Background to the report

The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). It is responsible for improving road safety, which includes setting standards for car driving and conducting tests of competence to drive a car.

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Car practical driving tests can be booked by members of the public who hold a provisional driving licence and have passed the driving theory test. They can also be booked by approved driving instructors, businesses and driving schools on behalf of learner drivers.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the provision of driving tests was severely disrupted. Driving tests were suspended due to several lockdown restrictions between March 2020 and April 2021. DVSA has taken a number of measures to try and address the resulting backlog and reduce waiting times for a test. However, waiting times have remained persistently long.

Scope of the report

This report examines the factors affecting DVSA’s ability to resume pre‑pandemic waiting times for driving tests. It does not examine the overall value for money of the government’s response to the issue, or other aspects of DVSA’s operations. It looks at:

  • waiting times for driving tests
  • changes in the number of driving tests needed
  • the government’s (DfT’s and DVSA’s) response to the long waiting times

The report does not look at DVSA’s vocational, motorcycle or other types of practical driving tests or at any of DVSA’s theory tests. The report covers car practical driving tests in England, Scotland and Wales only, because tests in Northern Ireland are a devolved function and are the responsibility of the Driver & Vehicle Agency Northern Ireland.

Video summary

Lee Summerfield, the report’s director, summarises our findings

Concluding remarks

The failure over nearly five years to resolve the problem of long waiting times for car practical driving tests has exposed underlying issues at DVSA.

Its system for booking tests is not working well for learner drivers. It has not been able to recruit and retain enough examiners to increase capacity, and its operational forecasting did not identify the underlying causes and sustained nature of the increases in demand, other than that relating to the pandemic backlog.

Consequently, DVSA has been unable to adapt at pace or to recover from the pandemic, and this has undermined engagement of the workforce and external stakeholders’ confidence in DVSA.

Learner drivers in particular have suffered in terms of long waits and having to pay third parties to obtain access to a public service.

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Publication details

Press release

View press release (17 Dec 2025)

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