Man placing learner driver badge on front of red car.

Learner drivers waiting 20 weeks to book a practical test

Consumer Editor

3 minute read|11th Sep 2026

Learner drivers continue to face lengthy waits for practical driving tests, with the average time to secure a booking standing at 20 weeks in August, according to the DVSA figures sourced by BBC News.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) had originally planned to cut average waiting times to seven weeks by the end of 2025.

That deadline was later pushed back to summer 2026 by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, who has since acknowledged that the target will not be met.

While booking delays remain stubbornly high, the latest figures show a marginal improvement on July's average wait of 20.2 weeks.

The DVSA has improved the driving test booking system, which means only learner drivers themselves can book a test. This prevents third parties and driving instructors from bookings tests on other people’s behalf.

However, once a test has been booked, learners are still waiting an average of 11.1 weeks to sit it, a figure that has remained unchanged from the previous month.

Over the past 12 months, more than 2.13 million driving tests have taken place – the highest rolling 12-month figure on record.

In August 2026, the pass rate also reached 52.1%, the highest since May 2021.

DVSA chief executive Beverley Warmington, said: "There's more to do and we're not going to stop until every learner can get a fair test slot when they need one, but the figures show our plan is working."

Figures from the DVSA show that the average waiting time for a practical driving test was five weeks in February 2020, highlighting the scale of the delays that have developed since the pandemic.

Much of the backlog has been attributed to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and a shortage of driving examiners.

However, Heidi Alexander, Secretary of State for Transport, said there had been a net increase of 147 examiners in the 12 months to May.

Despite those efforts, Alexander said around 70% of driving test centres across the UK are operating at their maximum waiting times, with the overall backlog now estimated to stand at approximately 1.1 million tests at the end of June.

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