Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Driving Test Availability

Thursday 11 September 2025 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Learner drivers in Sunderland face waits of around 22 weeks for a driving test, causing frustration and higher costs.
  • A constituent of Wera Hobhouse in Bath faced difficulties rebooking a driving test, with the nearest slot being in Swansea, two hours away.
  • Greg Smith noted that the average wait time for a driving test increased from 17 weeks in July 2024 to 22 weeks currently, with many test centres reaching the maximum 24-week wait limit.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lewis Atkinson Lab Sunderland Central
Transport
Context

Learner drivers in Sunderland are facing wait times of around 22 weeks for a driving test. This delay impacts their job opportunities and financial costs.

Question

Learner drivers in Sunderland are fed up of waits of around 22 weeks for a driving test. In that time, they are often facing higher costs and barriers in accessing job opportunities. Can the Minister tell the House what steps he is taking to reduce driving test waiting times in Sunderland, and when he expects those waits to fall?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)

Obviously, there were some issues with the close of the South Shields driving test centre, but no capacity was lost as a result of that. We recognise the impact that high waiting times are having on learner drivers across the country, including in the constituency of Sunderland Central, and the importance of helping learner drivers pass quickly. On 8 September, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency launched its latest recruitment campaign, which aims to recruit additional driving examiner resource to provide much-needed test capacity in Sunderland, Gateshead, Gosforth and Blythe.

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Q2 Wera Hobhouse Lib Dem Bath
Transport
Context

A constituent of Wera Hobhouse encountered significant difficulties in rebooking a driving test, facing long queues and unresponsive booking systems.

Question

One of my constituents wrote to me this week about the difficulties she is facing rebooking her driving test. The nearest slot that she could find was in Swansea, two hours away from Bath. When she tried the 6 am rush, she faced a queue of 22,000, and when she finally reached the front, the site failed. Alongside test availability, will the Government review the quality and reliability of the booking system?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)

We are absolutely committed to driving down the delays in these bookings. I would be delighted to chat further with the hon. Member to discuss the specific problems within her area.

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Q3 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Transport
Context

Driving test wait times have increased from an average of 17 weeks to 22 weeks, with many centres reaching the legal limit. Constituents are facing significant delays impacting their job opportunities.

Question

When driving tests came up at Transport questions in May, it was revealed that the wait time for a driving test on average was up, from 17 weeks in July 2024 to 22 weeks now. It has since been revealed that many test centres around the country have reached the maximum legal limit of a 24-week wait. Will the Minister acknowledge that for thousands of people up and down the country waiting for a driving test—waiting for that step on the ladder to get their first job or to college through the freedom of driving—it is simply not good enough for the Secretary of State to have pushed back the Government’s new target to fix this to 2026? Real people need real answers now, so will he redouble the efforts to get the wait time at least back down to the point it was at when the last Government left office?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Simon Lightwood)

We inherited a broken system in which many learner drivers found themselves stuck in a frustrating limbo, unable to ditch their L-plates. We instructed the DVSA to take further measures this year, and we are beginning to see early signs of improvement. We promised more tests and we have delivered more tests. The DVSA carried out over 20,000 more tests between June and August this year, and the pass rate remains at the highest it has been since May 2021. There is still more to be done and we will do just that.

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