner should have an equal and fair opportunity to take a test. We’re taking decisive action and these new measures will deliver thousands of extra tests over the next year, helping learners get on the road sooner.”

• Heidi Alexander, Transport Secretary

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