Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Driving Test Waiting Times

Thursday 26 March 2026 · 5 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Young constituents in Melksham and Devizes are facing months-long waits for driving tests, leading to increased use of cancellation apps and higher costs.
  • The DVSA has increased its full-time equivalent driving examiners by 108 since February 2025, rising to 1,553 as of February 2026.
  • The Government is implementing changes to the booking service, limiting test bookings to learner drivers and introducing examiner capacity from the Ministry of Defence to address waiting times.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Brian Mathew Lib Dem Melksham and Devizes
Transport
Context

Driving test waiting times remain high, affecting many constituents in Melksham and Devizes. Young people are resorting to paying premium prices for cancellation apps to get driving tests.

Question

Young constituents in Melksham and Devizes who are waiting months for driving tests are resorting to paying premium prices for cancellation apps, often getting slots halfway across the country, just to get on the road. One 20-year-old told me that the costs of the wait killed his motivation entirely and that driving was becoming financially out of reach. Given that in rural areas such as mine driving is not a luxury but a necessity, will the Minister commit not only to reducing waiting times in rural areas but to reviewing the affordability of the testing system for young people?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

This Government will continue to do all we can to drive down the waiting times, and of course, we will always keep the affordability of driving tests under review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to specific actions or timelines for reducing waiting times in rural areas or reviewing affordability

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Q2 Brian Mathew Lib Dem Melksham and Devizes
Transport
Context

Examiners are being recruited in Monmouth test centre, with another joining soon. Examiners are essential for reducing waiting times.

Question

I have heard lots of stories from learners in my constituency about their long wait for driving tests, and waits for medical driving licences are also going up. I am delighted that this Government are taking the driving test backlog seriously. Monmouthshire residents will be relieved to know that I have heard that a new examiner is being trained up in Monmouth test centre as we speak, with another joining in Abergavenny soon. Will the Minister update me on what further steps the Department is taking to ensure that examiners are recruited, trained and out doing driving tests as soon as possible?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

The DVSA continues its recruitment campaigns for new driving examiners. Examiner capacity is rising, with 1,553 full-time equivalent examiners in post as of February 2026—that is an increase of 108 when compared with the number of driving examiners in February 2025. DVSA has also had difficulty in retaining experienced driving examiners, some of whom retire or leave the DVSA for other roles. We are encouraging them to stay, with exceptional payments of £5,000 to examiners in eligible roles, divided into two payments over the next 12 months.

Answered
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Q3 Catherine Fookes Lab Monmouthshire
Transport
Context

Waiting times for driving tests have worsened since the Government took office, affecting young people's ability to work or study.

Question

The waiting time for driving tests has got worse since the Government took office. As others have said, it is critical that, whether for work or education, young people are able to get a test and have the use of a car to grow our economy and get their lives on track. Cabinet Office Ministers answered a written question from the shadow Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden), saying that 26,000 people applied to become a driving examiner. Why are more of them not in training or in post?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

I continue to be flabbergasted by the comments from the Opposition. Let me just remind the House once again that the National Audit Office reported in December that the Department for Transport had had “limited involvement” in helping the DVSA tackle its waiting time backlog “up to mid-2024” and that<br/>“DfT largely left DVSA to try and resolve the issue”. The DVSA conducted more tests in December 2025 than during any December in the last 20 years.

Not addressed: Complained about previous government's involvement instead of addressing recruitment efforts for driving examiners

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Q4 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Policing & Resources Transport
Context

Driving test waiting times have worsened since the Government took office, with only one recruitment campaign leading to 26,000 applications.

Question

The reality on the ground is very different: people are waiting far longer for their driving test than they should have to, and that is happening under this Government. Waiting times have got worse by weeks since July 2024. The Minister likes to talk about recruitment campaigns. The reality is that there has only been one recruitment campaign, which led to those 26,000 applications. In other parts of the public service, such as the police, there are constant recruitment campaigns. Will the Government now put driving instructors on a constant recruitment campaign?

Answer from Simon Lightwood

It is absolute nonsense from the Opposition. Let me tell the House what this Government have done compared with the complete inaction of the previous Government. We are changing the booking service to allow only learner drivers to book and manage their tests. We are introducing a limit on the number of times that learner drivers can move or swap their test to twice, and are making use of the Ministry of Defence to drive up the number of tests available.

Not addressed: Discussed booking service changes instead of recruitment campaigns for examiners

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Q5 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Transport
Context

Driving test waiting times remain high, affecting many young constituents who are resorting to paying for cancellation apps.

Question

What steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times for driving tests.

Answer from Simon Lightwood

I know that driving test waiting times remain too high, but there are signs that we are starting to turn the corner thanks to the action that we have taken since coming into government. We are increasing examiner capacity, improving booking rules and using Ministry of Defence examiners to provide additional tests. We now have over 100 more examiners in post than in February last year, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has delivered over 124,000 more tests this financial year than last year. We will keep the House updated as progress continues.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific timelines or figures for reducing waiting times

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