Driving test queue in the UK to continue for two more years

Driving candidates in the UK are facing wait times of up to 24 weeks for practical driving tests, with warnings issued that the backlog of applications may not be fully cleared until November 2027. According to a report published by the National Audit Office (NAO), the 1.1 million tests that could not be conducted during the 2020/21 financial year due to the Covid-19 pandemic have caused a severe bottleneck in the system.

The report states that approximately 360,000 of these tests have still not been recovered. While the average waiting time was measured at 22 weeks in September, the delay reached the maximum permitted limit of 24 weeks in 70 percent of test centers. The NAO revealed that these delays have pushed candidates toward third-party brokers, with some learners forced to pay fees as high as £500 instead of the standard £62 test fee.

The auditing body also pointed out that a shortage of driving examiners has deepened the crisis. Due to uncompetitive pay and safety concerns, many examiners have left their positions, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) was only able to recruit 83 new examiners instead of the targeted 400.

The Department for Transport and the DVSA announced that various measures have been taken, including the deployment of military driving examiners and the implementation of rules ensuring only candidates can book appointments, with limits placed on appointment changes. However, the NAO emphasized that the system is still "not functioning satisfactorily" and called for urgent and decisive action.